Dive into the intricate web of allegations and legal challenges surrounding former President Donald Trump in the latest episode of "Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News," read by Peter Coyote and Renée Elise Goldsberry. This episode, featuring insights from speakers Andrew Weissmann and Melissa Murray along with audio of Trump himself, examines the fallout of the 2020 election with a focus on Georgia. Hear about accusations of election fraud, the intimidation of election officials, and the controversial phone call where Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" votes.
The episode also casts a spotlight on Donald Trump's handling of classified documents post-presidency, as Andrew Weissmann leads a discussion about the potential security breaches at Mar-a-Lago and other unauthorized locations. Allegations of the Trump team's attempts to obstruct the FBI's probe into document mismanagement are laid bare, with descriptions of efforts to conceal subpoenaed materials, delete security footage, and mislead the Department of Justice. This episode unpacks the implications of these actions for national security and the sanctity of the rule of law in an unprecedented situation.
Sign up for Shortform to access the whole episode summary along with additional materials like counterarguments and context.
The Trump campaign and its associates are accused of relentlessly pushing unfounded claims of election fraud in Georgia, leading to intense harassment of election officials. In a lawsuit backed by the campaign, despite recognizing the allegations as unfounded, claims of massive fraud involving Georgia's voting machines were promoted. Co-Conspirator 1 presented misleading information to Georgia legislators, asserting that over 10,000 deceased individuals voted, triggering a wave of death threats against election workers Ruby Freeman and Shay Moss, who were wrongfully accused and forced into hiding. Giuliani, involved in promoting these claims, faced a significant financial judgment in a civil lawsuit filed by Freeman and Moss.
During a meeting on December 15th in the Oval Office, incoming Justice Department officials directly denounced President Trump's voter fraud claims. They specifically refuted the allegations stemming from a video at State Farm Arena in Georgia, explaining to Trump that the video showed standard and legitimate vote counting processes, not the fraudulent activity he alleged.
President Trump's contentious phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger revealed his false claims of thousands of deceased voters in Georgia, despite only two cases being confirmed. Trump demanded that Raffensperger "find" exactly 11,780 votes, the number needed to overturn Georgia's election results. Throughout the call, Trump implicitly threatened the Secretary and his lawyer with criminal persecution, ostensibly for not supporting his search for voter fraud, an act interpreted as a direct attempt at intimidation.
The conversation shifts to a discussion led by Andrew Weissmann regarding former President Trump's handling of classified documents. After his presidency, Trump stored these documents at Mar-a-Lago and other unauthorized locations, including his Bedminster Club, posing concerns about the secure handling and potential exposure of sensitive materials to unauthorized individuals.
In an effort to obstruct the FBI's investigation into the handling of classified documents, Trump and his team are alleged to have engaged in various activities. Trump suggested his attorney hide or destroy subpoenaed documents and directed the movement of boxes to elude the FBI and grand jury. False statements claiming compliance with a grand jury subpoena were provided, and there were attempts to delete security footage at Mar-a-Lago. These actions reflect a deliberate strategy to deceive the DOJ and obstruct the investigation, raising serious national and international concerns about the integrity of classified information handling and the rule of law.
1-Page Summary
The Trump campaign and its associates are facing intense scrutiny after promoting baseless claims of election fraud in Georgia, which incited harassment against election workers.
Co-Conspirator 3 filed a lawsuit against the Governor of Georgia, alleging massive election fraud involving the state's voting machine company's election software and hardware. Nevertheless, the defendant, despite privately acknowledging that Co-Conspirator 3's claims were uncorroborated and appeared far-fetched, endorsed the lawsuit on social media platforms.
Co-Conspirator 1, in an effort to influence Georgia's senators, delivered a misleading presentation to a Georgia State Senate Judiciary Subcommittee that aimed to prevent the certification of legitimate electors. The defendant's agent and Co-Conspirator 1 falsely contended that over 10,000 deceased individuals had voted in Georgia.
Murray highlighted a plot to falsely accuse Democrats of ballot stuffing with votes from deceased persons, presented as a common fraud practice. Murray and Weissmann clarified that there were only about 12 ballots in question, which were more likely attributable to clerical errors rather than the extensive voter fraud being publicly alleged.
During a hearing before the Georgia House of Representatives ...
Alleged election fraud in Georgia by Trump campaign and associates
...
In a meeting on December 15th in the Oval Office, incoming Justice Department officials directly confronted and refuted claims of voter fraud presented by Trump. During this discussion, officials specifically addressed a video from State Farm Arena that Trump had pointed to as evidence of fraud.
The officials clarified to Trump that the activities depicted in the Georgia ...
Justice Department officials refuting Trump's claims of voter fraud
...
The hosts discuss the controversial phone call made by President Donald Trump to Georgia's Secretary of State in an attempt to alter the state's popular vote count and the multifaceted elements surrounding the incident, including assertions of electoral fraud and implicit threats.
In a detailed examination of the call, it's noted that President Trump made false claims about voter fraud, notably alleging that 5,000 dead people voted in Georgia during the elections. However, the Georgia Secretary of State refuted this claim, clarifying that only two such cases were identified.
While Trump tweeted about ballot stuffing by Democrats based on false allegations from a presentation, a senior advisor had texted the defendant's chief of staff stating the inaccuracy of similar claims—countering that the allegation of 10,000 dead people voting in Georgia from Co-Conspirator 1's hearing was believed to be around 12.
The focus then shifts to Trump explicitly stating his need to "find" 11,780 votes—the exact number required to overturn the election results in Georgia. This declaration underscored the intent of the call which was to pressure the Georgia Secretary of State into changing the vote tally in his favor.
Melissa Murray pinpoints this situation as a direct ask from a state-level official to locate votes and Weissmann adds to the discussion on the call's criminal implications, stressing the chilling nature of these implicit threats.
The final section delves deep into the perceived threats Trump leveraged against the Georgia Secretary of State ...
Trump's phone call pressuring Georgia Secretary of State to "find" votes
...
Andrew Weissmann introduces a discussion about the classified documents case being investigated by special counsel Jack Smith, highlighting issues around Donald Trump's handling of sensitive materials after his presidency.
Melissa Murray provides background on the storied Mar-a-Lago estate, noting that after his term as president, Donald Trump transformed it into a private club. Despite its private club status, Mar-a-Lago became the repository for various boxes containing documents from Trump's presidency.
In addition to Mar-a-Lago, Trump had some of his boxes transferred to his summer residence at the Bedminster Club. However, similar to the situation at Mar-a-Lago, the Bedminster location was not authorized for the storage, possession, review, display, or discussion of classified documents post-presidency.
Classified documents taken by Trump to Mar-a-Lago
...
...
Recent information suggests that the team of former President Donald Trump may have taken measures to obstruct the FBI's investigation into the handling of classified documents.
Trump has been implicated in making suggestions that his attorney hide or destroy documents that were called for by a grand jury subpoena. This implication arises from a statement he made expressing his desire for no one to look through his boxes and pondering what would happen if they did not respond to the subpoena or told the authorities they had nothing.
Furthermore, Trump is alleged to have directed Walteen Nauda to move boxes of documents to prevent their discovery by his attorney, the FBI, and the grand jury. This act was presumably done to conceal them from the scope of a legitimate investigation.
Weissmann has mentioned charges of obstruction specifically related to the moving of boxes, which serves as a method for deceiving the Department of Justice (DOJ). The intention of this tactic was allegedly to create the illusion that all requested documents had been handed over when, in fact, some had been moved away secretly.
Evidence suggests that a falsely certified statement was submitted on behalf of Trump that all documents responsive to a grand jury subpoena had been produced, despite not all documents actually being produced. Additionally, Trump is accused of attempting to delete security camera footage at the Mar-a-Lago Club in an effort to withhold information from the FBI and grand jury.
This uncovering aligns wi ...
Efforts by Trump team to obstruct FBI investigation into documents
Download the Shortform Chrome extension for your browser