Trump says it was 鈥榤y decision鈥� to try to overturn 2020 election results
'It was my decision, but I listened to some people,' Trump told NBC鈥檚 'Meet the Press'
'It was my decision, but I listened to some people,' Trump told NBC鈥檚 'Meet the Press'
'It was my decision, but I listened to some people,' Trump told NBC鈥檚 'Meet the Press'
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Former President Donald Trump said that he received counsel from numerous people shortly after the 2020 election but that it was his decision to push the false claim he won the presidency and try to overturn the results.
鈥淚t was my decision, but I listened to some people,鈥� Trump told NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� in an interview that aired Sunday.
Trump has been indicted over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases and denied any wrongdoing.
A central premise of special counsel Jack Smith鈥檚 case, according to of the former president, is that Trump knew the election claims he was making were false after being told by close aides that he had lost but disseminated them anyway to make them appear legitimate 鈥� all in service of an alleged criminal conspiracy.
鈥淚 was listening to different people, and when I added it all up, the election was rigged,鈥� Trump told Kristen Welker in the interview, again pushing the false claim as he seeks the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
鈥淵ou know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened,鈥� Trump said.
The former president said he didn鈥檛 listen to his attorneys, who told him he lost the election, because he didn鈥檛 respect them.
鈥淵ou hire them, you鈥檝e never met these people, you get a recommendation, they turn out to be RINOs (Republicans in name only), or they turn out to be not so good. In many cases, I didn鈥檛 respect them,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淏ut I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.鈥�
Following his election loss, Trump tried multiple avenues to overturn the election results. He pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and another official to 鈥渞ecalculate鈥� the numbers and 鈥渇ind鈥� enough votes to let him win.
Trump鈥檚 campaign also tried to install fake GOP electors in seven swing states.
The House select committee that investigated Trump鈥檚 actions in the lead-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection argued that the evidence shows he actively worked to 鈥渢ransmit false Electoral College ballots to Congress and the National Archives鈥� despite concerns among his lawyers that doing so could be unlawful.
鈥淭hat evidence has led to an overriding and straightforward conclusion: the central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, whom many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him,鈥� the committee鈥檚 final report states.
Smith鈥檚 federal election interference investigation is one of four criminal cases against the former president. Trump is facing four charges in Smith鈥檚 case, including obstruction of an official proceeding and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Trump was also charged in a sweeping Georgia indictment accusing him of being the head of a 鈥渃riminal enterprise鈥� to overturn the 2020 election.