During an appearance this weekend on NBC’s Meet the Press, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) argued that an emerging pillar of Trump’s claimed defense in his now third criminal case was bogus.
The latest case relates to attempts by the ex-president and allies of his to secure another four years in office despite Trump’s documented loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. Authorities from state governments and the national government repeatedly attested to the security of the balloting that was held, though Trump continues to claim — in often vague terms — that the 2020 race was somehow rigged against him, something no court anywhere in the United States has ever conclusively accepted. From Trump’s corner has come the claim that the ex-president held a genuine belief in the claims he was spreading about the 2020 race, which themselves are not the linchpin for the charges. Raskin thinks otherwise.
“Now it’s become a cult of authoritarian personality,” Raskin said Sunday, referring to the present state of the GOP. “Even the candidates running against Trump dare not challenge his clear betrayals of his Constitutional oath. Donald Trump knew exactly what he was doing, and we had lots of testimony about that before the January 6 committee.”
Raskin was a member of that committee, which operated in the last Congress. “Even if he did believe it as his lawyer’s saying, which I don’t think he did, but even if he did, it makes no difference,” Raskin continued, referring to the claimed belief from Trump that he had won the 2020 presidential election. “You might believe that your bank owes you some money. You don’t have a right to go rob the bank.” Journalist Aaron Rupar spotlighted these remarks. To support his contentions, Raskin cited the record already established of Trump repeatedly being informed after the last presidential race concluded of the evidence that substantially and comprehensively undercut the claims he was making about what had happened. This factual record potentially derails attempts from the Trump team to launch some kind of conclusive defense.
Raskin: “Even if he did [believe the election was stolen], it makes no difference. You might believe that your bank owes you some money. You don’t have a right to go rob the bank.” pic.twitter.com/RR11Bdpifc
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 6, 2023
