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Former president Donald Trump is showing his cards through his plethora of social media posts, according to attorney and former U.S. Army prosecutor Glenn Kirschner.
In a Sunday episode of Kirschner's podcast Justice Matters, Kirschner detailed a telltale sign that the former president knows an indictment is coming: the way and frequency in which Trump writes his Truth Social posts. Trump faces a criminal investigation led by Jack Smith, a prosecutor who was appointed to lead the investigation into Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and Trump's involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riots. The former president hasn't been indicted on any charges.
Kirschner saw a post by Trump on Truth Social in which Trump berates Smith and feels he is being treated unfairly compared to President Joe Biden. Biden also faces scrutiny over allegations of misplaced classified documents.
"How come the Biden 'Prosecutor' is a nice guy, very friendly with Democrats and RINOS alike, close to Christopher Wray, & pretty much liked & known by everybody, while my 'Prosecutor' is a Radical Left Trump HATING Lunatic, whose wife & family get a perfect '10' for spewing Trump HATE, & whose 'friends' are the most evil, angry, & disgusting Marxists & Communists in & around Government?" Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday. "They are GRILLING innocent people in Grand Juries for hours, all to 'get Trump.' These are Sick Thugs!"
Kirschner said Trump's Saturday post prompted him to explore other posts by the former president, which led him to the opinion that Trump knows he is powerless to stop an indictment.
Kirschner referenced several posts in which Trump slams Smith, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). Trump frequently writes in all capital letters when he posts about the topics. Kirschner said the former president may feel the capital letters make the post "extra persuasive", but he doesn't view it the same way.
"In fact, it really just signals desperation," Kirschner said.
Kirschner said the way Trump writes his posts and how frequently he posts shows he lacks confidence in his innocence.
"He sounds desperate, he sounds scared, he sounds like he knows indictments are coming and there's nothing he can do to stop them," Kirschner said.
However, Trump's 2024 presidential campaign criticized Kirschner in an email statement sent to Newsweek.
"Glenn is a notorious trafficker of wild conspiracy theories and dubious legal analysis. I would expect nothing more from a clout-chasing MSNBC contributor," the campaign told Newsweek in an email.
Kirschner admitted he wasn't a behavioral psychologist, but after three decades of criminal investigations, he said he was "pretty good at spotting signs of desperation and consciousness of guilt when I see them".
"Donald Trump is full of it—desperation and consciousness of guilt," Kirschner said.
Kirschner said Trump's posts are getting a few thousand interactions and reposts but are much lower than the interaction Trump's tweets received when he had a Twitter account.
"In a very real sense, Donald Trump is both figuratively and literally screaming into the void. I suggest that what we can glean from these unhinged desperate posts of Donald Trump is that he knows indictments are coming, and he knows he is powerless to stop them."
Update 01/16/23 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more