Legal expert: Trump lawyer just confirmed “an element of the crime” outside of courthouse

A lawyer for former President Donald Trump, Alina Habba, told reporters Thursday that “everybody was made aware” he lost the 2020 election — a key part of the case against him, which may hinge on prosecutors’ ability to show that Trump sought to overturn the election even though he knew he had lost. Trump’s legal and political advisers repeatedly told him he had lost the election but he continued to push forward anyway.

“But that doesn’t mean that was the only advice he was given,” Habba told reporters outside the D.C. courthouse where Trump was arraigned. “As anybody understands what happens in the Oval Office, there are a numerous amount of advisers and politicians and lawyers – not just one or two – that are giving you advice and telling you what they believe is true. So, he may not agree with Mike Pence. He may not agree with one of his lawyers. But that doesn’t mean that there weren’t other people advising him exactly the opposite. And the president has a right as every one of us do, to listen to several opinions and make their decision.” Former senior FBI agent Peter Strzok pointed out that Habba had effectively echoed the very “allegation” against Trump. “Thank you for confirming an element of the crime,” quipped national security attorney Bradley Moss.