Rachel Maddow again floats idea Trump could give up presidential run in plea deal
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow suggests Trump could give up his candidacy in exchange for leniency on his classified documents charges.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow is continuing to float that former President Donald Trump could avoid prison time in his federal classified documents case by dropping his 2024 presidential candidacy.
Maddow said Wednesday that while she did not know what the "odds are" of Trump serving a sentence after his indictment on mishandling of classified materials, she would guess "he would do anything" to avoid the possibility. Some Trump allies have said Maddow's remarks demonstrate a possible political angle to his prosecution.
"What would Donald Trump do to avoid jail time? I literally suppose that he would do anything," she told MSNBC's Joy Reid, mocking his hypothetical defense in court.
RACHEL MADDOW SUGGESTS DOJ COULD DO QUID PRO QUO WITH TRUMP, DROP CHARGES IF HE LEAVES 2024 RACE
MSNBC hosts Joy Reid and Rachel Maddow. (MSNBC / Screenshot)
"So how else can you avoid jail time?" Maddow continued.
"Well, you can plea in exchange for lenience," she said, noting the example of Richard Nixon's former Vice President Spiro Agnew, who quit the office in 1973 amid his own criminal charges. His resignation was part of a deal with the DOJ as he pleaded "nolo contendre" to a tax evasion charge and avoided imprisonment.
"In order to keep Agnew out, they traded him essentially jail time for his resignation," Maddow said.
"I’m not saying that’s what the DOJ should agree to," Maddow clarified on the possibility of Trump exiting the 2024 presidential race. "I’m not saying that’s what Trump should try for, or his defense should offer it. I’m not even saying it would be good or bad for the country. I’m just saying, the one other time we’ve dealt with this as a country, that’s how we did it."
Trump spokeswoman Liz Harrington told Fox News Digital that Maddow's comments were that of "Radical Left Lunatics" who are afraid of Trump being elected again.
"They are terrified of the people putting President Trump back in the White House. These latest authoritarian tactics are a desperate attempt to interfere in the 2024 election because they know they cannot win fair and square at the ballot box," she said.
This is not the first time that Maddow has suggested Trump bow out of the 2024 race to avoid jail time as a result of his indictment.
Maddow said last week a plea deal for Trump would be a "political solution to this criminal problem" while on MSNBC’s "The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell."
"You have to wonder if the Justice Department is considering whether there is some political solution to this criminal problem," Maddow said. "Whether part of the issue here is not just that Trump has committed crimes, but that Trump has committed crimes and plans on being back in the White House."
"I've seen a lot of allegations against President Biden by MAGA Republicans, but the truth is they've amounted to nothing. … I don't think they have a lot of credibility," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said when aksed about the alleged Biden bribery scheme. (Al Drago)
Democrats argue that Trump’s indictment is not political.
"I've seen a lot of allegations against President Biden by MAGA Republicans, but the truth is they've amounted to nothing… I don't think they have a lot of credibility," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said when asked about the alleged Biden bribery scheme.
"But, look, they can knock themselves out," Swalwell added.
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Trump's former Attorney General Bill Barr has called the indictment against Trump "very damning." The former president has denied any wrongdoing and said the case is a political witch hunt from the Biden administration.
Fox News’ Gabriel Hays, David Rutz, Elizabeth Elkind and Matteo Cina contributed to this report.
This article was updated with a response from a Trump spokesperson.
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