Ex-U.S. Attorney Spots New ‘Nail In The Coffin Of Trump’s Intent’
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Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman explained why newly emerged testimony ― including from Dan Scavino, former deputy chief of staff for communications in the Trump White House ― is the final “nail in the coffin” that proves former President Donald Trump had no intention of calling off his supporters during their attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump “was just not interested” in halting the violence, Scavino told special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump’s role in the insurrection, per a new report from ABC News on Sunday.
“If you think of it through the vantage point of the prosecution, the one thing that Trump could maybe try through surrogates to claim at trial is, ‘It took him by surprise. He never knew this would happen,’” Litman, who is now an analyst for MSNBC, said Monday.
“You’ve heard claims of that. It seems dubious, but you take Scavino and put him on the stand,” he continued, as seen in video posted by Mediaite. “Anyone who’d had that attitude would of course have been mortified and done everything they could to stop it ― not rejoiced at it, say ‘Who cares about Mike Pence,’ et cetera.”
Litman described the testimony as “very, very powerful evidence if you look at it with the prism of what Jack Smith has to prove at trial.”
“It pretty much is a nail in the coffin of Trump’s intent,” he added.
The quadruply indicted Trump has attempted to downplay his role in stoking the violence, for which he was impeached.
He has argued “presidential immunity” as a defense.
Trump watched the riot unfurl on television in the White House, hours after telling supporters at a rally that he’d join them in going to the Capitol.
Soon after the insurrection, then-Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said White House aides described Trump as “delighted” and “walking around the White House confused about why other people on his team weren’t as excited as he was” about the deadly chaos that engulfed the Capitol.
