Trump's A.G. Bill Barr speaks out against president-elect's criminal cases after victory

Former attorney general Bill Barr called on the Department of Justice to drop the criminal cases against Donald Trump.

The former president has already promised to fire special counsel Jack Smith immediately upon returning to the White House, but after Trump defeated Kamala Harris in the presidential election, Barr urged attorney general Merrick Garland to drop the prosecutions.

"The American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years," Barr said in a statement. "They chose him to lead us with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country. I think Attorney General Garland and State prosecutors should respect the people's decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now."

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Barr claimed that prosecutors had asserted "novel legal theories" to bring charges against Trump for political purposes, and he said they had now been "rejected by the court of public opinion."

"Once President Trump takes office, the Constitution forbids pursuing these cases against him," Barr said. "Further maneuvering on these cases in the weeks ahead would serve no legitimate purpose and only distract the country and the incoming administration from the task at hand."

"The public interest now demands that the country unite and focus on the challenges we face at home and abroad," Barr added. "The Attorney General and State prosecutors should do the right thing and help the country move forward by dismissing the cases."

Trump is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 26 for a conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and a federal judge will hear arguments next week on which charges in the federal election interference case would be covered by the U.S. Supreme Court's immunity ruling.

A federal judge dismissed the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case against Trump in July, and a Georgia election interference case against him has stalled due to questions about district attorney Fani Willis' personal relationship with a prosecutor who investigated the matter.