Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Sunday that the 37-count federal indictment against Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents is “very, very damning,” and rejected Trump’s claims that the charges were political in nature.
Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Barr — who served as Trump’s attorney general from February 2019 to December 2020 — said “this idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt, is ridiculous.”
“ “It’s a very detailed indictment. And it’s very, very damning.””
Barr said it was clear that Trump mishandled classified documents.
“He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents,” he said. “Those documents are among the most sensitive secrets that the country has.” Barr added that Trump’s claim that he had complete authority to declare any document “personal” is “facially ridiculous.”
Barr also denied Trump was the victim of a “witch hunt,” which the former president had repeatedly claimed.
“Yes, he’s been a victim in the past,” Barr said “Yes, his adversaries have obsessively pursued him with phony claims, and I’ve been at his side defending against them when he is a victim,” he added. “But this is much different. He’s not a victim here.”
Appearing on “The Roger Stone Show” on 77 WABC later Sunday, Trump called Barr “a coward who didn’t do his job,” saying he fired Barr because “he was gutless, he wouldn’t do what you’re supposed to do.”