'What's wrong with these people?' Morning Joe ridicules fake electors for filming crime
Panelists on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" wondered how Donald Trump's allies would find attorneys willing take their case after being indicted in the Arizona fake electors scheme.
Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and nine other Trump allies were indicted on multiple charges, including conspiracy and forgery to engaging in fraudulent schemes, and they recorded video of themselves signing phony documents on Dec. 14, 2020, certifying themselves as electors pledged to the former president despite his loss in the state.
"It's a cult, they'll do anything for him," said co-host Mika Brzezinski. "They will commit a crime on camera for Donald Trump. Here you go, exhibit A."
"All right, that's her theory," said host Joe Scarborough. "Whatever it is, it's not — I've got to say, their lawyers have to look at them, 'What were you thinking?'"
"You have to wonder what lawyer is taking the case," added co-host Willie Geist. "'Oh, you recorded yourself committing the crime? Then you signed the document committing a crime and posted it to social media? I'm not sure I'm going to be able to help you here.'"
"Did you get a notary?" Brzezinski chimed in.
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The co-defendants are accused of conspiring with then-president Trump, who is listed as an unindicted co-conspirator, to fraudulently overturn the presidential election results in a wide-ranging scheme in which many of them have also been charged or already pleaded guilty in Georgia.
"Yeah, the lawyer says, 'Listen, listen, these are wild charges – I'm sure none of this ever happened,'" Scarborough said. "'We'll get some corroborating witnesses, we'll get reasonable doubt, nobody will even know this happened, because it never happened. There's a video? You have a video of the conspiracy?' I mean, come on! What's wrong with these people? I don't know, not the sharpest tools in the shed here."
Barbara McQuade, the former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, agreed the video evidence was incredibly strong and would likely encourage the co-defendants to quickly seek a plea agreement.
"This is what prosecutors would refer to as a speaking indictment, they don't just throw out the charges," McQuade said. "They detail the evidence they have against them. It appears to me a very strong case. It also, because you've got so many defendants here, it seems very likely that some of them will cooperate and testify, especially because, as you point out, there is video evidence of the crime occurring."
The co-defendants are some of the former president's most prominent 2020 campaign allies, and many have them have also been charged elsewhere — giving them a strong incentive to agree to cooperate with prosecutors.
"I think one of the things that is really interesting here is the inclusion in this case of people like John Eastman and Rudy Giuliani, Christina Bobb, Jenna Ellis – some of these people have already been charged in other jurisdictions," McQuade said.
"That creates leverage for both jurisdictions. At some point, these cases are stacking up so much, they have an incentive to work out some sort of global plea deal. They say, 'All right, I can't defend myself in all these forums, I can't face prison time – where do I sign up? I'll cooperate in all the cases.'"
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