18 May 20
2 edits
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/18/barr-trump-obamagate-265037
Barr throws cold water on Trump’s ‘Obamagate’ campaign
Attorney General William Barr on Monday issued an apparent rebuke of President Donald Trump’s efforts in recent weeks to hatch vague accusations of misconduct by former Obama administration officials — all while lamenting Trump’s treatment by federal law enforcement officers during the wide-ranging Russia probe.
Appearing alongside FBI Director Christopher Wray during a virtual news briefing at the Justice Department, Barr offered a lengthy series of remarks criticizing what he characterized as “increasing attempts to use the criminal justice system as a political weapon” over the past few decades.
“The legal tactic has been to gin up allegations of criminality by one’s political opponent based on the flimsiest of legal theories. This is not a good development. This is not good for our political life, and it’s not good for the criminal justice system,” Barr said, at times seemingly reading from a prepared statement.