Title: Trump’s Attorney Claims Former President Never Asked Pence to Overturn Election Results
Subtitle: Trump’s legal team seeks to delay trial proceedings amid accusations
Date: [Insert Date]
In a recent development surrounding the trial of former President Donald Trump, his defense attorney John Lauro has asserted that Trump never requested Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Lauro argued that Trump’s intention was simply to allow states to investigate his claims of election fraud by pausing the certification of votes. These claims have been widely debunked by multiple courts.
During interviews on Sunday morning news shows, Lauro maintained that Trump’s actions fell within his First Amendment rights when he urged Pence to delay the certification on January 6, 2021. Lauro emphasized that Trump believed there were irregularities in the election that required investigation by state authorities.
In response to these claims, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, faced criticism from Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social. Trump expressed his legal team’s intention to request the judge’s recusal and sought to move the case outside of Washington.
The recent developments mark Trump’s ongoing legal battles, which have taken place in full public view. The charges against him carry the potential for decades in prison if he is convicted. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include falsifying business records regarding hush money payments and mishandling classified documents.
The indictment filed last week outlines how Trump and his allies repeatedly propagated false information about the election results, despite their knowledge of losing the election. These efforts culminated in the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, by Trump supporters who sought to disrupt the certification process.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Lauro suggested that Pence’s testimony would affirm Trump’s belief in election irregularities. However, Pence contradicted this claim during an interview, asserting that Trump wanted him to overturn the election results. Pence conveyed that Trump’s lawyers explicitly instructed him to reject votes outright.
Given Pence’s involvement in certifying Joe Biden’s victory and his refusal to reject votes, he has become a key figure in the prosecution’s case against Trump. Various federal and state election officials, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, have stated that there was no credible evidence of election fraud.
Trump’s defense team plans to request a change of venue for the trial, citing the desire for a more diverse jury. Lauro also expressed support for televising the trial. However, he rejected the notion that the trial could conclude before the 2024 election, highlighting the complexity of the case.
Former Republican Governor Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor himself, has expressed confidence in the fairness of jurors in the nation’s capital. Nevertheless, several defendants linked to the January 6 riot have unsuccessfully sought to transfer their trials outside of Washington, with judges ruling that fair jurors can be found through proper questioning.
Trump’s legal team has until Monday at 5 p.m. to respond to the prosecution’s request for a protective order limiting Trump’s ability to publicly disclose case-related information. The decision regarding this order rests with Judge Chutkan. Prosecutors have stated that such an order is essential given Trump’s social media posts targeting witnesses, judges, attorneys, and others involved in the legal proceedings against him.
As the trial proceedings unfold, they are likely to draw significant public attention and scrutiny given the gravity of the charges and their implications for the former president’s political future.