MSNBC host Rachel Maddow broke the news that former President Donald Trump’s lawyers met with Fulton County prosecutors to discuss voter fraud committed in Georgia as a result of Trump’s pressure campaign.
Speaking about the news, former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal didn't mince words about Georgia doing the work that he thinks the Justice Department is too afraid to do. According to Katyal, "this is a natural precursor to a possible indictment." However, he clarified, "it doesn't mean Donald Trump is going to be indicted by any stretch."
"I have two reactions," he began. "First is it's good to see Georgia doing what the United States Justice Department should have been doing for the last year, which is investigating what looked like a bunch of potential crimes by Donald Trump. Maybe the U.S. Justice Department is. We just don't have any evidence of it."
If that were the case, the Justice Department would have impaneled a grand jury, which is secret. The only people who would be allowed to talk about it are those who appeared as witnesses before the committee.
"That brings me to the second point," Katyal continued, "which is it's really good news that Georgia is investigating this. And it's very, very bad if you're Donald Trump to have this. This is a really serious thing, to have your lawyers go in and meet with criminal investigators. That's not something that happens cavalierly. It certainly never happened in my lifetime, or Lawrence, I suppose yours as well or most of our viewers. So, it's not something law enforcement does without a really good reason. And that's particularly the case when you're talking about not you or me, but a former president of the United States."
He noted that anyone going this route would ensure that every detail was covered before taking a step like this. Katyal also mentioned his New York Times column from last year when the recordings of Trump were revealed. He called for another impeachment and investigation because it looks like criminal laws were broken again by the then-president.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) called it another example of the long, slow, arm of the law and noted that up until this point, Trump has managed to evade any accountability. In this case, however, he was recorded.
See the video below: