Former President Donald Trump said he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but decided to push the false claim that he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
It Was Rigged
Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed the 2020 election was rigged against him; the former president admitted in an appearance on Meet the Press that he was told those claims were false — years before he was indicted for allegedly attempting to overturn the election in his favor.
Pushing the False Claim
He said he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but decided to push the false claim that he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
Ignored the Lawyer’s Advice
“In many cases, I didn’t respect them,” Trump said during the interview.
He was asked why he ignored his lawyers and advisers who told him he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.
I Listen to the Voices in My Head
“But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”
“You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened,” Trump said.
They Were RINOs
When Kristen Welker reminded the ex-president that he hired some of these people for their advice, he said he didn’t know they were ‘Republicans in Name Only’ when he brought them on.
“They turn out to be RINOs, or they turn out to be not so good; in many cases, I didn’t respect them,” he said.
William Barr Was a Stiff
Trump singled out former U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who told him he had lost the election, as one of the lawyers whose advice he did not follow.
“I listened to some people,” Trump said. “Guys like Bill Barr, who was a stiff, but he wasn’t there at the time. But he didn’t do his job because he was afraid.”
It Was My Decision
When pressed about how he concluded that the election was rigged, Trump said it was his own decision.
Trump said. “It was my decision. But I listened to some people. Some people said that.”
Claimed “It Was Rigged” Over a Dozen Times
Trump said more than a dozen times in the interview that the 2020 election was “rigged,” per an NBC tally.
Indicted Four Times
Trump faces various legal battles and has been indicted four times this year.
Two cases involve his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, while a third relates to his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House.
I Don’t Think About Going to Prison
But he said his legal woes don’t have him concerned with actually ending up behind bars.
“I don’t even think about it,” the ex-president said when Welker asked if he was kept up at night with thoughts of going to prison.
Confession
One user commented, “I mean that’s as close to a literal confession short of saying “I, Donald J Trump, committed every act in the indictment willingly and of my own volition.”
Gag Trump Now!
Another user joked, “Trump’s own attorney just filed a motion for a gag order of Trump.”
The Case Against Trump Just Got Easier
According to his indictment of the former president, a key part of special counsel Jack Smith’s case is that Trump knew the election claims he was making were false after being told by close aides that he had lost.
Undermine His Defense
His comments on Sunday could undermine one of his possible legal defenses – that he relied on the advice of his lawyers in continuing to challenge his defeat.
U.S. courts threw out dozens of legal challenges from Trump’s campaign and allies following the November 2020 election.
The post Trump Admits Pushing False Claims About Rigged Election Despite Counsel’s Advice, Raises Legal Question first appeared on Mama Say What?!
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