Staff Reports
Former Attorney General Bill Barr had some strong words for his former boss over the weekend, but he still expressed hope that President Trump can avoid being locked up. Speaking on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” Barr criticized Trump for his handling of classified documents and suggested that he’s engaged in “reckless conduct” that has led to “calamitous situations.” Nonetheless, Barr insisted that it’s not in the country’s best interests to incarcerate Trump: “I don’t like the idea of a former president serving time in prison.”
Bill Barr condemns alleged Trump conduct, but says "I don't like the idea of a former president serving time" https://t.co/vLqILqx20i
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) June 20, 2023
Barr did acknowledge that “Trump has been the victim of unfair witch hunts in the past,” but he emphasized that this case is different: “this is not a circumstance where he’s the victim or this is government overreach.” Barr suggested that Trump’s attorneys can’t “defend his conduct because Trump’s conduct is indefensible.” However, he argued that Trump should still get a fair trial and be held accountable for his actions.
"Yes," former Attorney General Bill Barr tells @costareports when asked if he believes Trump is potentially a target of the federal January 6 investigation.
"I'm actually starting to think they will pull the trigger on that, and I would expect it to be this summer." pic.twitter.com/ppYxvKuwqg
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 18, 2023
Barr’s comments came after an indictment was handed down against Trump in Florida last week. A Harvard-CAPS Harris poll conducted between June 14 and June 15 found that over half of registered voters don’t agree with the indictment, with 30% believing that Trump is innocent of the charges and 26% suspecting that the indictment is a form of election interference. However, the poll also found that the majority of respondents believe that President Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton mishandled classified documents.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will face additional legal problems in the future. Barr speculated that he could be indicted as part of the federal January 6 investigation, but he didn’t provide any further details. Regardless, it’s clear that Barr remains an important figure in the conservative movement, and his comments will continue to be scrutinized by Trump supporters and opponents alike.
