Richard Arnold: US correspondent on updates for Trump's January 6 indictment

Federal Prosecutor Jack Smith laid out his most extensive case to date against former President Donald Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election in a legal brief that was unsealed Wednesday.

A new report, which lands weeks before the US presidential-election, brings new information about Trump’s attempt to lean on state officials and paint a narrative of widespread fraud that prosecutors say Trump knew were false.

US correspondent Richard Arnold says the outcome of the election will decide the fate of Trump's case.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold, US correspondent with US Morning. Richard. Hey there, Heather, Okay,
what do you make of the Trump the new filing
and the Trump jan sixth stuff. Well, there's a lot
in it. We're talking one hundred and sixty five pages
that have just been put out by the prosecutor Jack Smith.
You know, they say the wills have justice did slowly.
It is almost three years since the capital riots of
January the sixth, So here we are just over what

(00:21):
four weeks from the twenty four elections. If Trump wins
this thing, he will no doubt end the criminal case
against him. If he loses, this will go after court.
But none of it happens before the presidential election. So
much for the justice system. It is a race what
prosecutors should do, especially after the conservative dominated Supreme Court
intervened and ruled that a president cannot be criminally charged
over official acts. Were Trump's actions on that day of

(00:45):
the riot? Official? Well, no argues that the prosecutor much
of what Trump did then could never be called official.
Smith has just issued this lengthy document making that argument,
and he includes some new details about what happened on
the day. He says when Trump was told that the
capital had been breached and his Vice president, Mike Pence
was in danger for his life. He said, quote so what.

(01:08):
The attackers who were threatening Pencer's life came to within
fifteen meters of the VP. At another point, Trump was
heard telling his daughter and son in law, quote, it
doesn't matter if you won or lost the election, you
still have the You have to fight like hell. That's
what he also told the crowd.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
We fight, We fight like hell, and if you don't
fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
Well, five people died. Many were injured on that day,
including one hundred and seventy four police officers. Now, Trump
says he's going to pardon those who were found guilty
of crimes. How would they decide who gets out of jail?
Trump says he Donald would be the one who decides it,
makes the call. Four officers who responded to the attack
took their own lives. Within seven months of the events,

(01:51):
property damage caused by the attackers succeeded four point three
million New Zealand. This comes as the Kamala Harris campaign
has just released a campaign ad using a clip from
the Vance Walls to bate this week, this ad.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
It's really rich for democratic leaders to say that Donald
Trump is a unique threat to democracy when he peacefully
to give over power. He is still saying he didn't
lose the election. How would just say to that, did
he lose the twenty twenty election, seam, I'm focused on
the future. That is a damning non answer.

Speaker 1 (02:22):
Well, former Republican Leadership member Liz Cheney is off campaigning
with Kamala Harrison Wisconsin today, So that's how the will turns.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Well.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
Milania Trump has a memoir coming out later this week
where she defends abortion rights, so in sharp contrast to
her husband.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
Without a doubt, there is no room for compromise when
it comes to this essential right.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
So Trump and the former First Lady split over one
of the most significant campaign issues.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
Richard. We now officially can say that Hurricane Helena is
worse than Katrina.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Can't be based on the death toll. Well, it's getting
up there. They're comparing it to Katrina, probably a second
on the list because Katrino was just so, so, so devastating.
But the death toll from Hurricane Helene keeps going up.
It's now more than two hundred people dead from the
floods caused by the storm this week. Scores of people

(03:12):
still are missing. A local mayor says they expect the
numbers to keep rising. Roads and communications out. President Biden
took a survey by air of the damage in North
Carolina and says the recovery cost will be into the billions.
No one as yet has realistic numbers on any of this.
Biden and Harris are visiting storm effected spots in Georgi Orham,

(03:33):
and Biden also is heading to Florida today. You know,
the Dixon family say they were among many who were
caught by surprise when the creek behind their North Carolina
home became a raging torrent before they knew it, and
the homeowner's father was swept away to his death. Another
man says his wife still is among the missing.

Speaker 2 (03:49):
He looked outside and there was a thirty foot tall
wall of water and rocks and tree debris just coming
at us, and it just knocked out straight down with
all of us in it, and we all got washed
stone river. I crawled around, screaming looking for it, and
I just couldn't find it.

Speaker 1 (04:04):
You know. Biden has sent in a thousand active duty
troops to help well. Jose Andres also is on scene.
He is remarkable. He is the chef who in recent
times turned into a one man led relief agency. He
had food set up in Poland Euricor for fleeing Ukrainians.
He had food trucks that went into Gaza and Haiti
earlier on and now he says of the situation in

(04:25):
North Carolina.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Is hundreds, if not thousands, of roads, It's hundreds of
riches broken. It's the devastation is so huge.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
But you are creative, you don gifa. Yeah, this man
is amazing. Richard's good to talk to you. Enjoy your weekend.
Thanks so much, as Richard Arnold US correspondents. For more
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