Jack Smith is digging into Trump's bizarre post-election Oval Office meeting: report
"Will be investigated!: Feds probe meeting that spawned Trump's 'will be wild!' tweet "Where Is the Freakout Over the Assassination Attempt on Barack Obama?" "
Related: This reads like the Rude Pundit, but the curse words are missing. Still, I had to keep checking. Bonus episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency [...]Herschmann ignored Flynn at first and continued to probe Powell's pitch with questions about the underlying evidence. "All you do is promise, but never deliver," he said to her sharply. P - Flynn was ranting, seemingly infuriated about anyone challenging Powell, who had represented him in his recent legal battles. P - Finally Herschmann had enough. "Why the fuck do you keep standing up and screaming at me?" he shot back at Flynn. "If you want to come over here, come over here. If not, sit your ass down." Flynn sat back down. P - The meeting had come entirely off the rails. P - Byrne, backing up Flynn, told Trump the White House lawyers didn't care about him and were being obstructive. "Sir, we're both entrepreneurs, and we both built businesses," the former Overstock CEO told Trump. "We know that there are times you have to be creative and take different steps." https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=161447024 .. and .. The fight for democracy and democratic values holds it's head high. Th 2020 rejection of Donald Trump... [...] "Trump’s Next Coup Has Already Begun https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=171344479
Special counsel questioned witnesses about the Trump Oval Office meeting featuring Sidney Powell and Patrick Byrne
By Tatyana Tandanpolie News Fellow Published July 7, 2023 12:50PM (EDT)
Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell and John Eastman (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)
Investigators have questioned witnesses before the grand jury and during interviews about the meeting, which occurred six weeks after Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, multiple sources told CNN .. https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/06/politics/oval-office-meeting-trump-special-counsel-probe . Some witnesses were initially asked about the meeting several months ago. Others, like Rudy Giuliani, were questioned about the meeting more recently. Giuliani, in particular, conferred with investigators for two days last month in a voluntary interview about an array of topics, including the December 18, 2020 meeting he attended, CNN's sources said.
Prosecutors, the sources added, have specifically taken interest in three external Trump advisors who were present at the meeting: former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, ex-Overstock CEO Patrick Byrne and former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Giuliani's lawyer, a lawyer for Powell and a lawyer for Byrne declined CNN's request for comment.
Both Powell and Byrne spoke extensively under oath with the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 insurrection. Flynn, however, declined to answer the committee's questions citing the Fifth Amendment.
"The special counsel's sustained interest in the chaotic episode comes as Smith's team appears to be nearing charging decisions in the investigation into efforts to overturn the election results," CNN reports. "Investigators are still gathering evidence, reaching out to several new witnesses in recent weeks and working to schedule interviews."
December 14 is of special interest to prosecutors.
The tense December 2020 Oval Office meeting descended into chaos as Trump's outside advisors went toe-to-toe with top West Wing lawyers in a heated debate about a plan to have the military seize voting machines in the key states Trump had lost in the election. The meeting attendees also considered naming Powell as special counsel to investigate alleged voter fraud, as well as Trump invoking martial law in an effort to subvert the election results. Attendees shouted and hurled insults, and Trump capped off the night by tweeting that an upcoming protest of the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. "will be wild."
The special counsel prosecutor's list of witnesses questioned about the meeting includes former national security advisor Robert O'Brien, who — according to a transcript of his deposition released by the panel — told the House select committee that he joined the December meeting by phone after it had devolved.
"The consistent emphasis on the December 18 Oval Office meeting appears to overlap with the special counsel's broader effort to hone in on the actions of several Trump lawyers and allies during the period from December 14, 2020, to January 6, 2021," CNN said.
December 14 is of special interest to prosecutors, sources told the outlet. That date is marked by a host of alternate Republican electors in seven battleground states falsely certifying that Trump had won the election, and a meeting of Electoral College members in every state to officially cast their ballots, ultimately confirming Joe Biden as the winner with 306 electoral votes compared to Trump's 232.
The efforts to recruit unlawful electors, have them sign certificates falsely affirming Trump's win, and use them to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to stymie the certification of Biden's electoral college win on Jan. 6 have been a primary focus for investigators during the probe.
In recent weeks, at least one witness has told the special counsel's team that Trump allies ask Pence to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Biden's electors in the seven battleground states over supposed widespread voter fraud, and turn over the decision of certification to the states themselves, one source told CNN.
Tatyana Tandanpolie is a news fellow at Salon. Born and raised in central Ohio, she moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue degrees in Journalism and Africana Studies at New York University. She is currently based in her home state and has previously written for local Columbus publications, including Columbus Monthly, CityScene Magazine and The Columbus Dispatch.
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