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Donald Trump's estranged niece has said his former aide speaking to the Department of Justice is the "nail in Donald's coffin."
Mary Trump wrote on her Substack page that statements from former aide Nick Luna to the DOJ were "really bad for Donald" after he reportedly showed indifference to Vice President Mike Pence potentially being in danger as the events of January 6, 2021 unfolded.
Rioters stormed the Capitol that day as Congress moved to formalize the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump continued to falsely maintain was stolen from him.
ABC News reported this week that Luna heard Trump saying "so what?" when he was told Pence was being rushed to a secure location.
ABC also reported that former Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino attempted to convince Trump to send out a tweet to calm the crowd.
Mary Trump cited former federal prosecutor Harry Litman's comments to demonstrate that she felt Luna and Scavino's testimony was key to the case.
"It is very, very powerful evidence," Litman told Ali Velshi on MSNBC. "If you look at it through the prism of what Jack Smith has to prove at trial. It pretty much is a nail in the coffin of Trump's intent."
Newsweek has approached a representative for Trump via email for comment.
Litman said the testimony was useful for the prosecution in counteracting potential claims from the former president's legal team that the events of January 6 took him by surprise.
At 2:12 p.m., protestors entered the Capitol for the first time, before Trump said on Twitter that Pence did not have "the courage" to "protect our country."
Around 14 minutes later, Trump tweeted: "Please support our Capitol Police and Law Enforcement... They are truly on the side of our Country. Stay peaceful!"
Then, Trump asked: "everyone at the U.S. Capitol to remain peaceful," at 3.13 p.m.
"When Jack Smith faces the jury in Donald's January 6th case, he's going to need to prove each element of the charges," Mary Trump wrote. "Explaining Donald's motives and getting inside his state of mind as the events on January [6] unfolded will be crucial for his case."
She added that Scavino and Luna's "proximity" to Trump on January 6 would be important for Smith's case.
In Washington, D.C., Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. He has denied all charges and says the indictment is politically motivated.
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About the writer
Benjamin Lynch is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is U.S. politics and national affairs and he ... Read more