BARR, HUMBUG!
President Trump on Monday said he was “surprised” that Attorney General William Barr expressed doubt about opening a criminal probe into former President Barack Obama or presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Trump was asked to respond to remarks Barr made earlier Monday when he said a current investigation into the origins of the Russia probe would not lead to the scalping of Obama or his former vice president, Joe Biden, and should not become a “tit-for-tat.”
“If it was me, they would do it,” Trump said.
“I’m surprised because Obama knew everything that was happening. I think Obama and Biden knew about it, they were participants, so I’m surprised by that statement. I’m surprised by it,” Trump continued.
Barr (above left) issued caution on Monday when asked if a current review into the FBI’s maligned Russia investigation could lead to criminal charges against Obama (right) or Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“Not every abuse of power, no matter how outrageous, is necessarily a federal crime,” Barr said.
“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,” he continued, referring to the review being conducted by US Attorney for Connecticut John Durham.
Both Obama and Biden have faced increased scrutiny over what role they had in the origins of the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Trump promised he would “stay out of it” before telling reporters he had “no doubt” that Obama and Biden “were involved in this hoax, this political scandal.”
Durham is looking into whether the FBI misrepresented its FISA application to obtain warrants to monitor former Trump campaign associates — with Barr on Monday revealing some charges were expected.
It’s unclear who could be criminally prosecuted as a result of Durham’s investigation, but documents released last week revealed how FBI agents conspired to keep the case open — even when there was no evidence the Trump campaign was colluding with the Kremlin.
The president also appeared to take a swipe at Obama for apparently mocking Trump’s coronavirus leadership in a commencement speech, saying, “I don’t think Obama knows where he is, you know, in a lot of ways.”