Reported testimony from former White House aides regarding Donald Trump’s actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot has been characterized as a devastating blow to the former president, according to a former federal prosecutor.
Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, now an adviser for Trump’s 2024 campaign, reportedly told Special Counsel Jack Smith that Trump “was just not interested” in stopping the Capitol riot as it unfolded. The testimony also revealed that former White House aide Nick Luna informed Trump about the need to quickly secure then-Vice President Mike Pence, to which Trump allegedly replied, “So what?”
MSNBC legal analyst and former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman interpreted this testimony as powerful evidence of Trump’s intent. He suggested that the testimony contradicts any potential claim by Trump that he was surprised or unaware of the events on Jan. 6. Litman emphasized the significance of this evidence in the context of the prosecution’s case against Trump, describing it as a “nail in the coffin” for Trump’s intent.
“[I]f you think of it through the vantage point of the prosecution, the one thing that Trump could maybe try through surrogates to claim at trial is, ‘It took him by surprise. He never knew this would happen.’ You’ve heard claims of that. It seems dubious,” Litman said on Monday.
Litman concluded, “It is very, very powerful evidence if you look at it through the prism of what Jack Smith has to prove at trial. It pretty much is a nail in the coffin of Trump’s intent.”
