Donald Trump is “toast” if even half the allegations in the latest criminal indictment against the former US president are proven true, his former attorney general William Barr said on Sunday.
Federal prosecutors on Friday unveiled a 37-count federal indictment against Mr Trump over his handling of classified documents, including charges under the Espionage Act and allegations that he lied as part of a conspiracy to cover up his actions.
“I was shocked by the degree of sensitivity of these documents and how many there were … and I think the counts under the Espionage Act that he willfully retained those documents are solid counts,” Mr Barr, who led the Department of Justice under Mr Trump from 2019 to 2020, told Fox News on Sunday.
“If even half of it is true, then he's toast.”
Mr Trump is due to appear in a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday to make an initial appearance in the case.
Most of the charges against him stem from his retention and handling of secret and top secret documents that he took with him when he left the White House in January 2021 and relocated to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Prosecutors say he kept the files willy-nilly in the popular property, where thousands of guests and visitors come and go. Some sensitive documents were even kept in a bathroom.
Donald Trump indicted in classified documents probe – in pictures
Although other former presidents have taken sensitive documents with them after leaving office, Mr Trump's case became so serious because he refused to co-operate with authorities when they asked for the documents back.
Mr Trump has vigorously denied any wrongdoing. He claims President Joe Biden and his administration have “weaponised” the Department of Justice and are engaged in a politically motivated witch hunt.
He also says that he had the authority to “declassify” any documents he wanted to, but investigators have an audio recording of him acknowledging that is not the case.
For the most part, Mr Trump's fellow Republicans have rallied around their leader and are propagating the narrative that he is a victim of political persecution.
Asked whether the indictment influenced their view of the former president, 61 per cent of Americans in a CBS News/YouGov poll on Sunday said it would not.
The survey found that 76 per cent of Republican respondents were concerned that the charges were politically motivated.
His lawyer, Alina Habba, told Fox that Mr Trump had done “nothing wrong” and would not take a plea deal to minimise fallout from the case as he seeks his party's nomination for the 2024 election.
“He would never admit guilt, because there was nothing wrong with declassifying documents,” Ms Habbe said. “This is completely politically motivated. It's election interference at its best.
But Mr Barr said the idea Mr Trump is a victim of a witch hunt “is ridiculous”.
“Yes, he's been a victim in the past. Yes, his adversaries have obsessively pursued them with phoney claims … But this is much different. He's not a victim here.
“He was totally wrong that he had the right to have those documents; those documents are among the most sensitive secrets that the country has,” Mr Barr said.
Mr Barr and Mr Trump were once close but their relationship ended badly after Mr Trump put pressure on him to conduct bogus investigations into voter fraud as the defeated president sought to overturn his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
Among the documents Mr Trump allegedly held were battle plans against another country, reportedly Iran, that the indictment says he displayed to unauthorised people.
“Battle plans for an attack on another country or Defence Department documents about our capabilities are in no universe Donald J Trump's personal documents,” Mr Barr said.
Mr Trump told Politico on Saturday that he would continue his presidential campaign, even if he were convicted in the case, saying: “I'll never leave.”
This is the second indictment for Mr Trump, who has been separately charged with dozens of felonies in a New York state investigation into hush-money payments he allegedly made to a former adult film actress during the 2016 presidential campaign. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty.
Legal experts say the new indictment, filed in Miami, Florida, is potentially more perilous for Mr Trump.
He also is being separately investigated in Georgia and Washington and is the first former president in US history to face a criminal indictment.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Juice%20jacking%2C%20in%20the%20simplest%20terms%2C%20is%20using%20a%20rogue%20USB%20cable%20to%20access%20a%20device%20and%20compromise%20its%20contents%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20exploit%20is%20taken%20advantage%20of%20by%20the%20fact%20that%20the%20data%20stream%20and%20power%20supply%20pass%20through%20the%20same%20cable.%20The%20most%20common%20example%20is%20connecting%20a%20smartphone%20to%20a%20PC%20to%20both%20transfer%20data%20and%20charge%20the%20former%20at%20the%20same%20time%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20term%20was%20first%20coined%20in%202011%20after%20researchers%20created%20a%20compromised%20charging%20kiosk%20to%20bring%20awareness%20to%20the%20exploit%3B%20when%20users%20plugged%20in%20their%20devices%2C%20they%20received%20a%20security%20warning%20and%20discovered%20that%20their%20phones%20had%20paired%20to%20the%20kiosk%2C%20according%20to%20US%20cybersecurity%20company%20Norton%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20While%20juice%20jacking%20is%20a%20real%20threat%2C%20there%20have%20been%20no%20known%20widespread%20instances.%20Apple%20and%20Google%20have%20also%20added%20security%20layers%20to%20prevent%20this%20on%20the%20iOS%20and%20Android%20devices%2C%20respectively%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
In%20the%20Land%20of%20Saints%20and%20Sinners
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
Studying addiction
This month, Dubai Medical College launched the Middle East’s first master's programme in addiction science.
Together with the Erada Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation, the college offers a two-year master’s course as well as a one-year diploma in the same subject.
The move was announced earlier this year and is part of a new drive to combat drug abuse and increase the region’s capacity for treating drug addiction.
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 1 (Martinez 18' pen)
Juventus 2 (Dybala 4', Higuain 80')
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $36,000 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: RB Money To Burn, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Turf) 2,410m, Winner: Star Safari, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Trophy – Conditions (TB) $50,000 (T) 1,900m, Winner: Secret Protector, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.15pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 - Group 2 (TB) $293,000 (D) 1,900m, Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.50pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Zakouski, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (T) 1,000m, Winner: Motafaawit, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
