Donald Trump has anticipated his co-defendants, accused co-conspirators, and prospective witnesses for the prosecution to remain strongly loyal to him during the criminal investigations into him.
Key Witnesses Consider Throwing Trump Under the Bus
Those who have spoken with him about the issue report that part of this has included his conviction that some of his former lieutenants ought to face jail time instead of betraying him. Trump’s insistence that his attorneys and assistants die on his behalf despite the numerous criminal accusations against him hasn’t worked to keep him afloat. In fact, it’s done the exact opposite, encouraging several potential crucial witnesses to think twice about accusing Trump before he has an opportunity to do so.
Witnesses Focused on Self-Preservation
This is because the idea of extreme loyalty only works in one direction, as it frequently does with the past president. Seven prospective witnesses, including former Trump confidants caught up in federal and Georgian criminal investigations, as well as their attorneys and other informed parties, were interviewed by Rolling Stone. They all agree that Trump’s readiness to leave them hanging has encouraged self-preservationist legal tactics.
Team Trump’s Search for Fall Guys
According to three of these insiders, the ex-president and many of his erstwhile fellow travelers became further estranged from one another as a result of Team Trump’s hilariously overt hunt for fall men and patsies, or MAGA ardents who would take the fall and potential jail terms in place of Trump.
What Would That Do for Me and My Family?
The office of special counsel Jack Smith has conducted an interview with a former Trump administration official, who asks, “If I went to jail for Donald Trump, if I did that, what would that do for me and my family?” “I don’t think he would even give us lifetime Mar-a-Lago memberships if I did that for him.”
Sidney Powell Pays for Trump Loyalty
For instance, following the election, attorney Sidney Powell used her admiration for Trump to her advantage by bringing fictitious cases and making outrageously deceptive allegations against the manufacturer of voting machines, Dominion Voting Systems. Her actions resulted in charges in Fulton County alongside Trump, a censure from a Michigan court, and a billion-dollar lawsuit by Dominion.
Trump Doesn’t Lift a Finger for Powell
However, the former president has offered her no significant assistance as a result of her legal struggle. While other Trump supporters have tried to place the responsibility for any criminal conduct after the election on Powell, the president has made it clear in public that Powell was never his lawyer. Since then, she has also accepted a plea agreement last month, which surprised many prominent Trump attorneys and supporters.
There’s No Crimes Here
According to Liz Harrington, Trump’s communications assistant, the former president was “confused” by the plea pleas made by his associates since, in his opinion, “there’s no crimes here.” Powell, on the other hand, continues to attempt to play both sides, presenting herself as a staunch supporter of Trump’s electoral deceptions and the victim of an overzealous prosecution.
Trump Labels People Who Flipped on Him as ‘Weaklings’
However, while some are thinking about maybe assisting the police, others have already openly changed their minds—a move that Trump now connects with “weaklings” who betray him. Trump’s main attorney in Fulton County, Steven Sadow, said in a statement to Rolling Stone that “[Fulton County District Attorney] Fani Willis and her prosecution team have dismissed charges in exchange for probation. What that shows is this so-called RICO case is nothing more than a bargaining chip for Willis. Truthful testimony will always exonerate President Trump.”
Why Isn’t the Pro-Trump Super Pac MAGA, Inc. Funding Everyone’s Defense?
In the Fulton County election-subversion case, Jenna Ellis, an attorney for the Trump campaign, has expressed her dissatisfaction with the former president’s decision to forsake her co-defendants. “Reliably informed Trump isn’t funding any of us who are indicted,” Ellis said on X (previously Twitter) in August. She questioned, “Why isn’t [the pro-Trump Super Pac] MAGA, Inc. funding everyone’s defense?”
Ellis Admits to Aiding and Abetting False Statements About the Election
Following an attempt to raise money for her legal bills, Ellis last week agreed to a plea agreement offered by the prosecution. In a courtroom speech, a weeping Ellis took responsibility for encouraging and abetting false remarks about the election that President Joe Biden decisively won. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges,” Ellis said.
Trump Attorneys Afraid Chesebro Might Squeal
Trump’s lawyers had been worried for most of this year that Kenneth Chesebro, one of the legal theorists behind the phony-electors plan, might wind up working with law enforcement. In Fulton County, the lawyer took a plea deal and admitted guilt to conspiracy to submit fraudulent paperwork, but Scott Grubman, the lawyer representing him, refuted any notion that his client was betraying Trump.
Chesebro and His Legal Team Drop Hints
At the beginning of this month, Grubman told CNN, “I don’t think he implicated anyone but himself.” However, Chesebro and his legal team have been hinting for months that he is not the source of the blame or the criminal exposure; rather, it is somewhere in Trumpland.
Chesebro Hopes ”Fulton DA Fully Recognizes These Issues Before Deciding Who to Charge”
“It will remain a question to be resolved in court as to whether the campaign relied upon that advice as Mr. Chesebro intended,” Grubman said in August to Rolling Stone. He went on to say: “We hope that the Fulton DA and the special counsel fully recognize these issues before deciding who, if anyone, to charge.”
Chesebro Among the Easy Scapegoats for Trump
These remarks were made in public many months after some of Trump’s closest advisers and friends started gathering unofficial names of potential suspects in the Jan. 6 riot investigation and the Mar-a-Lago docs case. Yes, among the names were John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Powell, and Chesebro. Attorneys like Chesebro were convenient targets for Team Trump, who have made it clear that the former president would rely on the “advice of counsel” defense in court.
“Of Course” Trumpland Wanted Chesebro to Take the Fall
When Rolling Stone asks a lawyer who has known Chesebro for years and has spoken with him about this subject if he can tell how much of Trumpland wants him to take the fall in order to assist shield Trump, Chesebro replies, “Of course.”
Trump Continues to Blast One-Time Loyalists
In private, Trump saves some of his most caustic remarks for former allies who are prepared to make concessions to the prosecution in order to receive low terms in exchange for perhaps testifying against the president and others. But the Republican front-runner for president in 2024 is frequently so enraged with his lieutenants that they have no formal cooperation agreements and are just required by law to respond to queries from the prosecution.
Doesn’t Take a Lot to Be Labeled as a Snitch by the Former Prez
People close to Trump claim that in the former president’s eyes, even speaking with federal investigators can occasionally result in you being labeled as a traitor or snitch. This is due to the fact that, according to his close colleagues, Trump frequently fails to recognize a significant distinction between witnesses who voluntarily opt to cooperate with investigators and those who fortuitously provide insightful information during interviews.
Meadows Referred to With the Rat Emoji
Moreover, Trump and a number of his closest advisors have been attempting for months to ascertain the extent of Mark Meadows’ recent generosity toward prosecutors during his tenure as former chief of staff. The New York Times reported in June that Meadows had testified before grand juries in the special counsel’s probe into Trump’s efforts to rig the 2020 election as well as in the Mar-a-Lago classified-documents case. This has increased mistrust inside Trump’s closest circle this year, to the point that some advisors now only use the rat emoji when speaking about Meadows in private conversations.
Meadows Claims Immunity Rumors Are Inaccurate
According to ABC News last week, Meadows was “granted immunity” by the special counsel so that she could provide potentially harmful information about Trump and the 2020 election thereafter. Since then, Meadows’ attorney has called most of the material “inaccurate,” though he hasn’t revealed which specific parts of the narrative he believes are incorrect.
Trump’s Advisors Assure Him Meadows Hasn’t ‘Flipped’
A couple of Trump’s political and legal advisors have attempted to reassure him in the days after the report came that Meadows is simply following the law in these discussions with federal investigators and that the ABC article does not indicate that she has “flipped.”
Trump Dead Set on Not Buying Meadows’ Clarification
Trump, though, isn’t really buying it. According to two people familiar with the matter who spoke to Rolling Stone, the former president has asked confidants over the last week why his former chief of staff would be telling prosecutors anything about Trump’s activities “at all,” with a tone that betrays obvious anger. According to the former president, Meadows should use executive privilege in these situations, which is a legal theory that states that under certain conditions, interactions with the president should be protected from public inspection.
Peter Navarro Convicted for Contempt of Congress
This is akin to the action taken by former Trump administration official Peter Navarro, who was found guilty of contempt of Congress after he refused to comply with a congressional subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee.
Judge Howell Rejects Trump Attorneys’ Arguments
Meadows and other witnesses ran the prospect of going to jail if they gave in to Trump’s demands for a complete disregard for the prosecution. Citing presidential privilege, Trump’s lawyers had tried to prevent Meadows from appearing before a federal grand jury looking into the campaign to rig the election. Judge Beryl Howell, however, dismissed the argument in March.
Navarro Refuses to Comply With Congressional Probe
A subpoena from the congressional probe on January 6th demanded that Navarro, a former senior trade advisor in the Trump White House, appear before the panel and provide papers on its investigation into the 2021 uprising. Navarro refused to comply. As a result of his disobedience, Navarro was charged with contempt of Congress in September and was ultimately found guilty.
Steve Bannon Disobeys Subpoena Issued by House Committee
In addition, Trump’s former campaign assistant and senior strategist in the White House, Steve Bannon, disobeyed a subpoena issued by a House committee on January 6 and was found guilty of contempt of Congress. Both men have filed appeals against their verdicts.
Donald Has a History of Using and Abusing His Associates
Trump has found himself in tight situations on several occasions due to his disloyalty to pals who are in legal danger for allegedly helping him with a variety of crimes. “Trump’s view of loyalty is one way, and that one way benefits only him. Donald has a history of using and abusing his associates, and he has shown no hesitation in throwing them under the bus when it suits his needs,” said Michael Cohen, an attorney and longtime Trump fixer who saw firsthand the lack of reciprocal devotion. “This is not the kind of person that people are willing to or should sacrifice their freedom for.”
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