US attorney general says he doesn’t envision investigations of Biden, Obama over Russia probe

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr says that he does not expect investigations into the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation to lead to criminal probes into either US President Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, or former president Barack Obama.

Trump has stated without evidence that he believes Obama 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 signals today that he will not be swayed by political pressure to investigate the president’s opponents, and does not believe that a criminal investigation into the early days of the Russia probe being conducted by US Attorney John Durham will 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 says.

Trump in the last week has repeatedly tweeted “OBAMAGATE.”

More broadly, Barr says, “We cannot allow this process to be hijacked by efforts to drum up criminal investigations of either candidate.”

— AP