U.S. attorney general does not expect review of 2016 election interference to lead to Obama criminal probe

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General William Barr said on Monday he does not expect a Justice Department review of the FBI's handling of 2016 election interference to lead to criminal charges for former President Barack Obama or former Vice President Joe Biden.

"I don't expect Mr. Durham's work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man," Barr said, referring to federal prosecutor John Durham, who is reviewing the origins of the investigation into Russia's 2016 election interference. "Not every abuse of power, no matter how outrageous, is necessarily a federal crime."

President Donald Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly referred to a scandal he calls "Obamagate," saying without evidence that Obama was tied to "The biggest political crime in American history, by far!" (Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Mark Hosenball, writing by Scott Malone; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)