Andrew Weissmann, a previous FBI lawyer, claimed on Tuesday that an enlightening interview by CNN with a former White House staff member regarding Donald Trump’s deliberate mishandling of classified documents is a significant criticism of our legal system.
Weissmann conveyed to MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace, “My response to all of this is it’s a significant criticism of our judicial system.”
“We’re all paying attention to this. It’s captivating. That’s the essence of a trial,” Weissmann added. “Donald Trump should have the opportunity to confront all of this in court, but the public should not only hear from Mr. Butler but from everyone.”
Weissmann censured the Supreme Court for needlessly delaying the DC case. The highest court is waiting until April 25 to listen to Trump’s argument that U.S. presidents are immune from criminal liability in his attempt to avoid trial for charges related to inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
He also criticized Florida Judge Aileen Cannon for her pro-Trump rulings in the former president’s Espionage Act case, sparking a bipartisan effort for her to step down. “Don’t get me started,” Weissmann commented on the judge, who was appointed by Trump in November 2020. “She clearly is not fit to preside over this trial. And that is why you have [Butler] speaking [to the press]. In some ways, I say, thank goodness he’s speaking.”.
He highlighted that typically a prosecutor would not want a witness to discuss the case before the trial. “In this instance, my response is, this is the only way the public will learn about it. And that’s truly unfair. The public deserves a speedy trial to hear the evidence.”
Weissmann added that Butler appears very credible, and that the public deserves to know the entire story.
He emphasized, “It really illustrates what the judicial system is doing and how it’s evading accountability. Therefore, the media serves as a platform where we can somewhat scrutinize what happened, but it’s insufficient. That’s not the way things are decided in the United States: when there’s a dispute, we have trials.”
He further stated, “It really depicts what the judicial system is doing and avoiding accountability. So, this [the media is the] platform where we can have some elucidation of what happened, but it’s not really adequate. That’s not the method by which we make decisions in the United States: when there's a dispute, we have trials.”
Watch Weissmann’s remarks in the video above.
