'That speaks volumes': Lawyer says Trump just gave 'a clear slap in the face to democracy'
Donald Trump's recent Mar-a-Lago gathering to promote a Jan. 6 lawyer's new documentary is a "clear slap in the face to democracy," an ex-prosecutor said on Sunday.
Former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance earlier in the day wrote about an "interesting footnote" that Judge Juan Merchan included in the jurist's filing regarding the President-elect's upcoming sentencing for multiple felony convictions in New York.
Afterward, she appeared on MSNBC to discuss that case and the Mar-a-Lago meeting surrounding the documentary about John Eastman, considered by many to be an architect of the legal side of Jan. 6. Eastman was indicted for his connection to the alleged efforts to overturn Trump's 2020 loss.
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The host asked Vance about Trump and his "MAGA cohorts" attending the premiere, and asked about accusations of "lawfare" that have been hurled by Eastman and MAGA allies.
"What message is this sending?" the host asked.
"This is a clear slap in the face to democracy," Vance replied. "I think it suggests that Trump believes he has completely normalized what happened on January 6th and although Americans have notoriously short memories, it's important for us to dredge up the feelings of where we were, what we observed and how we felt."
She added, "We know Republicans in the Senate and the House were outraged by what happened on January 6th in the moment."
"Many of them issued stinging condemnations of Donald Trump. So for him to sit in Mar-a-Lago honoring John Eastman, one of the architects of January 6th, someone with a legal education who failed to honor his obligation to uphold the Constitution, that speaks volumes about where Donald Trump is as he embarks on this second presidency," Vance said.