Trump-haters are very angry because he won’t stop saying this.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr refuted former President Trump’s assertions that the ongoing investigation into official documents by a special counsel is driven by political motives and wants him to stop calling it a “witch hunt”. Barr expressed his belief that, in due course, the general public will recognize the former president’s responsibility in this matter.
In transcript provided by The Hill, Barr explained, “Over time, people will see that this is not a case of the Department of Justice conducting a witch hunt. In fact, they approached this very delicately and with deference to the president, and this would have gone nowhere had the president just returned the documents. But he jerked them around for a year and a half.”
The investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents is being led by special counsel Jack Smith. Following an FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago residence, a number of these documents were discovered, as Trump had consistently refused to surrender them to federal authorities upon leaving the White House.
Trump has persistently denounced investigations into his conduct as “witch hunts” and unleashed a barrage of furious social media messages against federal investigators on Tuesday. This followed reports that Trump’s legal team had allegedly met with special counsel Jack Smith and other officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Smith’s investigation also encompasses Trump’s endeavors to retain power after the 2020 election.
During the CBS interview, Barr expressed his suspicion that the meeting held on Monday was likely conducted to voice grievances regarding certain aspects of the special counsel’s investigation. He further suggested that an indictment is likely forthcoming in the near future.
Barr held the position of attorney general under Trump’s administration for a duration of nearly two years. He concluded his tenure following the president’s defeat in the 2020 election.