Donald Trump praised election security enhancements during a February 2020 Oval Office meeting that special counsel Jack Smith is investigating, CNN reports.
Trump, who later in the year made baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen, praised his own administration’s efforts that led to the expansion of paper ballots and support for security audits of vote tallies at the meeting, the report said.
Trump suggested holding a joint press conference with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security to credit the administration and the agencies with the election security enhancements, the reports said.
The special counsel’s office has interviewed several officials with knowledge of the Oval Office meeting, asking at least one of the officials to characterize the former president’s reaction to information that the election systems were secure, the report said.
Trump’s expressions of confidence in the security of the election could be used by prosecutors to undercut his argument that he believed the 2020 election was stolen, the report said.
Investigators appeared to have expressed interest in determining Trump’s understanding of the enhanced election security safeguards before he sought to undermine the validity of the election.
Sean Lyngaas, Kylie Atwood, Zachary Cohen and Evan Perez write for the new outlet’s website that “Investigators have also asked multiple witnesses about whether Trump retaliated against top officials for contradicting his narrative about election security, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.”
“Smith’s interest in the February 2020 meeting, which has not been previously reported, is the latest indication that the special counsel is seeking testimony from a range of witnesses about Trump’s mindset surrounding his voter fraud claims, including what he was told or understood about election security.”
