A report from the Washington Post that Donald Trump reportedly called then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) and tried to pressure him to overturn the 2020 presidential election results set off a flurry of commentary on Saturday, with many observers saying the DOJ has another investigation to launch if it hasn't already.
According to the the bombshell report, not only did the then-president make a call, he also "repeatedly" attempted to get the Vice President Mike Pence to join in on the pressure campaign and that Pence did call but did not press the issue.
The Post reported that a Ducey donor recalled the Arizona GOP lawmaker talking about the call at a luncheon, with the report adding, "The account was confirmed by others aware of the call. Ducey told the donor he was surprised that special counsel Jack Smith’s team had not inquired about his phone calls with Trump and Pence as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the former president’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, the donor said."
That was all it took for critics to weigh in on what it means for the already twice-indicted former president.
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Former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade offered, "If Jack Smith has not already interviewed former AZ Governor Ducey, you can bet he is typing up the subpoena now. More evidence of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Title 18, USC Section 371 for those of you keeping score at home."
Attorney Maya Wiley stated, "Surprising? No. Trump made calls to GA officials and we know there was a hard press in AZ too. If Jack Smith team hasn’t interviewed witnesses yet, they will now!"
Former prosecutor Joyce Vance wrote, "Once prosecutions start, witnesses tend to develop confidence in coming forward. More chickens coming home to roost: Trump pressured Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to overturn 2020 election."
Lincoln Project founder and former GOP consultant Mike Madrid simply wrote, "To the surprise of absolutely no one."
Conservative attorney George Conway applauded Ducey for blowing Trump off, writing, "Happy 31 months since Gov. Ducey silenced a call from the psychopathic orange criminal defendant while certifying Arizona’s election results to all who celebrate."
