According to Hammelburg, the special counsel is looking for the answer to the question of what Trump’s mood was on that particular day: Was he honestly under the impression that the election had been stolen? Or was he just trying to bottle things up? Hammelburg thinks there is enough evidence for the latter.
Hammelburg quotes New York Times White House correspondent Maggie Haberman as saying that Trump was trying to raise money for his campaign under false pretenses. But more importantly, he tried to send electoral votes from the six swing states where he lost to Biden on Capitol Hill to nullify the result. “Obviously they couldn’t get in, but this was a trick to steal the election.”
It is striking: Tonight 16 of those fake Republican voters from Michigan (the state won by Biden) were charged with vote rigging by the state attorney. “And it can’t be a coincidence,” says Hammelburg.
Of course Trump and his followers deny all allegations – it’s a Marxist witch hunt, a huge democratic conspiracy and whatnot. Trump’s Republican contenders in the race for the Republican leadership in the presidential election are silent and not commenting for now. Logical, Hammelburg thinks, since the risk of failure is enormous.
Walking on eggshells
According to Hammelburg, the reaction will be twofold: “Some Republicans, like Ron DeSantis, like Trump himself, think it’s a witch hunt. Others, like Niki Haley and even Mike Pence, are more forthright.’ But no one will think of attacking Trump directly: whoever does so will have the certainty of hating him and will see the political head roll.
Let’s not forget that the case against Trump will be complicated. Yes, there is no doubt that confidential documents were in Trump’s mansion, and yes, it is difficult to prove that he is personally responsible. And so is the assault on the Capitol on January 6th. Trump ran his campaign to stop the theft, gave an incendiary speech and thought the assault was wonderful, but that doesn’t mean he’s legally guilty of the course of events.
Also listen | Trump’s Tapes | Italian post