Former Chief Legal Advisor, Bill Barr, who played a crucial role during President-elect Trump’s initial tenure, is urging state and federal attorneys to cease all pending lawsuits against Trump before his second term commencement. He points out that the electorate were informed and conscious of all accusations leveled against the President-elect during the election, and the prosecutors need to prioritize national interest and recognize voter’s choice.
Barr issued a statement, ‘The citizens of our nation have expressed their choice for the next four years through their votes, mandating President Trump as their leader. With a clear understanding of the charges various prosecutors across the nation had forwarded against him, our nation’s people still chose Trump.’ He continued, ‘I believe Attorney General Garland and all state prosecutors should respect this democratic decision and halt all ongoing lawsuits against President Trump without further delay.’
Barr emphasized that some of the legal arguments in these cases have been significantly dismantled by a series of judicial verdicts. Furthermore, he pointed out that these controversies have already been publicized and rejected by the nation’s people. The yet-to-be pronounced sentences in the New York criminal case, connected to Trump’s conviction earlier this year, and all other presently active cases against Trump need discontinuation before his second term begins, according to Barr.
Once President-elect Trump starts his term in January, Barr noted that these cases could not be pursued. The upcoming Trump-nominated Attorney General could terminate the federal lawsuits initiated by the Special Counsel; one case based in Washington, D.C., alleging efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election, and another in Florida that accuses Trump of retaining classified documents post his first term.
The Florida lawsuit was rejected by a U.S. District Judge due to procedural complications related to the appointment process. Furthermore, the Washington case was destabilized by a verdict from the Supreme Court, asserting presidential immunity from prosecution for certain official actions. Trump, referring to this decision, stated the previous month, ‘We’ve received immunity from the Supreme Court. It’s straightforward. It would take me no time at all to terminate these proceedings.’
However, despite his prowess, Trump would not have the power to interfere with the state-level prosecutions filed against him in New York and Georgia. The case pending against him in Georgia is a state-level criminal case that accuses Trump of challenging Georgia’s results from the 2020 election. Moreover, a criminal charge in New York, connected to deceptive business recordings related to a confidential payment made to an adult film actress Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election, resulted in his conviction, with a sentencing trial scheduled later this month.
In this situation, Barr strongly urges local prosecutors and the judiciary to cease their pursuit of pursuing a president-soon-to-be. He warns that any further actions towards these cases in the upcoming weeks would be devoid of any real validity and merely serve as a distraction to the nation and the incoming administration. Barr insisted that the public interest now requires our nation to come together for the prevalent challenges faced domestically and worldwide.
‘The right thing for Attorney General Garland and all other state prosecutors to do now, in their capacity as public servants, is to assist in steering the nation ahead by dropping the ongoing cases.’, Barr added. This includes the New York criminal case, where Trump has been declared guilty but has still not had his sentence announced. Barr advised the state prosecutors to dismiss the case, regardless of having already achieved a conviction.
According to Barr, the case is plagued with legal misconduct and error. ‘(…) If it were to be continued, it would eventually be overturned, but we shouldn’t tolerate such a disruption. Therefore, the best action would be for the prosecutors to dismiss the case altogether.’, he said.
When questioned about the possibility of such an event transpiring, Barr’s answer was frank, ‘We’ll just have to wait and see how they perceive democracy.’