‘This Is Extraordinarily Significant’: CNN Legal Analyst Reacts to Revelation by Guest Who Says FBI Questioned Him About Trump

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig offered his instant reaction after a former Republican official revealed on the network that the FBI interviewed him about Donald Trump’s scheme to overturn the 2020 election.

During Wednesday’s installment of CNN Primetime, host Kaitlan Collins asked former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers if he had been subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith. Smith is investigating Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election by leaning on Republican officials in states he lost, such as Arizona.

“I’m hesitant to talk about any subpoenas, etc,” Bowers replied. “But I have been interviewed by the FBI.” He then explained he was interviewed for four hours, during which time he discussed phone calls he received from Trump and his then-attorney Rudy Giuliani. Both men alleged widespread voter fraud had taken place, but Bowers said they provided no evidence and instead just mere theories about voter fraud.

At one point during their conversation, a surprised Collins declared, “This is news.”

After wrapping up the interview, she turned to Honig for his reaction.

“This is extraordinarily significant,” he said. “For four hours he’s met with the FBI, and this means that Jack Smith and his team are looking at Rusty Bowers as a witness. That would be what you would do with someone who’s not resisting you. You’d send out the FBI – as a prosecutor – if he’s willing to talk, as apparently Rusty Bowers was, you get as much information as you can.”

Honig went on to say it appears Smith is probing Trump’s actions as part of “a coordinated, multi-state effort” by Trump’s team to overturn the election.

“What do you make about what he said about turning over evidence?” Collins asked. “Documents, what he says he got when he asked for proof that there was election fraud that was coming from Giuliani, Boris Epshteyn, and he says he got random term papers, some testimony from hearings. What are they going to use that for?”

“That backs up Bowers’ testimony that he gave in front of the Jan. 6 committee that, at one point when he asked for proof, he was told we don’t have any proof but we have theories,” Honig replied. “And then, Rusty Bowers can say, ‘Well, here’s what they gave me. Here, FBI, is what they gave me and it’s a bunch of nothing.’ And that is what we call corroboration.”

He went on to state that Bowers’ disclosure is instructive.

“What we just learned, the fact that Rusty Bowers has spoken with the FBI is enormously telling for me,” Honig added. “And it tells me that Jack Smith is looking at this in the big picture and that he’s getting to the most important witnesses and asking the most important questions.”

Trump has already been indicted on 37 counts in a separate Smith probe, regarding his retention of government documents after leaving office. The former president pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Watch above via CNN.