New York Times correspondent and CNN analyst Maggie Haberman said Trumpworld heavy hitters are saying Trump must win so Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against ex-President Donald Trump “can go away.”
Trump’s lawyers laid out the case for delaying the trial in a court filing this week, but so far Judge Aileen Cannon — a Trump appointee — has only granted a four-day delay of a preliminary hearing.
But on Tuesday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Haberman dropped something of a scoop while discussing the delay and other developments in the many cases against Trump.
Haberman — a well-connected reporter with extensive sources within Trump’s orbit — told fellow Trump expert Kaitlan Collins that in private, Trump advisers have been “blunt” about connecting the delay to Trump quashing the cases if he wins:
ELIE HONIG: I don’t think there’s much secret about what Fani Willis’ intentions are here that she’s going to indict, or ask the grand jury, to indict Donald Trump.COLLINS: Yes. And signs are pointing to August, for when that indictment could happen.Obviously, this is coming, Maggie, as Trump is on the campaign trail. We have the first debate, in late August. Today, his attorneys are also asking, in the other investigation, the documents case, to delay it indefinitely. Is it clear to you how he’s basically using a political strategy, and a legal
strategy, all tied in one?MAGGIE HABERMAN: As everything is a great flattening effect with Donald Trump, you’re seeing that here, too. There is no question that defending himself, in these cases, has become incorporated, into his campaign messaging, into his fundraising messaging, and into basically everything he says, publicly.What he’s doing legally, in terms of the filing, you just mentioned, is saying it would be unfair, basically, to have this trial, before an election that it would essentially complicate, you know, it would be complicated by politics. “Could he get a fair jury? There is no need for a rush.”And that one’s important, because Jack Smith said, when he declared — or when he announced his indictment, and talked about it, “We want a speedy trial.” Well, it’s the accused, who has the right, to a speedy trial. And Trump clearly does not want that.And so, some of Trump’s advisers have been blunt, in private conversations that he needs to win this election, because then the case can go away. Now, that’s a bit of a Hail Mary, if you’re betting, on winning an election, as a way of dealing with an indictment. But we are in an unprecedented situation.COLLINS: We, I mean, the –HABERMAN: And we could say that and set that statement to repeat for the last –COLLINS: Just put it on yourvoicemail.HABERMAN: Right, correct.COLLINS: I mean –HABERMAN: And you’ll hear me say it again, in a few days.
Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.