Former Attorney General William Barr has advised former President Donald Trump against taking the stand in his own defense during his criminal indictment trial, citing concerns about Trump's lack of self-control. The Manhattan grand jury indicted the former president last week following an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office into a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Barr spoke out on Fox News Sunday, claiming that it would be challenging for Trump to prepare himself and testify prudently due to his lack of self-control. He also took to social media platform Truth Social, which was recently launched by Trump, attacking the district attorney's office and stating that there is "nothing inherently wrong or illegal about making a hush payment."
Despite being a long-time ally of Trump's during his time as attorney general, Barr became more publicly critical of him following the 2020 election. He still characterizes the case against Trump as politically motivated and aligns with rhetoric from Trump and his supporters.
Trump is scheduled to turn himself in to authorities on Tuesday April 4th in New York City and will make remarks from Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. It remains unclear whether he will take Barr's advice not to testify in his own defense if the trial proceeds.