What does it reveal to you
about the status of special
counsel jack Smith's
investigation that dozens of
these mar-a-lago staffers have
now been subpoena?
>> It's progressing at due
course. It is leaving no stone unturned.
One of the issues with these
classified documents
investigation at mar-a-lago is
that so many people, and like a
normal residence where a
families living there, so many
people in this case potentially
had access to national security
protected information.
So many people would have
potentially, possibly seen what
happened with those documents,
whether they moved locations,
who had access to them and so
forth.
It really is the obligation of
the justice department to
conduct a robust investigation
in this case to find out who
knew what, whether these
documents were seen by people
that they should not have been
seen and what the potential
damage to national security is.
As well as who was responsible
for the mishandling.
>> Maggie Abrams is with us as
well.
Maggie, we know you've covered
the former president closely
for many years.
Based on what you know about
his actions at mar-a-lago, how
much information would resort
staff members like restaurant
servers, housekeepers, others
potentially have?
>> I think Carrie is right.
It's speaks to the nature of
having, as John Bolton put it
to my colleague once upon a
time, the first president
living a hotel.
Trump does a lot of things
sitting on the patio at
mar-a-lago.
He has things brought to him in
his office, which is well far
away from other parts of the
club.
We know that there was one
close aide to him who's working
with another aide to move
boxes.
That's what was caught on
security cameras.
I actually think it's not
surprising that they have cast
at this wider net.
As I understand it, the
majority of folks have already
testified.
I'm not sure there are many
more folks to come in.
I think that they are looking
at any possible scrap of
information because it is so
hard to build a 360-degree view
of trump at mar-a-lago.
>> Gloria Borger, do you think
the special counsel jack Smith
is sending a message here about
the lengths he is willing to go
to investigate?
>> First of, all he is doing
his job.
As my colleagues have said,
he's casting a wide net.
But he's also, to use another
cliché, tightening the screws
here.
Anybody who is in the trump
orbit knows that this is a man
who also is saying to a trump
attorney, you cannot claim
attorney client privilege.
That is something he is asking
a judge to say overrule this,
we've got to talk to Evan, this
attorney.
He is pursuing Donald Trump
with a lot of vigor here.
I think they are well aware of
it in trump world.
>> I suspect you are right.
Maggie, let me turn to another
development right now out of
the Manhattan district
attorney's office, Donald
Trump's former personal
assistant attorney, Michael
Cohen, spoke to don lemon on
CNN this morning following his
appearances before the grand
jury in New York.
Listen to this exchange.
>> Do you believe that
indictment is imminent?
>> I do.
>> Okay.
When do you think it can happen?
>> Sooner rather than later.
Let's hope it sooner rather
than later.
Everyone needs to be held
accountable, everyone needs to
be held to the same standard of
the law.
That includes former presidents.
>> Based on your reporting,
Maggie, how is the trump team
preparing for a potential
indictment in Manhattan?
>> It's interesting, wolf.
What Michael Cohen was saying
speaks to the heart of what you
are going to hear trump and his
allies, maybe not trump
specifically, but his allies
and closest folks say.
This is a quote unquote weak
case.
They don't know the evidence.
It's a smaller ball case
compared to the other
investigations trump is facing.
Michael Cohen's point is equal
justice under the law, I would
push back --
it's not really clear how
prepared they are legally for
this case and we don't yet know
what the charges will be, if
they come.
What they are preparing for
politically is an all out war
against the Manhattan district
attorney, Alvin Bragg.
They will try to make it as if
he is part of a broader, you
know, political conspiracy
within the democratic party
aligned with Joe Biden and it's
all about the 2024 election.
It's not clear what, if any,
data points they will look two
or point to to try to prove
this conspiracy.
But I think saying this over
and over again to his
supporters may have an effect
and I think they are planning
on getting a very aggressive,
which, wolf, as you know, is
the speed Donald Trump has an
almost any situation.
>> It's interesting, Gloria,
his current attorney joined CNN
last night.
I want to give viewers a listen
to what he said about the
impact of indictment of the
former president would actually
have. Listen to this.
>> I think we will embolden his
supporters, give him more
strength.
It will be proven to be wrongly
accused.
>> What do you think?
Is there some truth to that
argument?
>> I don't know that he will be
wrongly accused.
I do think he has a point in
saying it will embolden his
supporters.
Look at what occurred after the
classified documents were found
at mar-a-lago.
Trump raised an incredible
amount of money right after
that and claimed victimhood, as
I'm assuming he's going to do.
Because that is what he has
always done in the past.
As Maggie said, they are going
to try and turn this and say
Alvin Bragg is a Democrat, a
partisan Democrat.
It's part of the democratic
witch hunt.
Don't forget, he has already
said that if he were to be
indicted, he would continue to
run for the presidency.
Eady said we know he will be out there.
I think this is a refrain and
that is music to his supporters
years.
I think he will try and use it
to his advantage.
This case is very different in
kind and severity from the
documents case and the Georgia
grand jury case.
About election fraud and
election fixing.