‘Free Speech Doesn’t Give You the Right to Engage in a Fraudulent Conspiracy’
Trump charged with trying to interfere with the results of the 2020 election
Although Donald Trump and his defenders are calling the latest federal indictment of the former president an “attack on free speech,” that's the furthest thing from the truth, according to Trump's own attorney general.
Special counsel Jack Smith this week charged Trump with multiple criminal counts related to his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and try to prevent Democrat Joe Biden from lawfully becoming the next president of the United States.
Trump is set to appear Thursday in a Washington DC, courtroom, to enter a plea on these new charges.
While Trump's former attorney general, William “Bill” Barr often has defended his old boss, not necessarily so in this case.
And while Trump has a right to speech — even perhaps to lie to the American people — he has no legal rights to engage in a criminal conspiracy, Barr said.
“No, I really don’t think that’s a valid argument. You know, as the indictment says, they’re not attacking his First Amendment right. He can say whatever he wants. He can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better,” he said. “But that does not protect you from entering into a conspiracy. All conspiracies involve speech, and all fraud involves speech. So, you know, free speech doesn’t give you the right to engage in a fraudulent conspiracy.”
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