The Department of Justice is "on a path" to charge former President Donald Trump, former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
He based his analysis on the fact that a special counsel legal team put together to probe two criminal cases against Trump includes "very seasoned prosecutors" who were "brought on for purposes of figuring out if there's ... a chargeable and triable case."
Bharara, who formerly worked with the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, added, "I don't think they would've left their former positions, both in government and private practice, unless there was a serious possibility that the Justice Department was on a path to charge. And I think it'll happen in a month."
Last month, the DOJ named veteran prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel to probe a case against Trump involving his actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to The Hill.
The counsel is also investigating Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents, including those found during a search of his Mar-a-Lago residence, which some experts cite as the most likely case to go to trial.
Bharara told "Meet the Press" that prosecutors "generally do not proceed unless you have a great likelihood of success."
He also pointed out that any criminal case against the former president would be significantly politicized and historic, so the DOJ would have to "have all your ducks in a row."
Bharara stressed that "there are a lot of people who are going to be opposed to this prosecution. So like any prosecution, you want to have your Ts crossed and your Is dotted. And you want to have proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and you want to have a strong case. I think you want to have an exceptionally strong case when you're bringing it in a context which ... is very politicized. To show not just the jury in the case, but the public at large that it was a righteous case, it was a meritorious case, and you have the goods."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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