- Trump asserted his entitlement to: discussing potential election fraud in an interview
The allegations against Donald Trump for election rigging are severe: Whispers of phone calls to election officials, meddling with mail-in voting, and instructing the Department of Justice to intrude in the election are all serious accusations in numerous legal proceedings. Recently, Trump talked about these claims during an interview on Fox News, using them to boost his popularity. His words left many perplexed.
Initially, Trump wanted to discuss his voter support during his chat with Mark Levin on his show "Life, Liberty and Levin." He touted his poll numbers, saying, "It's bizarre that my numbers are soaring in the polls. That's never happened before." He then boasted, "You get accused of tampering with the election – which you're fully entitled to do – and your approval rating skyrockets. That's bonkers."
Donald Trump's comments leave legal experts aghast
Trump's statements left legal experts astounded. "A transcript of this interview would be useful for sentencing recommendations," tweeted law professor Jennifer Taub, addressing the Manhattan District Attorney's office. "That's called a confession," one observer noted.
Trump's specific choice of words might work against him. He has previously insisted that his numerous interventions in the election process were lawful. However, during his Fox interview, he explicitly used the term "tamper," which implies illegal manipulation in the context of elections. "I love how Trump uses the term 'tamper' and inadvertently opens a legal case against himself," exclaimed former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega.
"There is no right to 'tamper' in presidential elections," explains legal expert Joyce Alene. "This is the banality of evil – Trump thinks he can overrule the will of the voters because he lost the election. And he will do it again," she warns. Indeed, the argument can be flipped, notes Democratic Representative Ted Lieu. "So, you believe President Biden has the right to tamper? Should Vice President Harris tamper in the same way you attempted with Mike Pence? Are you really that daft?"
Election rigging charges as rigging the election?
Interestingly, Trump is accusing Biden of the same thing. His interview comments were meant to target Biden and Harris. "It's the greatest rigging of an election we've ever seen," Trump declared, referring to the accusations against him. "It's all coming from the Department of Justice and it's against my political opponent – me."
The reason for Trump's new counterattack could be a second attempt by special counsel Jack Smith. After the Supreme Court ruled in the summer that presidents have immunity for official acts, Smith had to revise his charges against Donald Trump's election rigging. He could no longer use attempted interventions through the Department of Justice against the former president because directives to the attorney general are part of a president's daily responsibilities. Instead, the case now depends more on Trump's personal attempts to manipulate the election at the state level in the United States.
Trump's use of the term "tamper" during his Fox News interview has raised concerns among legal experts, potentially strengthening the case against him for election fraud. Despite previously maintaining that his election interventions were lawful, Trump's explicit admission of "tampering" could form a key piece of evidence against him in future legal proceedings.
