Is Obama going to have to defend himself?
If you were expecting former President Barack Obama to be charged as a result of special counsel John Durham’s criminal investigation into the conduct with Russia — which dates back to 2016 — don’t hold your breath.
This is the tone of Attorney General William Barr’s Friday (April 8) message, which reiterated a similar belief he shared two years ago while he was still leading the Justice Department and supervising Durham’s work under then-President Donald Trump.
During an interview on Fox Business, Barr responded to a question by host Elizabeth MacDonald, saying, “If he can prove criminal acts beyond a reasonable doubt, he’ll bring the case. I don’t suspect that they’re going to involve someone at Obama’s level.”
Barr’s comments come as Durham is in the middle of two active prosecutions, which have only led to a former FBI lawyer being charged. The lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, was linked to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential campaign. Clinesmith was also the primary source in an anti-Trump dossier compiled by British ex-spy Christopher Steele.
During his appearance on the “Evening Edit,” Barr also noted that Durham, who is still Special Counsel in Biden’s administration, will “go through everything that happened. Some things he may be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Barr then went on to emphasize later that “people can read what happened, and even though you cannot prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, I think most Americans will understand what’s going on.”
In the past, Trump has criticized Obama over what he calls “Obama-gate” in reference to the investigation conducted on Trump by those linked to the former Secretary of State.
Barr still questions the legitimacy of the Trump-Russia investigation, calling it a “collusion” and “manufactured scandal.”
