‘If Even Half Of It Is True, He’s Toast’

Topline

Former Attorney General Bill Barr called the federal criminal charges against his onetime boss, former President Donald Trump, “very, very damning,” arguing Sunday “if even half of it is true, he’s toast”—searing criticism after Trump was indicted for allegedly mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr blasted Trump’s mishandling of documents during a Fox News Sunday … [+] interview.

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Key Facts

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Barr said the government’s agenda with the indictment was to protect the classified documents and get them back, adding that he was “shocked by the degree of sensitivity” of the documents allegedly found at Mar-A-Lago and how many documents there were.

The 31 counts that Trump faces for willful retention of national defense information—an Espionage Act statute—are “solid counts,” Barr said, adding, “he’s totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents.”

The former attorney general also said the indictment lays out “very egregious obstruction” against the federal investigation, arguing the Department of Justice was “very patient” and Trump could’ve avoided charges if he returned the documents—though he cautioned that the public needs to wait and see what the defense says.

Barr—a former Trump loyalist who served as attorney general from 2019 to 2020 before clashing with Trump over false voter fraud claims—said the idea that Trump is a victim of a witch hunt “is ridiculous,” and noted that he’s defended the former president against investigations he considered unfair in the past, but this was not one of those instances.

The former attorney general also criticized the unsecure way prosecutors say the documents were kept—images released with the indictment showed Trump stored classified documents in a bathroom, in a ballroom and in a bedroom at his Florida estate—saying, ”he kept [the documents]

in a way at Mar-A-Lago that anyone who really cares about national security, their stomach would churn at it.”

Crucial Quote

“Battle plans for an attack on another country or Defense Department documents about our capabilities are in no universe Donald J. Trump’s personal documents,” Barr said Sunday. “They are the government’s documents.”

Key Background

Along with the 31 counts of violating an Espionage Act statute, Trump was also indicted on charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and five other counts. The indictment alleged Trump took multiple steps to obstruct the investigation and “conceal documents,” including asking his aide Walt Nauta—who was also charged—to move documents in an attempt to hide from investigators. The indictment alleges Trump showed classified records involving a military “plan of attack” and a “map related to a military operation” to people who did not have the security clearance to view them. The documents Trump brought to Mar-A-Lago include information about “defense and weapons capabilities” of both the U.S. and foreign countries, U.S. nuclear programs and plans for a possible retaliatory attack on a foreign country, according to the indictment. Many high-profile Republicans have defended Trump, who has called the investigation politically motivated and claimed he had the right to keep the documents, though a handful of lawmakers like Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) have criticized him.

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Key Facts

Crucial Quote

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