Appearing on MSNBC early Saturday morning, former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner took a deep dive into the report that a top aide to Connecticut U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is conducting an investigation into the federal investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, resigned over undue influence by Attorney General Bill Barr.
With veteran federal prosecutor Nora Dannehy stepping down on Friday, Kirschner explained that Barr is pushing for reports from prosecutors that could help the president before the election and his actions are inappropriate.
Kirschner also revealed that, in speaking with some of his former colleagues at the Justice Department, the feeling across the board is one of demoralization under Barr.
"The concern is that prosecutors typically don't issue reports," he explained to MSNBC host Kendis Gibson. "As a federal prosecutor for 30 years, I never once issued a report. Instead, we ask grand juries to consider indictments. When grand juries indict defendants, that becomes the prosecutor's report. It is a public document and that is how we inform the American people of what is going on in a case. Now we have Bill Barr apparently urging Durham and his team to issue an interim report."
"Not only is Barr wrong but he should be saying do not issue a report and do not return an indictment, do not make any public statements this close in time to a public election because DOJ policies, norms say within 60 days of an election, prosecutors are to say nothing because we don't want to impact an election," he continued. "Bill Barr is wrong at least two times over in what he is doing here."
Asked by the MSNBC host what he hears from friends still working at the Justice Department, Kirchner relayed, "The Department of Justice was my professional home for a quarter of a century. I'm hearing people are demoralized because they have no leadership. They are seeing Bill Barr doing the wrong thing every single day."
Watch below: