President Donald Trump said he was ‘surprised’ that Attorney General Bill Barr said he didn’t see a probe into the origins of the Russia investigation turning into a criminal matter involving President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
‘I have no doubt that they were involved in this hoax, one of the worst things ever to befall this country in terms of political scandal. I have absolutely no doubt that Obama and Biden were involved,’ Trump told reporters Monday. ‘As to whether or not it was criminal I would think it would be very serious, very, very serious.’
‘It was a takedown of a president … in my opinion it was an illegal takedown,’ Trump continued.
Barr had made remarks in an earlier news conference that suggested the Democrats were off the hook.
‘Now as to President Obama and Vice President Biden whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today I don’t expect Mr. Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man,’ Barr told reporters at a news conference.
Barr was referencing the work of John Durham, a federal prosecutor who the attorney general selected to look into the origins of the 2016 Russia probe.
President Trump said Monday that he was ‘surprised’ by comments made by Attorney General Bill Barr over the likelihood President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden would be prosecuted over the origins of the Russia probe
Attorney General Bill Barr said Monday that he did not believe an investigation into the origins of the 2016 Russia probe would turn into a criminal investigation involving President Barack Obama or Vice President Joe Biden
Attorney General Bill Barr said the work of federal prosecutor John Durham was unlikely to sweep up President Barack Obama (left) or Vice President Joe Biden (right), now the Democrats’ presumptive nominee, in a criminal probe
President Trump has returned his focus to what he calls ‘Obamagate.’ When asked what crime President Obama committed the president wouldn’t specify
‘What happened to the president in the 2016 election and throughout the first two years of his administration was abhorrent, it was a grave injustice and it was unprecdented in American history,’ Barr said Monday.
‘The law enforcment and intelligence apparatus were involved in advancing a false and utterly baseless Russian collusion narrative against the president,’ he added.
He said the aim of Durham’s investigation is to get to the bottom of what happened.
‘But this cannot be and it will not be a tit for tat exercise. We are not going to lower the standards just to receive a result,’ Barr said.
Barr voiced concerns about the hyper-partisan nature of the U.S. right now.
‘As long as I’m attorney general the criminal justice system will not be used for partisan political ends,’ he said. ‘This is especially true for the upcoming elections in November.’
We warned, ‘We cannot allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate, and I’m committed that this election will be conducted without this interference.’
‘Any effort to pursue an investigation of either candidate has to be approved by me,’ Barr said.
The president continued to tweet about ‘Obamagate’ throughout the weekend, accusing the Obama administration of ‘criminality’
And while he said he didn’t anticipate the Durham probe would touch Obama or Biden, the Democrats’ presumptive 2020 nominee, Barr did say the DOJ was looking into crimes connected with originating the 2016 Russia probe.
‘Our concern over potential criminality is focused on others,’ Barr said.
The attorney general said he couldn’t comment specifically on who is being looked at.
As the coronavirus death toll clicks higher, Trump has shifted his focus back to what he calls ‘Obamagate.’
‘The Obama Administration is turning out to be one of the most corrupt and incompetent in U.S. history. Remember, he and Sleepy Joe are the reasons I am in the White House!!!’ Trump tweeted Sunday.
A week before Trump accused Obama of ‘the biggest political crime in American history, by far.’
At a briefing last Monday, Trump was asked by The Washington Post’s Phil Rucker what crime, specifically, he was talking about.
‘And do you believe the Justice Department should prosecute him?’ Rucker asked.
Trump replied by saying ‘Obamagate.’
‘It’s been going on for a long time. It’s a disgrace that it happened. And if you look at what’s gone on and if you look at now all of this information that’s being released, and from what I understand that’s only the beginning, some terrible things happened,’ Trump said.
Rucker pressed Trump to name a specific crime.
‘You know what the crime is, the crime is very obvious to everybody,’ Trump said. ‘All you have to do is read the newspaper – except yours.’