'It’s also a coup': Legal experts blast Fox News host for claiming Trump’s actions were 'not a crime'
A Fox News daytime anchor is under fire for defending Donald Trump by declaring his allegedly illegal efforts to stay in office are not crimes. One legal expert says not only is what he did a crime, it was a coup.
“I want to talk about Trump’s alleged crimes for a second,” anchor Julie Banderas said Monday afternoon. “He hasn’t been indicted with incitement. We know that, right?”
“So it’s not a crime to tell lies. Being a narcissist isn’t a crime. Hatching schemes to stay in office is not a crime, and claiming you won an election that you know you lost is not a crime.”
Attorney Luppe B. Lupen, co-author of the upcoming book, “The Truce: Progressives, Centrists, and the Future of the Democratic Party,” disagrees.
“Hatching schemes to stay in office after you know you lost the election for that office is, in fact, a crime. And when it’s the presidency, it’s also a coup d’etat,” Luppen said on social media.
MSNBC’s Medhi Hassan adds: “What’s funny about all these arguments, aside from their fundamental inaccuracy and dishonesty, is how these same people would react next year if Joe Biden lost, refused to concede, and instructed Kamala Harris to throw out the GOP candidate’s votes in January 2025.”
National security attorney Brad Moss appeared to mock Banderas.
“Why bother having an election? I think @JulieBanderas just came out in favor of allowing Joe Biden to declare himself the victor in 2024. Like, right now. Before any votes were cast.”