Trump’s legal spokeswoman Alina Habba may have thrown a wrench in the former president’s defense strategy in the latest indictment from special counsel Jack Smith, Mediaite reported.
The indictment alleges that Trump and his allies pressured state and federal officials to alter the election results based on claims about the election that they knew were false. Trump’s allies maintain that the special counsel will have a hard time proving that Trump knew that the claims he made, like thousands of dead people voting in Georgia or voting machines switching votes from Trump to Biden, were false.
But while speaking to reporters outside of the Washington DC federal courthouse where Trump was about to be arraigned on the charges in the indictment, Habba appeared to admit that the former president knew his claims about the election were untrue.
A reporter brought up the testimony from Trump aides who said the then-president was “made aware he lost the election” while he was continuing to argue that the election was “stolen from him.” The reporter asked Habba how she reconciles that.
Habba said she thinks everyone was “made aware” that Trump “lost the election,” but argued that that wasn’t the “only advice he was given.”
Habba explained that Trump was receiving advice from “numerous” people, including lawyers, politicians, and advisors who told him “what they believe is true,” and said Trump may not have agreed with former Vice President Mike Pence or “one of his lawyers.” She added that just because some told Trump that he lost doesn’t mean there weren’t others who told him the opposite.
Habba argued that Trump had the right to listen to multiple opinions and make his decision.
But according to the indictment, it wasn’t advice or opinion. Instead, Trump was given data and information based on investigations conducted in various states debunking his claims. Despite that, Trump continued to repeat the debunked claims.
