Bill Barr Trump indictment held together by chicken wire clams its legal theory ... trends now
Former Attorney General Bill Barr says he believes the indictment of former President Trump over his alleged involvement in the 2016 hush money scandal to be 'an abomination' and 'the epitome of the abuse of prosecutorial power.'
Trump made history as the first ex-president in U.S. history to be indicted.
Barr argued how the legal theory behind the indictment was 'pathetically weak' and that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office is 'going after the man, not a crime.'
'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 said on Fox News.
'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. And the legal theory, frankly, is pathetically weak,' he suggested.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr called Trump's indictment 'an abomination' and 'the epitome of the abuse of prosecutorial power'
'The legal theory is pathetically weak. The case is held together by chicken wire and paper clips and rubber bands. It's a lousy case. And it's a shameful episode in our history where this local prosecutor is trying to affect the political process by bringing this case,' Barr railed.
He delved into the legal arguments that will likely be made, noting how the case likely revolved around how Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen recorded the reimbursements paid to him from Trump as 'legal payment'.
Barr explained how the statute requires that any such misclassification of funds be done with the intent to defraud, which may not be the case in this situation.
'The claim is that [recording the Cohen reimbursements as legal payments] is false and therefore violated a misdemeanor statute in the first instance against false documents,' Barr said.
'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. But I don't understand the basis for a fraud claim.'
Former President Trump's legal team went on the offensive on Friday following his historic indictment, vowing the former president would never seek a plea deal and was ready 'to fight'
Barr also disagreed with the claim that the payments were a campaign finance violation because they were effectively a contribution to the Trump campaign.
'They're assuming that the payments were a campaign finance violation
