Trump should face ‘grand jury proctological exam’ for trying to end democracy: George Conway

Former president Donald Trump and his associates should face a "grand jury proctological exam" for their attempt to destroy democracy by corruptly trying to overturn the 2020 election, according to conservative lawyer George Conway.

"He needs to be investigated for any number of the charges of the sort that have been brought against others," Conway said, referring to Capitol rioters and noting that at least one federal judge presiding over Jan. 6 cases has called them "pawns."

"They've gotten now with the Oath Keepers indictment last week, they've gotten to maybe the bishops and the knights, but they've got a ways to go," Conway said. "Donald Trump started this all. He started it by lying about the election even before it happened, and he was the one who basically told them to go up on Capitol Hill."

Conway added that there are "any number of theories" under which Trump and his associates could be held criminally liable, including a federal law that makes it illegal to "corruptly obstruct, influence or impede any official proceeding," which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. An official proceeding includes a session of Congress, and federal judges have said that Capitol rioters can be charged under the statute.

"He lied his ass off for two months about the election. That seems pretty corrupt. He tried to coerce his vice president ... that seems pretty corrupt," Conway said. "Given the fact that what he was trying to do here — whether he was doing it corruptly or not, or with the intent to incite violence or not — he was trying to end constitutional democracy in the United States, which he was sworn to preserve, protect and defend. There isn't a greater crime that could have been committed by the president of the United States."

"It seems to me there should be — excuse the metaphor — a grand jury proctological exam of Trump and everybody he had contact with who had something to do with all these efforts to stop the electoral vote from being counted, or delay it, on Jan. 6, 2021," Conway said. "If you don't at least look at this with the closest possible microscope, you're basically saying that a president is completely above the law."

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