Barr suggests people may take Trump rhetoric ‘too literally’
Former Attorney General Bill Barr suggested Friday that people may take former President Trump “too literally,” and Trump wouldn't carry out serious actions he threatens against other people.
When CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins asked Barr if he remembered when the former president said the person who leaked information about him going to a bunker during the 2020 protests over George Floyd's death should be executed.
“I remember him being very mad about that. I actually don’t remember him saying 'executing,' but, I, you know, I wouldn’t dispute it,” Barr said, highlighted by Mediaite. “The President would lose his temper and say things like that. I doubt he would have actually carried it out.”
Collins pressed Barr, asking if Trump would say things like that on other occasions.
“I think people sometimes took him too literally and you know, he would say things like, similar to that, in occasions, to blow off steam, but I wouldn’t take him literally every time he did it,” Barr said.
The former attorney general said he wouldn’t take Trump’s threats literally because “at the end of the day, it wouldn’t be carried out.”
The former president's reported threats to execute the person who leaked information about his actions during the protests are not the only time he has argued someone should die.
A president threatening to direct SEAL Team Six to kill a political opponent should be covered by presidential immunity from prosecution, Trump's legal team suggested earlier this year. It's been a refrain in the defense against his 2020 federal election interference case, and the Supreme Court began hearing the argument Thursday. for presidential immunity in the case.
Barr, who served as attorney general for the final two years of Trump’s term in the White House, has endorsed the former president in the upcoming election, despite his criticisms.
He said he would vote for the “Republican ticket” in the November election, which likely will be the presumptive nominee, Trump.
Date: | |
Tag: | Donald Trump |
Filter
More from The Hill
-
Stormy Daniels and the media keep on using each other
Enter Stormy, this week’s savior for the dying legacy media, gasping for relevance and revenue, while slurping up the salacious details with tongues wagging.The Hill - Politics -
Johnson on Greene ouster attempt: 'I don't hold grudges'
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is suggesting he wants to move on from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)'s effort to oust him from his position. "I don't hold grudges. I've got to work with everybody. I told her last night before she left the ...The Hill - Politics -
Axelrod: Biden 'pride' may cost him election
Senior Democratic strategist David Axelrod hit President Biden over his economic messaging Wednesday following a campaign event in Milwaukee, saying the president’s “pride” could be his undoing in November. Biden has consistently framed struggles ...The Hill - Politics - Joe Biden -
Virginia senators vow to delay FAA extension without vote on Reagan flights
Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D) say they won’t agree to fast track a one-week extension of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act unless colleagues commit to holding a vote on their amendment to eliminate a ...The Hill - Politics -
McCarthy says he 'couldn't live' with himself if he did deal with Democrats to save Speakership
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reflected on the end of his Speakership on Thursday while taking a dig at Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), saying he “couldn’t live” with himself if he cut a deal with Democrats to keep his job. McCarthy was ...The Hill - Politics