MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell on Tuesday pointed out a single Donald Trump quote that will lead to the downfall of the former President Donald Trump in the recent federal election interference indictment. The quote was highlighted in the testimony of “star witness” Mike Pence.
A Washington, D.C. grand jury announced the indictment on Tuesday, charging Trump and others with conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct an official proceeding. Trump is due to be arraigned Thursday.
To prove his case, special prosecutor Jack Smith must show that Trump committed those crimes “knowingly.” That’s where Pence’s testimony becomes crucial.
Though the indictment doesn’t explicitly mention Pence as the one who shared details of a private phone call with the grand jury, O’Donnell asserts that there’s no other plausible explanation for how the quote “You’re too honest” from Trump could have ended up in the indictment.
O’Donnell believes this quote likely stems from a late December 2020 conversation in which Trump attempted to persuade Pence to overturn the election results, to which Pence firmly declined. The phrase “You’re too honest” indicates, according to O’Donnell, that Trump was aware of the dubious legality of his suggestions.
O’Donnell anticipates that this moment in the trial, featuring the quote “You’re too honest,” will receive significant attention and could be crucial in proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump was aware of the falsehoods regarding Pence’s power to overturn the election. He goes on to assert that Pence will be the prominent witness in the trial when the case of “United States of America vs. Donald J. Trump” is presented to a jury in Washington, D.C.
Watch the segment below.
