Criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala sparked a heated discussion Thursday night, reminding former Republican Rep. Joe Walsh of Illinois that Democrats targeted former President Donald Trump with multiple legal investigations.
President Joe Biden recently awarded former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming the Presidential Citizens’ Medal for her role in the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Walsh suggested Biden should pardon Cheney to “protect” her from the incoming Trump administration, leading Aidala to highlight how the Biden administration had pursued Trump.
“Joe Biden should try to pardon as many people as possible to protect from a guy who said, ‘I want to be an authoritarian,’” Walsh said. Aidala responded, “I know, but, congressman, the Democratic administration just went after Trump and his whole family. His whole family.”
Walsh pushed back, prompting CNN host Abby Phillip to ask, “Hang on. What do you mean, the Democratic administration? What are you talking about?”
When panelist Cari Champion asked who had “gone after” Trump, the panel laughed.
“Last I looked, Joe Biden is a Democrat. Last I looked, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, is a Democrat,” Aidala explained. “They hired a special prosecutor who went after him in several jurisdictions. The Democratic Manhattan D.A. went after him. The Democratic attorney general of the state of New York went after him.”
Trump has faced numerous legal battles, including efforts to disqualify him from the presidential ballot, a criminal trial in Manhattan where he was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on May 30, and indictments by special counsel Jack Smith regarding classified documents and his actions surrounding the 2020 presidential election. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis also secured an indictment against Trump for contesting Georgia’s 2020 election results.
“The Democrats went after Donald Trump and his entire family,” Aidala reiterated, prompting former Hillary Clinton campaign aide Amanda Litman to respond, “It was not President Joe Biden saying, ‘I’m going to put Donald Trump…’”
“It’s his administration. It’s his administration. And it’s his entire family,” Aidala countered. “Ivanka had to testify. Donald Jr. had to testify. Eric had to testify.”
