Bill Barr, Donald Trumpformer attorney general was speak that voting for the indicted former president would be “playing Russian roulette with the country,” his voting decision Trump in November, and suggested that Trump frequently floated the idea of executing his political opponents while in office.
Barr made the nonchalant admission Friday during a meeting CNN interview when host Kaitlan Collins mentioned Trump's former White House communications director, Alyssa Farah Griffin, claiming that Barr was present in the summer of 2020 when Trump suggested that a leaker should be executed unidentified White House information.
“I remember he was very angry about it. I don't really remember him saying 'execution', but I wouldn't object to that, you know… The President would lose his temper and say things like that. I doubt he will actually pull it off,” Barr said.
Collins then questioned whether Trump had said such things “on other occasions.”
Barr responded that sometimes people take Trump “too literally.”
“Sometimes he will say things like that to let off steam. But I wouldn't take them literally every time he did it,” he admitted.
“Why not?” Collins pressed.
“Because at the end of the day, it won't be done and you can talk sense into him,” Barr argued, prompting Collins to counter that an unexecuted order would not eliminate the threat.
Barr emphasized that there was no threat.
“I don't think there's any threat there. What I worry about President Trump is not that he will become an autocrat and do things like that,” Mr. Barr said.
When Collins asked why Barr believed that and whether it was a “hunch,” Barr replied that it was just his “feeling.”
“Having worked for him and seen him in action, I don't think he would actually go around killing political opponents and things like that,” Barr stated.
After the interview, Collins read Trump's article aloud mocking response to Barr following his endorsement. Barr responded by effectively bowing his head: “Classic Trump,” he said.
Barr claimed the “real threat to Democracy” comes from the Biden administration, in contrast to the former president who was indicted for his role in the January 6 insurrection.
