U.S.

Politics World Opinion Media Entertainment Sports Lifestyle Video More Login Watch TV

TRENDING TRUMP INDICTMENT NASHVILLE SHOOTING

.com

POLITICS Published March 31, 2023 6:40pm EDT

Former AG Barr slams 'pathetically

weak' legal theory behind Trump
indictment: 'An abomination'
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office indicted Trump on Thursday

By Andrea Vacchiano Fox News

|
More from Politics
1 hour ago
Trump indictment
unlikely to sway
Wisconsin Supreme
Court race

1 hour ago
Ohio Gov. DeWine
signs $13.5
transportation
budget, rail safety
package into law

1 hour ago
Pennsylvania Sen.
John Fetterman
released from
hospital after
treatment for
depression

1 hour ago
Former AG Barr
slams 'pathetically
weak' legal theory
behind Trump
indictment: 'An
abomination'

Bill Barr: Trump indictment is an abomination

Former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr analyzes the case against former President Donald Trump on 'Kudlow.'

Former Attorney General Bill Barr reacted to the indictment of former President Trump
over his alleged 2016 hush money scandal on Friday, calling it "an abomination."

Trump was indicted by a grand jury on Thursday. He is the first ex-president in U.S. history
to be indicted.

Barr appeared on Fox Business to discuss the indictment with host Larry Kudlow.

"Obviously, we don't have the indictment, so there's a little bit of speculation involved," Barr
began. "But based on the news reports, if they're accurate, this is an abomination."

TRUMP INDICTMENT: LIVE UPDATES

William Barr, U.S. attorney general, speaks during a roundtable discussion with federal, state, and local officials, not
pictured, at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty
Images)

"It'sthe 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 argued.

"They are going after the man, not a

crime. And the legal theory, frankly,
is pathetically weak."
— Former Attorney General Bill Barr

The former attorney general delved into the legal arguments that will likely be made by the
Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

"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."

TRUMP SAYS 'ILLEGAL LEAKS' INDICATE HE'LL BE ARRESTED TUESDAY

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 election campaign rally in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.
(Suzanne Corderio/AFP via Getty Images))

"They're assuming that the payments were a campaign finance violation because they
were effectively a contribution to the Trump campaign. I can tell you that's not the law. I

don't think that's how the Justice Department would view it," Barr added.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating the alleged
hush money scandal for years. The purported payments include the $130,000 sum given
to Stormy Daniels, plus the $150,000 given to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago on November 08,
2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump spoke as the nation awaits the results of voting in the midterm elections. (Photo by
Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

President Biden declined to comment on the indictment when asked about it on Friday.

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

U.S. World Politics Entertainment Business Lifestyle

Crime U.N. Executive Celebrity News Personal Finance Food + Drink
Military Conflicts Senate Movies Economy Cars + Trucks
Education Terrorism House TV News Markets Travel + Outdoors
Terror Disasters Judiciary Music News Watchlist House + Home
Immigration Global Economy Foreign Policy Style News Lifestyle Fitness + Well-being
Economy Environment Polls Entertainment Video Real Estate Style + Beauty
Personal Freedoms Religion Elections Tech Family
Fox News Investigates Scandals Faith

Science Tech Health TV About Other

Archaeology Security Coronavirus Shows Contact Us Fox Business
Air & Space Innovation Healthy Living Personalities Careers Fox Weather
Planet Earth Drones Medical Research Watch Live Fox Around the World Fox Nation
Wild Nature Computers Mental Health Full Episodes Advertise With Us Fox News Shop
Natural Science Video Games Cancer Show Clips Media Relations Fox News Go
Dinosaurs Military Tech Heart Health News Clips Corporate Information Fox News Radio
Children's Health Compliance Outkick
Newsletters
Podcasts
Apps & Products

New Terms of Use New Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices Closed Captioning Policy Help Contact Us Accessibility Statement
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube Flipboard LinkedIn Slack RSS NewslettersSpotify
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2023 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or
delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Legal Statement . Mutual Fund and ETF
data provided by Refinitiv Lipper .