Trump is starting off 2024 by claiming that he is facing a potential criminal conviction for his attempted coup by blaming the 1/6 Committee.
Trump Falsely Claims The 1/6 Committee Destroyed Evidence
Trump posted on Truth Social:
in the history of our Country, ILLEGALLY DELETE & DESTROY most of the evidence, and related items, from the January 6th Committee of Political Thugs and Misfits. THIS ACT OF EXTREME SABOTAGE MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR MY LAWYERS TO PROPERLY PREPARE FOR, AND PRESENT, A PROPER DEFENSE OF THEIR CLIENT, ME. All of the information on Crazy Nancy Pelosi turning down 10,000 soldiers that I offered to to guard the Capitol Building, and beyond, is gone. The ridiculous Deranged Jack Smith case on Immunity, which the most respected legal minds in the Country say I am fully entitled to, is now completely compromised and should be thrown out and terminated, JUST LIKE THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS DID TO THE EVIDENCE!
Trump and House Republicans have been claiming that evidence was destroyed since they won the House majority, and the evidence shows that it is not true.
The 1/6 Committee Preserved Official Records And Interviews
A USA Today fact check of a similar claim made by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) found:
House Rule VII outlines the requirements for preserving House records at the end of each two-year term, and a footnote to Thompson’s response to Loudermilk outlines why Thompson says those written transcripts comply with that rule.
The committee was not obligated to archive all video recordings of interviews or depositions that were transcribed, he wrote. He cited guidance from the House clerk’s office that says the information contained in a document – and not necessarily that document’s format – make it a permanent record.
Because those interviews and depositions were transcribed by “nonpartisan, professional official reporters” and were reviewed for errors by both the witnesses and committee staff, those transcripts qualify as the official, permanent records and follow House rules for record-keeping, he wrote.
The Committee followed the rules for record-keeping, so what is Trump’s point?
Trump Is Attacking The Credibility Of The Evidence Against Him
Trump is trying to poison the well of public opinion by attacking the credibility of the evidence against him. Legally speaking, there is an overwhelming volume of evidence related to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the 1/6 attack.
Donald Trump is attempting to persuade voters. His only way out of what is looking increasingly like a potential federal criminal conviction is to convince the voters to put him back in the White House.
Trump is attacking the evidence in the hope that voters will believe him and ignore it.
The former president is unlikely to be found not guilty on all of the 91 felony counts that he is facing, so he is trying to use the cases as a political tool to get back into power so that he can make his legal issues go away.
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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.
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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
