CNN anchor Dana Bash struggled to contain her laughter as John Lauro, an attorney representing former Republican President Donald Trump, asserted that there was a "peaceful transfer of power" following the 2020 election.
Lauro issued his remarks after Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump in connection with his widespread efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.
Trump faces four felony counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The indictment further accuses him of attempting to exploit the events of January 6—the day a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol on the false premise the election had been stolen—to further his quest to maintain power.
But Lauro vehemently denied allegations that Trump knowingly spread falsehoods about a stolen election and argued that the former president's efforts to pressure election officials were exercises of his right to "free speech," much to Bash's incredulity.
You can watch their interaction in the video below.
Lauro said:
“Those scenarios were presented to Vice President Pence. He considered them, and, as a constitutional matter, he rejected them."
“One of the last and the ultimate requests that Trump made was to pause the voting for 10 days.”
“And Mr. Pence rejected that as well. After that, there was a peaceful transition of power."
The aftermath of the Capitol riot necessitated unprecedented security measures in the city, including the presence of 25,000 National Guard members during Democratic President Joe Biden's inauguration, the erection of a 7-foot fence around the Capitol and the closure of the National Mall to the public.
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia reported over $2.7 million in damages resulting from the attack, with resulted in at least five deaths.
It was anything but peaceful.
Bash could not control her laughter Lauro described the violent event surrounding the certification of President Joe Biden's victory as "certainly peaceful."
At one point during the interview, Lauro contended that Trump's attempts to influence election officials were merely "aspirational" and fell within the bounds of free speech.
He stated:
"Asking is aspirational. Asking is not action. It's core free speech."
Lauro was swiftly called out for his remarks by social media users who reshared images of the attack.
Others criticized him directly.
Lauro has asserted all week that Trump is being charged for exercising his right to "free speech" after he was indicted in connection with his widespread efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.
Meanwhile, Trump currently faces 78 criminal counts across three criminal cases.
His indictment on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election came after he was indicted for stealing classified documents from the White House. He has also been charged with campaign finance violations in the state of New York in connection with a hush money payment he made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social
@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social