Now that Donald Trump has been indicted by the federal Government over classified documents, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes decided to look ahead to how things might play out. On Wednesday’s episode of “All-In,” after explaining why he thinks the case might not make it to court until after the 2024 election, Hayes argued that it is “imperative” Trump also be indicted for “his gravest crime,” the Jan. 6 insurrection.
You can watch the video right here:
At the start of the comment, Hayes noted the presiding judge in the case is Aileen Cannon. A Trump appointee, last year Cannon ended up being picked to oversee the initial investigatory phase, and immediately demonstrated astonishing deference to Trump, issuing rulings that signaled clear intent to help him to the fullest extent she could.
Now that Trump has been indicted over his mishandling of classified documents and attempts to deceive the U.S. government over them, Cannon has again been assigned to the case. There are widespread calls for her to recuse herself, but she indicated when Trump was indicted that she has no intention of doing so.
Hayes predicted that Cannon “will bend over backwards to do whatever is in Trump’s interest” which he says is basically “slowing things down. Because here’s the thing: If the trial delays long enough, Donald Trump can convert what is a trial in a court of law into a literal trial of public opinion.”
Hayes then noted that all of the investigations Trump currently faces — the classified documents case, the campaign finance fraud indictment he faces in New York, the investigation in Georgia, and most importantly the other case Jack Smith is overseeing, investigating Trump’s role in Jan. 6 — started before Trump declared himself a candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
“In fact, we know from reporting that Trump actually moved up the declaration of his candidacy precisely so that he could then claim he was being politically persecuted if indicted. See how that works? So, his plan, from the beginning and now, is to try to win the presidency so that—chief among any other goal, honestly—he doesn’t go to jail. He can be above the law, and he can drop the cases against him,” Hayes said.
“And even if he does not have a favorable judge, this case is likely going to take a while to get to trial. Which prompts the question: What happens with Jack Smith’s other criminal investigation into the ex-president’s efforts to subvert democracy and incite a violent insurrection?” Hayes asked.
Hayes noted that the other investigations show no signs of slowing down and Trump may be facing new indictments sooner than later. “But if the classified documents trial is delayed, I think, honestly, just looking at the odds, and looking at the timeline, looking at the calendar, the most likely outcome is that Donald Trump’s not gonna be tried before election day in 2024. Maybe I’m wrong, but that seems most likely,” he said.
“And so then voters are gonna have to make a determination about this man’s suitability for the highest office in the land, and whether he is above the law,” Hayes concluded. “And if that’s the case, again which appears likely, it becomes even more imperative that the ex-president is charged and tried for his gravest crime that he committed: His attempt to end American democracy as we know it.”