Former federal prosecutor: Trump admitted to '2nd degree murder' in Woodward interview
Former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner thinks President Trump's coronavirus admissions should land him in prison.
In a Thursday appearance on SiriusXM's The Dean Obeidallah Show, the MSNBC legal analyst gave an incredibly harsh assessment of Trump's interviews with veteran reporter Bob Woodward. Trump's insistence in March that he wanted to "play down" the coronavirus threat despite knowing its deadliness "upped his own criminal ante to second-degree murder," Kirschner said, breaking down the pieces of the alleged charge step by step.
"There are only two elements for second-degree murder. The first is you caused the death of another," Kirschner said Thursday. That factor was fulfilled because Trump "was lying to the American people about the danger this virus posed," and now 190,000 people are dead, Kirschner said. "The second element is the intent element," which would "get tricky if we didn't have Trump's incriminating admissions," he continued. But "in my opinion as a career prosecutor," Trump admitted to "conscious disregard" of the risk his coronavirus downplay created, thus admitting to "second-degree murder" that he "must be held accountable" for, Kirschner finished. Kathryn Krawczyk
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
Inside Siberia's 'megaslump' – and why it is getting bigger
Under The Radar The 'eerie sinkhole' is rapidly expanding and climate change is the reason why
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Is the death penalty racist? Of course it is.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 8, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - social media guilt, gag orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
'Is the death penalty racist? Of course it is.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump's partly stormy day in court
Speed Read Porn actress Stormy Daniels testified in graphic detail about her 2006 encounter with the former president
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The Don's enablers
Opinion Even Republicans who know better won't get in Trump's way
By William Falk Published
-
'Climate studies are increasingly becoming politicized'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Panama presidency won by stand-in for fugitive
Speed Read José Raúl Mulino was the stand-in candidate for disqualified former president Ricardo Martinelli
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What would it be like in jail for Trump if he's convicted?
Today's Big Question The Secret Service has begun grappling with how to protect a former president behind bars
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'A financial windfall for Iranian terrorism'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published