Attorney General William Barr has said he did not expect investigations into the origins of the FBI's Russia investigation to lead to criminal probes into either President Donald Trump's Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, or former President Barack Obama.
"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 said.
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Federal prosecutor John Durham is reviewing the origins of the investigation of Russia's 2016 election interference.
Trump has stated without evidence that he believes Obama had committed unspecified crimes, and some of Trump's supporters have encouraged criminal inquiries into Obama and Biden for what they say are unspecified abuses during the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump has taken to calling the conspiracy "OBAMAGATE" in recent days, and said it was "the biggest political crime in American history" without offering any details or evidence. Trump stepped up those claims as he faced criticism for the administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and prepares to face Biden in the November election.
Thank you to @foxandfriends for covering, supremely, the greatest political scandal in the history of the United States, OBAMAGATE. Fake News @CNN and Concast's own MSDNC are only trying to make their 3 year Con Job just go away. They are embarrassed and don't know what to do....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 15, 2020
Barr signalled on Monday, however, that he would not be swayed by political pressure to investigate the president's opponents, and did not believe that a criminal investigation into the early days of the Russia probe being conducted by Durham would lead to investigations into either Obama or Biden.
More broadly, Barr said, "We cannot allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate."
Barr did not rule out the possibility of others being criminally investigated, without offering specifics.
Former Reagan/Bush official:
"Barr's belief in an all-powerful chief executive and a president who thinks that he can do anything he desires has resulted in many actions that have severely undermined trust in an evenhanded and independent rule of law."https://t.co/6NZwkaXzFP
— Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) May 17, 2020
Trump said on Monday that the attorney general's statement surprised him.
"I'm a little surprised by that statement," Trump told reporters at the White House, while calling Barr "very honourable" and saying he would leave any such decision up to Barr.
Barr has faced scathing criticism from Democrats and former career prosecutors in recent months who say he is the one who has politicised the justice system in favour of allies of Trump.
Earlier this month, Barr moved to dismiss the criminal charges against Trump's former NSA Michael Flynn, who had already pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
In February he intervened to recommend a lighter sentence for Trump's longtime friend Roger Stone.
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