What Does Dave Smith Say About the Trump Indictments?

TL;DR

Dave Smith argues that the Trump indictments reflect a weaponized legal system and reinforce supporters’ belief that political institutions are targeting Trump. He connects this view to the Steele dossier, surveillance of Carter Page, and charges built on novel legal theories, while noting that Trump was not charged with treason or inciting an insurrection. Read on for his specific claims and examples.

Transcript

The Joe Rogan Experience well look even like with this this Trump thing man it's like it's like I was saying how so many people still believe the Russia collusion story which was all made up man and you can go like you can go follow this whole thing it was all made up and they knew it they knew what they were doing there's that clip by the way befo... Read More

Key Insights

• 👯 The Russia collusion story was fabricated and known to be false, yet many people still believed it.
• 🚂 The legal system has been weaponized against Trump, with charges based on interpretation and political motives.
• 👶 Trump's base becomes more convinced of a conspiracy against him with each new indictment.

Questions & Answers

Q: What does Dave Smith say about the Trump indictments?

Dave Smith argues that the indictments represent the weaponization of the legal system against Trump. He says the charges rely on interpretation and novel legal theories rather than allegations such as treason or inciting an insurrection.

Q: Why does Dave Smith say the Russia collusion story was made up?

Smith says the story began with the Steele dossier, opposition research funded by Hillary Clinton. He states that its allegations were known to be unverified and that almost all of them were eventually disproven.

Q: What was the Steele dossier?

Smith describes the Steele dossier as opposition research funded by Hillary Clinton and assembled through a British spy. It alleged that Trump had longstanding ties to Russia and was compromised, but Smith says the claims were unverified.

Q: Why was Carter Page investigated?

The allegation was that Russians offered Carter Page a large stake in an energy company if he could persuade Trump to remove sanctions on Russia. Smith argues that this made little sense because Page was only a low-level campaign adviser and was not in the administration.

Q: What did the CIA reportedly tell the FBI about Carter Page?

Smith says the CIA told the FBI that Carter Page was a CIA informant, not a Russian spy. According to Smith, Page reported back after Russians approached him about working for them.

Q: What was allegedly omitted from the FISA application about Carter Page?

Smith says the application stated that the CIA confirmed Russians had approached Carter Page. He says it omitted the CIA’s account that Page immediately reported the approach back to the agency.

Q: Was Carter Page ever charged?

No. Smith says Carter Page was monitored under three FISA court warrants but was never charged with anything because he was not a spy.

Q: Why do repeated Trump indictments strengthen his supporters’ belief in a conspiracy?

The existing discussion argues that repeated indictments and arrests of Trump associates reinforce perceptions of political bias and corruption. Each new case makes Trump’s base more convinced that institutions are conspiring against him.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Definition: Dave Smith describes the Trump indictments as a weaponization of the legal system based on interpretation, novel legal theories, and political motives.

• Definition: The Steele dossier was opposition research funded by Hillary Clinton and assembled through a British spy to investigate Donald Trump.

• Who: Carter Page was a low-level adviser in Donald Trump’s campaign who became the subject of surveillance and Russia-related allegations.

• Definition: The dossier alleged that Trump had longstanding ties to Russia and was compromised, but Smith says its claims were unverified.

• Compare: Smith compares bribing Carter Page to bribing a venue door worker to control what the Joe Rogan Experience discusses.

• Who: Smith says the CIA identified Carter Page as its informant and reported that Page disclosed an approach from Russians.

• Number: Carter Page was monitored under three FISA court warrants but was never charged with anything.

• Who: An FBI lawyer was charged for misrepresenting what the CIA said in the FISA application, but received no jail time.

• Compare: Trump was indicted on other grounds, but Smith notes he was not charged with treason or inciting an insurrection.

• Definition: Smith argues that repeated indictments make Trump’s supporters more convinced that political institutions are conspiring against him.