'Poppycock': Legal expert shoots down Trump's newest defense in Jan. 6 case
Trump's "defense de jure" is to reflect on his efforts after his defeat in the presidential election as being completely shielded from any kind of crime.
Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann appeared on MSNBC's "The Last Word" with Lawrence O'Donnell to decipher the former president's latest reasoning behind his belief that he was essentially untouchable as president.
"I'm entitled to immunity," Trump said, from a Real America's Voice News audio excerpt O'Donnell played for Weissmann.
Trump continued: "I wasn't campaigning. The campaign was over. You know, the campaign was totally over."
"And it went into a rigged election. It was a rigged election. There's tremendous proof of it. Everyone knows it. ... I had an obligation. And I took that obligation seriously. I'm entitled to immunity."
Weissmann started sandbagging it, calling the entire logic "poppycock."
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"This is where Donald trump's latest defense de jure is coming from," he said.
He then explained how Trump's former White House Chief of staff tried and failed to move his election meddling criminal case in Fulton County Georgia to federal court with the judge essentially retorting: no way, no how.
And the judge there, Weissman explained, let it be known that Meadows, who is charged along with 18 others (including the president) was involved in things "related to campaign duty and not White House business."
Weissmann then noted that the White House is "agnostic as to who the next president will be" and that Meadows (like Trump) was not acting in the capacity as a "federal officer."
So he believes the new tact Trump is taking is to learn form Meadows' legal loss, and amp up his presidential duties whenever it's convenient.
"That's why Donald Trump is suddenly saying, 'Oh wait, everything I did after November until Jan. 6 relates to campaign activity," he said.
But Weissmann isn't convinced that this kind of shift change between official POTUS and candidate Trump to suit his fancy will fly when it's tested in a court of law.
"...which is the fancy legal word will be 'poppycock' which his ridiculous," he said. "But that's why he's saying that."