CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig this week outlined what he said is the linchpin piece of evidence against former President Donald Trump.
According to Honig, Trump's tweet at 6 p.m. on January 6th gives an important window into his state of mind in the aftermath of the Capitol riots that he incited to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's electoral victory.
"These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long," Trump tweeted at the time. "Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!"
In Honig's view, this tweet alone is enough evidence to damn Trump.
"Ask yourself: Are those the words of a person who was genuinely 'horrified' by what he saw, to quote Trump's attorneys?" he asked rhetorically. "To the contrary, in my view, the tweet establishes beyond any real doubt that Trump was pleased at what his supporters had done. He called them 'great patriots,' and urged them to '(r)emember this day forever!' Those are unequivocal words of empathy with the mob -- even exultation -- not regret."
Honig then predicted that, if any prosecutors were to file criminal charges against Trump for his role in sparking the riots, this tweet would be put front and center before the jury.
"Prosecutors yearn for evidence like this," he wrote. "It is simply devastating and almost certainly would ensure a conviction if this case were a criminal trial."