Former President Donald Trump said Sunday that he has “every right” to meddle in the 2020 election, despite two criminal charges related to the allegations hanging over him. Kamala Harris’ campaign charged on Monday that the comments were evidence that Trump believed he was “above the law.”
In an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday, Trump argued at length about the Justice Department and its treatment of him, accusing him of being targeted. Trump marveled that the criminal charges didn’t just boost his poll numbers because his supporters, he assumed, weren’t buying them in the first place.
“Who has heard of being accused of meddling in a presidential election, where you have every right to do so, you are accused and your poll numbers go up?” Trump said. “When people get prosecuted, your polls go down. But it was such, such nonsense.”
Last week, Trump was again criticized for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. He is accused of a multifaceted enterprise that included trying to disenfranchise voters in certain states and meddling with election results by claiming they were stolen, even though he knew the claims were false. According to authorities, Trump’s false claims were the catalyst for the January 6, 2021 violent attack on the US Capitol. He faces similar charges of election interference in Fulton County, Georgia.
On Monday, Harris campaign spokeswoman Sarafina Chitika apologized for Trump’s comments, claiming they were another example of the “chaos, fear and division” Americans have experienced under Trump.
“Everything Donald Trump has promised on the campaign trail — from ‘ending’ the Constitution to imprisoning his political opponents and vowing to rule as a dictator ‘on day one’ — makes it clear he believes he is above the law. Now Trump claims he had ‘every right’ to interfere in 2020 to the elections. He did not, Chitika said in a statement.
In July, the Supreme Court granted presidents expanded immunity from prosecution if their actions are related to official duties. Last week’s new indictment was drafted in a way that took the new conviction into account.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
