Former Attorney General William Barr has accused Democrats of using the indictment of former President Donald Trump over his alleged involvement in the 2016 hush-money scandal as a strategy to harm him in the 2024 presidential election. He dismissed the charges against Trump as politically motivated, saying it was a "pathetically weak case" that could further inflame divisions in the United States.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is accusing Trump of falsifying business records by improperly marking down reimbursements to Michael Cohen as legal payments. The indictment also accuses him of making illegal campaign contributions through hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Barr criticized the legal theory behind the indictment, arguing that it was "held together by chicken wire, paper clips, and rubber bands." He also disagreed with claims that these payments were campaign finance violations because they were effectively a contribution to Trump's campaign.
Barr accused Democrats of using law enforcement agencies as political tools and trying to preempt political decisions while sowing discord in the political process. He claimed that Democrats may be using this case to help President Joe Biden win re-election or assist in defeating potential candidates for Republican nomination for president like Donald Trump himself.
Trump is scheduled to appear at a New York courthouse next week where he will be fingerprinted and photographed – becoming America’s first former president ever indicted on criminal charges relating back from his presidency days. His legal team has vowed that he would never seek a plea deal and was ready to fight all charges.
President Joe Biden sidestepped questions about the indictment but said there is "zero chance" that Donald J. Trump would plead not guilty. Meanwhile, Donald J.Trump responded by accusing democrats of lying, cheating and stealing concerning their obsession with trying getting him indicted on trump-up charges via baseless accusations which have no basis whatsoever