Congressman Tells Trump And His Attorney 'A Technical Violation Of The Constitution Is A Violation Of The Constitution'

Former President Donald Trump was indicted for a third time, with charges related to the 2020 presidential election that he lost.

Trump’s attorney John Lauro recently shared his views with several media outlets about the charges Trump faces. A member of Congress and former constitutional law professor offers a differing view from Trump’s lawyer.

What Happened: Jamie Raskin (D-MD) has served as a U.S. Representative since 2017 and has often been critical of Trump and the Republican party. 

In an interview on “Meet the Press,” Raskin was asked to share his legal take on comments made by Trump lawyer John Lauro, who also appeared on the show.

“A technical violation of the Constitution is not a violation of criminal law. That’s just plain wrong,” Lauro said in a clip that was shown to Raskin.

Raskin shared his opposition to this notion and his interpretation of the Constitution.

“Well, first of all, a technical violation of the Constitution is a violation of the Constitution. The Constitution, in six different places, opposes insurrection and makes that a grievous constitutional offense,” Raskin told host Chuck Todd.

Raskin said the Constitution is designed to “stop people from trying to overthrow elections and trying to overthrow the government.”

“He conspired to defraud the American people out of our right to an honest election by substituting the real, legal process we have under federal and state law with counterfeit electors,” Raskin added on Trump.

The Congressman said Trump “tried to steal the entire election” and his lawyers are now trying to say that what the former president did was an expression of his First Amendment rights.

“That’s deranged. That is a deranged argument.”

Raskin said that Trump was able to fight off an impeachment trial over incitement of insurrection, but it’s important to note that it was a 57-43 vote of guilty, which was the widest bipartisan vote in American history “to convict a president.”

“He beat the constitutional spread in his way. But I think that he’s met his match now in a special counsel who is holding him to the letter of the criminal law.”

In an analogy, Raskin said that even if Trump believed what his lawyer was trying to convey, it doesn’t mean he can say and do what he did related to the 2020 election.

“You might believe that your bank owes you some money. You don’t have a right to go rob the bank.”

Related Link: Key Court Dates For Donald Trump Before The 2024 Election 

Why It’s Important: Lauro stood behind First Amendment rights while defending Trump earlier in the “Meet the Press” programming.

“The defense is quite simple. President Trump believed in his heart of hearts that he had won that election. And as any American citizen, he had a right to speak out under the First Amendment,” Lauro said.

Lauro said the government and the Biden administration have attacked the First Amendment and they want to prove that Trump did not believe he had won the election.

“They will never be able to do that. And that’s why this prosecution is so ill-conceived.”

Raskin served on the Jan. 6 Committee and is the former lead impeachment manager.

Before serving in Congress, Raskin was a law professor. Raskin holds a JD degree from Harvard Law School.

Raskin previously said he would run for re-election as a Representative in the 2024 election, choosing not to run for an open U.S. Senate seat for his state.

“Nothing matters to me more in the 2024 cycle than winning a blowout victory for the party of democracy and freedom,” Raskin previously said.

Raskin added that it was important for him to fight for the “common good of the people.”

“Meantime, Donald Trump and the dangerous forces of authoritarianism he commands have no declared policy agenda other than exacting revenge against his enemies. Trump and his cult followers must be stopped in their political tracks.”

Read Next: Jamie Raskin Alleges GOP Oversight Chair May Have Been Compromised In A Really Serious Way 

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