Trump’s Enemy Comes To His Defense
On Friday, Bill Barr, the former Attorney General, strongly criticized the indictment of ex-President Trump, describing it as an “abomination”.
In transcript provided by The Hill, “Obviously, we don’t have the indictment, so there’s a little bit of speculation involved. But based on the news reports, if they’re accurate, this is an abomination,” Barr explained.
He went on to say, “It’s the epitome of the abuse of prosecutorial power to bring a case that would not be brought against anyone else. They are going after the man, not a crime.”
Additionally, Barr, who had been the Attorney General during the Trump administration, condemned the supposed legal principle behind the indictment as “pathetically weak.”
Barr added, “The case is held together by chicken wire and paper clips and rubber bands. It’s a lousy case … It’s a shameful episode in our history where this local prosecutor is trying to affect the political process by bringing this case.”
On Thursday, a grand jury in New York indicted the ex-president with criminal charges related to his involvement in a $130,000 payment made by his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their affair before the 2016 election.
Although the indictment is still confidential, legal professionals have previously speculated that Trump could be prosecuted for manipulating business records by wrongly categorizing reimbursements to Cohen as lawful payments.
Barr added, “I actually don’t think that’s a valid claim in this case because the statute actually requires that it be done with the intent to defraud. I don’t understand the basis for a fraud claim here.”
