Tom Boggioni
September 20, 2021

'A set-up for an insanity defense?': CNN panel baffled by Trump's latest move in Georgia
Donald Trump in the White House. (vasilis asvestas / Shutterstock.com)



Discussing a written demand from Donald Trump to the state of Georgia to decertify the 2020 presidential election results delivered late Friday, a CNN panel on Monday morning said they were baffled that the former president would pull such a stunt while under investigation for election tampering in the state.

Sitting in with "New Day" hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar, the New York Times' Maggie Haberman and CNN's John Berman tried to wrap their heads around the letter -- expressing surprise that he would put in in writing.


With host Berman quoting the former president's request that stated, "I would respectfully request your department check this and start the process of decertifying the election or whatever the correct legal remedy is, and announce the true winner if true," he asked Haberman what she found interesting about it.

'That it's on paper," she immediately replied. " That's the most interesting thing. Seriously. This is something Donald Trump has been saying for a while. It has been a slow escalation. [MyPillow CEO] Mike Lindell said he would be reinstated in August. Trump was murmuring that and trying to get others to say that out loud when that passed us by, August is over, he focused on decertification in a handful of states in which are not actually audits. They are investigations of some kind that aren't legally binding. Now he's putting this down on paper."


"I spoke to some of his folks over the weekend and the response is this is really, really about boosting his base and he's targeting [Georgia Secretary of State Brad] Raffensperger -- he wants the election to be undone," she continued. "It is not the same as when he was in office and pressuring the secretary of state to do that. Still it's jarring. There are people who believe it, his followers are not going to understand that he might not believe it."

"There are a coupleof big differences," Avlon interjected. "First of all, he is under investigation for election interference. He is continuing to ask for the election to be decertified, trying to interfere with the election. Is this a setup for insanity defense? He is no longer president of the United States, he is not shielded -- not that he ever thinks about whether he is making his lawyer's case more difficult, but he is making it doubly difficult."

"There is a real threat," he added. "I think it increases why there needs to be legal accountability. It's clear he doesn't care. He does not believe he will ever be held accountable and, until someone shows him he's wrong, he will continue."

Tom Boggioni
September 20, 2021

'A set-up for an insanity defense?': CNN panel baffled by Trump's latest move in Georgia
Donald Trump in the White House. (Vasilis asbestos / Shutterstock.com)



Discussing a written demand from Donald Trump to the state of Georgia to decertify the 2020 presidential election results delivered late Friday, a CNN panel on Monday morning said they were baffled that the former president would pull such a stunt while under investigation for election tampering in the state.

Sitting in with "New Day" hosts John Berman and Brianna Keilar, the New York Times's Maggie Haberman and CNN's John Berman tried to wrap their heads around the letter -- expressing surprise that he would put in in writing.


With host Berman quoting the former president's request that stated, "I would respectfully request your department check this and start the process of decertifying the election or whatever the correct legal remedy is, and announce the true winner if true," he asked Haberman what she found interesting about it.

'That it's on paper," she immediately replied. " That's the most interesting thing. Seriously. This is something Donald Trump has been saying for a while. It has been a slow escalation. [MyPillow CEO] Mike Lindell said he would be reinstated in August. Trump was murmuring that and trying to get others to say that out loud when that passed us by, August is over, he focused on decertification in a handful of states in which are not audits. They are investigations of some kind that aren't legally binding. Now he's putting this down on paper."


"I spoke to some of his folks over the weekend and the response is this is really, really about boosting his base and he's targeting [Georgia Secretary of State Brad] Raffensperger -- he wants the election to be undone," she continued. "It is not the same as when he was in office and pressuring the secretary of state to do that. Still, it's jarring. Some people believe it, his followers are not going to understand that he might not believe it."

"There are a couple of big differences," Avlon interjected. "First of all, he is under investigation for election interference. He is continuing to ask for the election to be decertified, trying to interfere with the election. Is this a setup for an insanity defense? He is no longer president of the United States, he is not shielded -- not that he ever thinks about whether he is making his lawyer's case more difficult, but he is making it doubly difficult."

"There is a real threat," he added. "I think it increases why there needs to be legal accountability. He doesn't care. He does not believe he will ever be held accountable and, until someone shows him he's wrong, he will continue."