Former Attorney General Bill Barr said the real threat in the United States is coming from the “far left” and not from former President Trump.
Barr was discussing the potential difficulties a second Trump administration might have with getting people to serve, arguing the former president’s priority will be getting people “who he feels would be more subservient to him,” which the former attorney general said is an “area of concern.”
“But at the end of the day, you have to remember I was serving in his administration,” Barr told Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto during his Saturday appearance on “Cavuto Live.” “I was fine with his policies. I think his policies were good policies. My problems came with his behavior, which I found very troubling after the election.”
Barr then stated the “idea” that Trump would take over “power” like “right-wing dictator” is not a threat facing the U.S., arguing instead the real threat to democracy is coming from the “far left.”
“The threat facing our country is from the far left and the drift that’s been occurring toward really a socialistic system,” Barr said.
He added, “It’s a heavy-handed bunch of thugs in my opinion, and that’s where the threat is.”
His remarks come despite having previous criticism of his former boss, who is the presumptive Republican nominee for president. Barr previously said another Biden term is the worst outcome for the country.
“And while … Trump may be playing Russian roulette, but a continuation of the Biden administration is national suicide, in my opinion,” Barr said on Wednesday.
When asked Saturday if Trump surrounds himself with people who are “sycophants” will that be enough to keep him “in check,” Barr said that some of those people will end up there, but an “important indication” will be of it will be who Trump picks as his vice president.
“I think an important indication will be his choice of vice president and what kind of person he picks there,” Barr said. “I hope he picked somebody who is a strong conservative Republican and could serve as president of the United States if they had to.”