An attorney for former president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will argue that Trump’s failed attempt to cling to power after the 2020 election was “aspirational” and not criminal.
John Lauro, who is defending Trump against four felony charges related to attempts to throw out President Biden’s 2020 victory, said Trump’s pressure campaign against then-Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress and state officials was speech protected by the First Amendment.
Trump’s attempts included asking Pence to throw out slates of electors and pause the election certification process, and demanding that Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “find” enough votes to flip the state’s electoral slate from Biden to Trump. In spite of his unsuccessful efforts, no crime was committed, Lauro contended….
Trump has increasingly lashed out at Smith and indicated a willingness to retaliate against witnesses who testify for the prosecution. “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” he posted Friday on his Truth Social account.
In remarks at a rally in South Carolina on Saturday night, Trump again verbally attacked Smith as “mentally ill” and “deranged.”
Citing Trump’s threatening social media posts, prosecutors asked Chutkan to impose a protective order on the former president and his legal team, prohibiting them from remarking about certain evidence publicly.
Lauro said Sunday that he would fight that proposed order.