Feb 2, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Raskin on Trump's election claims: He "said the criminal part out loud"

Rebecca Falconer

Combination images of Rep. Jamie Raskin and former President Trump. — Rep. Jamie Raskin and former President Trump. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Former President Trump "said the criminal part out loud" when he claimed in a statement this week that Mike Pence "could have overturned the election," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told CBS News Tuesday.

Details: "That makes it very clear what he was up to, but on the other hand, Donald Trump has been trying to sandbag and obstruct us by getting his greatest intimates in his entourage — like Roger Stone and Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows — not to testify," said Raskin, who's a member of the House panel investigating the Capitol riot.

The big picture: Raskin made the comments to CBS' Scott MacFarlane ahead of former White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump's expected call for an interview with the panel later this week.

Trump's elder daughter has been asked to cooperate in the House investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, and the panel has said it has "firsthand testimony" that she asked her father to stop the violence.
"If the president doesn't have an executive privilege claim, certainly, the daughter of the former president doesn't have an executive privilege claim," said Raskin of Trump, who's had such claims rejected by the Supreme Court.

Flashback: Trump had pressured Pence to overturn the 2020 presidential election results as part of his attempt to subvert President Biden's win.

Pence, whose team has been cooperating with the Jan. 6 panel, has noted he lacked the constitutional authority to do so.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Mark Meadows sues Pelosi, Jan. 6 committee

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Raskin on Trump's election claims: He "said the criminal part out loud"

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