Bret Baier tried to toss Trump the softest of softballs, but the former president ended up giving Jack Smith more evidence that will be used against him in a court of law.
Video clip:
Baier: Why not just hand them over? Trump: Because I had boxes, I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things pic.twitter.com/PwW85wlTzH
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 19, 2023
Baier asked Trump about Bill Barr’s comments that the Presidential Records Act doesn’t apply to his theft of military and classified information, which triggered a rant from Trump about how Barr was a coward who would not overturn the election for him.
Bret Baierv gave Trump the ultimate softball when he asked about why Trump had classified documents.
Trump answered, “I’ve got a lot of things in there. I will go through those boxes. I have to go through those boxes. I take out personal things. As far as the levels, everything was declassified because I had the right to declassify.”
Donald Trump then tried to change the subject to Joe Biden then pivoted back, “The only way NARA could ever get this stuff, this back would be please, please, please could we have it back,”
Baier said, “They did ask for it.”
“No, we were talking,” Trump lied.
This interview was a blessing for the Department of Justice, as Trump even claimed that he was too busy to give back the stolen documents.
Former Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann tweeted:
Best thing for the government: Trump talking. Defense do jour: I lied to DOJ and said I returned everything because, wait for it, I was too busy to go through the boxes to separate the personal and the government documents. https://t.co/LB8gcB8MoD
— Andrew Weissmann 🌻 (@AWeissmann_) June 19, 2023
There is a reason why criminal defendants don’t do media when they are facing jail time. The whole you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law is legit and it even applies to Donald Trump.
Trump first denied having gone through the boxes and then said, “I take out personal things.” Not will take, but take as in the present tense.
Donald Trump made so many incriminating statements.
It is possible that he realizes that his only way out is to spin like a political problem so that he can win back the presidency and kill his own case. Either that, or Donald J. Trump really wants to be a convicted felon, because every time that he opens his mouth, he takes another step toward a criminal conviction.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
This story originally appeared on Politicususa
