WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr said Monday that he did not expect investigations into the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation to lead to criminal probes into either President Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, or former President Barack Obama.
Trump has stated without evidence that he believes Obama had committed unspecified crimes, and some of Trump’s supporters have encouraged criminal inquiries into Obama and Biden for what they say are unspecified abuses during the investigation into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
But Barr signaled Monday that he would not be swayed by political pressure to investigate the president’s opponents, and did not believe that a criminal investigation into the early days of the Russia probe being conducted by U.S. Attorney John Durham would lead to investigations into either Obama or Biden.
“Whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don’t expect Mr. Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man,” Barr said.
Trump in the last week has repeatedly tweeted “OBAMAGATE”″
More broadly, Barr said, “We cannot allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate.”