Former FBI Director James Comey suggested Wednesday that there is an “overwhelming chance” that former President Trump will be convicted in his secret trial that ended in New York City this week.
“There is an overwhelming chance of conviction, a significant but much smaller chance of a hung jury, and no chance of acquittal,” Comey said in a statement. NewsNation interview with Dan Abrams on Wednesday.
Trump is accused of falsifying business documents in an effort to cover up payments made in the weeks before the 2016 election to silence an adult film star over an alleged past affair. The prosecution closed the case on Monday and the former president’s lawyers did not present a defense.
The jury will begin deliberations next week after closing statements.
Prosecutors argued, based on testimony from Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, that the former president knowingly falsified paperwork to hide hush money payments and prevent the scandal from hurting his electoral chances.
Comey also walked back his previous recommendation that President Biden pardon Trump. He said Wednesday that the unprecedented prosecution of the former president is justified given the other criminal charges Trump faces in connection with his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and claims he purposely hid confidential documents after leaving the White House. .
The former FBI director, whom Trump fired from his position in 2017, also said he intends to vote for Biden in November.
“This election is a moment for people to realize that our political disagreements… fall short of something we should all have in common – a commitment to the rule of law,” he said. “I’m going to vote for Joe Biden because I know what’s at stake.”
He also criticized the former president in an interview Tuesday with MSNBC, saying Trump “is coming” to the Justice Department.
“He knows their power, and I think he regrets not working hard enough to corrupt them last time. So he’s coming after them, and that’s a danger to all Americans,” Comey said.
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