Former Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday refuted Donald Trump’s assertions that the trials involving the former president would disrupt the 2024 election, dismissing them as “Silly” and “wrong”.
During an appearance on Fox News’s “America Reports,” Barr countered these claims by pointing out the fundamental principle within the criminal justice system that individuals of prominence, even if seeking office, aren’t immune to facing consequences for their actions. He emphasized that if there is ample time to resolve legal matters before the election, they should indeed be addressed.
In a separate instance, Barr was presented with a video clip featuring Chris Christie, a Republican presidential candidate critical of Trump, who stated that Trump’s behavior and insistence on pursuing the presidency were the factors interfering with the primary process. Barr agreed with Christie’s viewpoint, characterizing the claims of election interference as lacking merit.
Drawing a parallel to a hypothetical scenario involving a mayor facing significant embezzlement charges, Barr termed the idea of delaying legal proceedings for re-election purposes as absurd. Barr found the comparison illustrative of the situation at hand.
“Just think, some mayor charged with massive embezzlement and he says, ‘Well, you know, it’s a year and a half to the election, let’s put that on hold while I run for reelection.’ It’s silly,” said Barr, who served under Trump but broke with him by denying his claims of election fraud.
Take a look:
Trump’s former AG Bill Barr utterly destroys Trump’s argument that prosecuting him for his crimes is “Election interference”:
“Just think of a mayor charged with massive embezzlement, and he says, Well, it's a year and a half to the election; let’s put that on hold, while I'm… pic.twitter.com/d7Z36Mpw4x
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) August 31, 2023
In recent developments, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan scheduled Trump’s trial in Washington for March 4, coinciding with Super Tuesday—a day when numerous states hold their Republican presidential primaries. Trump’s legal team had requested a trial date in April 2026.
Additionally, Trump’s trial concerning alleged hush money actions before the 2016 election is set to commence on March 25 in Manhattan, closely following the Louisiana primary and preceding the April 2 primaries in Delaware, New York, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Furthermore, a trial related to Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office is scheduled for May 20 in Florida, coinciding with the primary elections in Kentucky and Oregon.
Trump has pushed for later trial dates, contending that his legal challenges will divert his attention from the campaign trail.