MSNBC’s Mehdi Hasan worried Thursday that former President Donald Trump could pose a flight risk as the trial dates for his various indictments approach.
A grand jury indicted Trump late Monday night for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Eighteen others, including Trump allies Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Jeffrey Clark and Kenneth Chesebro were indicted alongside the former president.
“He’s afraid of the law,” Hasan told “Morning Joe” host Joe Scarborough, referring to the former president. “I genuinely think we need to start having a discussion about whether this guy is a flight risk. And I don’t say that lightly.” (RELATED: Here Are The Other Crimes Donald Trump Should Be Charged With)
“I would never have said that even six months ago, but the closer we get to trials … the more serious it becomes, looking at how hardcore these indictments are from [special counsel Jack] Smith and [Fulton County District Attorney Fani] Willis, looking at the risk Trump is in — I don’t know if you saw him ‘joking’ … with his followers the other day, ‘I wish I was in France right now, not in America.’ You know, nothing is off the table with this guy. So I genuinely think we’ve got to talk about, ‘What is his exit strategy apart from plea? Does he have anything else he might want to do?'”
Trump was charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Impersonating a Public Officer, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings, Conspiracy To Commit Filing False Documents, Conspiracy To Commit Forgery in the First Degree, Conspiracy To Commit False Statements and Writings, Filing False Documents, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, and False Statements and Writings, according to the indictment.
Trump has also been indicted on charges relating to classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago, for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election at the federal level and for falsifying business records.