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 * Bill Barr said Trump shouldn't get avoid trials simply because he's running
   for president.
 * Trump and his defenders have pointed out how proposed trial dates conflict
   with the 2024 GOP nomination schedule.
 * While Barr thinks Trump could be convicted in some cases, he doesn't want
   Trump to face prison time.

Former Attorney General Bill Barr on Thursday practically scoffed at former
President Donald Trump's argument that it's unfair for him to be in court when
he should be campaigning for president.

"To some degree, they might accommodate a few days here and there, but I don't
think that should govern the schedule for pursuing these cases," Barr told Fox
News host Neil Cavuto. 

Barr pointed out that the federal investigations into Trump were ongoing before
he announced his candidacy. Trump and his defenders have pointed out that some
of his cases would run right up against the political calendar. Special counsel
Jack Smith wants to take his January 6-related case to trial in January, right
before the Iowa Republican caucuses. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis
wants to Trump be tried in Georgia right before Super Tuesday.


Full screen


1 of 16 Photos in Gallery©Dana Verkouteren via AP


PHOTOS CAPTURE THE STRANGE SCENES SURROUNDING DONALD TRUMP'S 3RD ARRAIGNMENT

 * Donald Trump was arraigned on Thursday at a DC federal courthouse.
 * He pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020
   election results.
 * Supporters and protesters stood outside the courthouse for the arraignment.

Former President Donald Trump arrived at a federal courthouse in Washington, DC,
on Thursday afternoon to plead not guilty to charges accusing him of conspiring
to overturn the 2020 election results.

The procedural event played out inside the Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal
Courthouse like any other judicial proceeding.

Trump answered a few basic questions and entered his plea: "Not guilty."
Nonetheless, the moment carried significant historical weight. No other time in
US history has a former president had to answer to three indictments.

Groups of media members, Trump supporters, and protesters stood nearby the
courthouse as they watched Trump's motorcade pull into the federal building.
Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom where Trump was arraigned.

Here's how the day unfolded for Trump as he was arraigned following his third
indictment.

See More


"You don't get immunity for two years in a runup to the election just saying,
'hey, I'm a candidate you can't try me.' These investigations have been going on
for a while, everyone knew about them before he even announced his candidacy."




Barr has been sharply critical of the former president since the end of the
Trump administration. The House January 6 committee uncovered evidence that
then-President Trump threw his lunch against the wall in response to Barr
telling the Associated Press that the Justice Department had no uncovered
evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Barr resigned as attorney
general weeks later.



Even though he has been critical of Trump, Barr has been outspoken in his
attacks on some prosecutions of the former president. Barr told Cavuto that the
New York case against Trump related to alleged hush money payments before the
2016 election is a "joke." The former attorney general also has concerns about
Willis' case against Trump and 18 other co-defendants.

"I'm not happy with the Georgia case, I think it's much too sweeping, much too
broad, excessive case that's gonna make it look like people are piling on and
being excessive to Trump and feed the narrative that he is being victimized,"
Barr said.



On the other hand, Barr said Smith has stronger cases over Trump's alleged
mishandling of classified information and his refusal to turn it over. Smith has
also charged just Trump for his actions to overturn the 2020 presidential
election.

"At the end of the day, at the core of this thing, he engaged, in the case of
the documents, in outrageous behavior where anyone would be prosecuted," Barr
said. "I don't know of any attorney general who would walk away from it."

As for the post-2020 case, Barr said it was clear Trump "crossed the line" by
pushing fake electors while also pressuring then-Vice President Mike Pence to
use the fake electors as a gambit to overturn the election results.

"It was a calculated and deceitful plan to remain in office by nullifying and
negating certified legal votes," Barr said.

Barr said it is likely that Trump is convicted of some of the 91 criminal counts
he currently faces across his four cases. Despite that prediction, the former
attorney general doesn't think the former president should go to prison.

"If I attorney general and we were prosecuting, for example, on the documents
case — which I think is a very righteous case — I wouldn't want to see a former
president in jail," Barr said. "I think a very substantial penalty would serve
the public interest, but putting him in jail has too many collateral bad impacts
on the country."




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Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo interviewed Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) on Friday
morning and cited a wild claim from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) to
ask the Georgia congressman if he believed the White House was behind the latest
Trump indictment.

“Well, let me ask you this, congressman, because former Speaker of the House
Newt Gingrich shared a story on the Charlie Kirk Show the other day, and he said
that he has a reliable source who told him that the White House called Fulton
County D.A. Fani Willis demanding that she make an indictment of President Trump
on Monday as opposed to Tuesday,” Bartiromo began.

Notably, Gingrich himself premised his claim while talking to pro-Trump activist
Charlie Kirk, noting that it was only “hearsay.”

Bartiromo continued, “He said he has a reliable source that’s told him the White
House directed her to make the announcement of an indictment on Monday. What is
the ramification if, in fact, the White House was working with Fani Willis on
this?”




Loudermilk answered the question and offered a reasonable assessment of how
serious such a rumor would be if true. “Well, I think there’ll be great
ramifications there, especially with her case, because part of the key evidence
that she’s bringing up is this phone call between Donald Trump and Brad
Raffensperger, the Georgia secretary of state, that they’re claiming he put
undue influence on an elected official to do something that they’re claiming was
illegal,” he replied.

“But at the same time, if this is true, I think that’s very damning because now
you’ve got a sitting president calling a district attorney, putting political
pressure on her to do something. And so I think that could really start
unraveling this case for them,” concluded the Republican.

Watch the full clip above via Fox Business.

The post Maria Bartiromo In All Seriousness Cites Wild Newt Gingrich Claim to
Ask Congressman If White House Coordinated Trump Indictment first appeared on
Mediaite

.




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