Former federal prosecutor predicts what could be Trump’s undoing in the case of secret documents
A former federal prosecutor said Donald Trump may be overthrown in the confidential documents scandal in the same way that the former president was held liable for sexual abuse after writer E. Jean Carroll sued him for rape.
That is, by using his own words and shady statements against him.
Andrew Weissmann, who investigated Trump’s role in Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, pointed out to NBC’s Chuck Todd how Trump has used a variety of bogus excuses to defend his misuse of classified documents, which is now being investigated by the Justice Department’s special counsel, Jack Smith, criminally determined.
Among those, Weissmann said, were claims that the materials had been planted and that Trump was authorized to take them when he left the White House.
Trump’s scrutiny intensified this week after federal prosecutors reportedly obtained audio footage from July 2021 in which the ex-president boasted about having classified documents detailing a possible American attack on Iran.
“Just imagine the chart that the administration will use to introduce and summarize all of Donald Trump’s contradictory statements,” Weissmann told Todd, introducing himself to the ex-president in court.
“It reminds me a lot of what happened in the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault case, where the plaintiff used Donald Trump’s own words and inconsistent testimony to prove her case,” he continued. “And that’s what I think we’re going to see in the Mar-a-Lago case when it comes forward.”
Carroll claimed Trump raped her in a department store dressing room in the 1990s. Trump denied the claim. Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages last month after a New York jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
Trump previously claimed Carroll wasn’t his “type.” But during pre-trial interrogation, he mistook a decades-old photo of Carroll for his ex-wife, Marla Maples.
Earlier in Thursday’s interview, Todd Weissmann asked if Trump’s tall tale could be a possible defense.
“No,” he replied. “If the document he describes doesn’t exist, so the whole thing is just his bluff, the evidence on this tape is still useful to show his state of mind. But all reports show they exist, and Special Counsel Jack Smith would certainly know.”
On Wednesday, Weissman told MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace the recording could mean that it “game over” for Trump.
“There’s no way he won’t be charged,” the former prosecutor said.