Trump obfuscated his way through a new interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier.
Fox released a preview clip of anchor Baier’s interview with Trump, his first sit down since he was indicted last week on federal charges for withholding classified documents.
It was NOT the Trump-ass-kiss-a-thon you’ve come to expect from the propaganda network.
Baier: “Why did you have this very sensitive national security defense documents, like the war plans for a strike on Iran?”
Trump: “So like every other president, I take things out, and in my case I took it out pretty much in a hurry but people packed it up and we left. I had clothing in there. I had all sorts of personal items, and they are much, much stuff…”
Trump then tries to talk about ballot box stuffing.
Baier: “You lost the 2020 election.
…there were recounts in all of the swing states. There was not significant widespread fraud.
Trump: “We were trying to get recounts, real recounts.”
Baier: There were investigations of widespread corruption. There was not a sense of that. There were lawsuits, 50 of them, by your lawyers, some in front of judges, judges that you appointed, that came up with no evidence.”
Trump: “Wisconsin practically admitted that it was rigged.”
Baier cited that fewer than 475 cases of voter fraud were found in six battleground states.
Trump: “You know why? They were not looking at the right things. They were counting ballots, not the authenticity of the ballots.”
Baier: “Are you going to go tell this to that independent suburban voter?”
Baier also busts Trump for hiring “the best people”…
WOW! Fox News host Brett Baier just destroyed Donald Trump to his face during an interview.
— Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) June 19, 2023
He called Trump out on his lie that he “hires the best people” by listing former employees who now oppose Trump 👇pic.twitter.com/haToqVlFOc
Trump then offered yet another explanation for why he didn’t just return the classified material; he was “very busy”.
Baier said that the National Archives and Records Administration had asked for the return of the documents.
Trump: “…and I gave them some.”
Baier: “And then they said they went to DOJ to subpoena you to get it.”
Trump: “Which they’ve never done before.”
Baier: “Why not just hand them over then?”
Trump: “Because I had boxes. I want to go through the boxes and get all my personal things out. I don’t want to hand that over to NARA yet. And I was very busy as you have sort of seen.”
Baier: “Yeah, but according to the indictment, you then tell this aide to move to other locations after telling your lawyers to say you’d fully complied with the subpoena when you hadn’t.”
Trump: “Before I send boxes over, I have to take all my things out. These boxes were interspersed with all sorts of things.”
During the interview, Trump’s first with Baier since ’18. Fox also ran clips from ’16, where Trump talks about how important it is to protect classified information.
Btw, this “hard-hitting” interview comes after Fox settled their defamation lawsuit, brought by Dominion Voting Systems, for $787.5 million. Dominion sued because Fox personalities and Trump allies amplified claims that the election systems company was involved in rigging the 2020 election.
The first part of the interview will air on Fox News’ Special Report at 6PM ET on Monday, and part 2 the following evening.
Yeah, I won’t be tuning in… this clip is plenty.
Watch.
I will never thank Bret Baier, Chris Christie, or Bill Barr for anything. Just like Mike Pence shouldn’t be held up as some kind of hero for doing his ceremonial duty. All of these people helped Trump commit these crimes by their blind loyalty and unapologetic enabling of him. NO
— Dark Cat 🐈⬛ (@penelope_jcw) June 19, 2023
(Photo, screen grab, Fox News; via Deadline)
