CNN’s Coates: Trump’s Actions on January 6 ‘Legally Criminal’

CNN’s legal analyst Laura Coates said during a break of her network’s coverage of the House Select Committee hearing that former President Donald Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021 were “legally criminal.”

Discussing testimony that Trump told the White House photographer not to take pictures on January 6, Coates said, “The president is saying ‘do not show what’s happening here.’ Are you gleeful? Are you rejoicing? Go back to December 18, that consequential meeting. This was the plan. January 6 was the culmination of a plan and an effort. It sounds very clear from their testimony to try to use a last-ditch effort to ignore the fact that the judges told you no, that there was no evidence, your attorney general told you there’s no there there. Then he said why would I have stopped what I have set in motion? I mean, inertia is the thing in motion stays in motion. He doesn’t want it to stop. That is criminal.”

Co-anchor Jake Tapper said, “What do you mean that’s criminal? Legally criminal?”

Coates said, “I believe it’s legally criminal if you are aware and you’re acting with either corrupt motive to try to obstruct the proceeding or with corrupt means. ‘Corrupt means’ means dishonesty and doing something you know is unlawful or wrong to do. He’s been advised by everyone that he shouldn’t do it. So whether DOJ wants to do that prosecution is different story but remember, we’re not talking about rocket science in the sense of having to use anything of direct evidence. circumstantial also comes, cumulation also comes, we are seeing this here.”

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