Jack Smith has pierced Donald Trump’s inner circle

| 3:00 pm EDT July 5, 2023
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We hear about Trump’s supporters and ask: “what the hell is wrong with them?” A more burning question, however, is what’s wrong with Mike Pence? He continues to defend Donald Trump’s actions, even after Trump almost got him killed. He’s worse than the Trump supporters. When asked about the pressure put on former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, Mike Pence said: “There was no pressure involved.” But it doesn’t really matter what Pence says, Jack Smith has other witnesses who will show otherwise.

According to Salon, Smith has “pierced” Trump’s inner circle. Inquiring about Trump’s calls to both Ducey and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Smith has interviewed several people with knowledge, especially Trump’s former lawyers. Of course, everyone has heard by now that Rudy Giuliani voluntarily appeared for an interview with Smith’s team. According to Lisa Rubin, who sat with MSNBC’s Symone Sanders, Giuliani publicly released that information himself to notify other prosecutors that he’s willing to talk, especially Fani Willis in Georgia. Even if Smith gave Giuliani immunity in the federal case, it won’t help him in any state actions, so he’s trying to throw hints at Willis.

Rubin believes this to be very bad news for Trump. She said that not only did Trump’s former attorneys have Trump’s ear, but “more importantly, he spoke right into theirs.” They, more than anyone, know how deeply Trump was involved in their futile efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She went on to say: “They heard what he knew, and they know what he nonetheless directed.” Regardless of what Pence said, there was pressure.

Who can forget Trump’s call to Raffensperger, asking him to “find” more votes. While Pence claims that he “checked in” with Ducey, Salon reported that Pence called Ducey “several times.” The repeated calls alone can be considered “pressure.” If someone tells you “no,” but you keep asking, you are trying your damndest to pressure them. Despite Pence’s claims, Salon reported that Ducey himself described “the pressure” to a prominent Republican donor, who told the Post, and that donor’s account was confirmed by others. Smith has asked about Trump’s calls to governors, Salon, reported, though Ducey claims that he has not yet received a call. Smith’s team has also shown their interest in Trump’s attempts to pressure Pence to break the law. When asked for comment, Trump’s team told the Post that Trump “did the right thing-working to make sure that all the fraud was investigated and dealt with.” The problem with that statement is that there was no fraud, and hundreds of Republican officials and others, included judges who discarded Trump’s lawsuits, refuted Trump’s claims.

Trump pressured any and everyone that he could, including people inside his inner circle like Pence and Mark Meadows, both of whom have now testified before the grand jury. It appears that Jack Smith might just be tying up loose ends before he hits Trump with yet another multi-count indictment. Jill Wine-Banks, former Watergate prosecutor, agrees that another indictment is imminent. Things are moving quickly.