Fulton County prosecutor Donald Wakeford has refuted former President Donald Trump's assertion that his false claims are protected under the First Amendment, arguing that Trump's lies were part of a criminal conspiracy.
Wakeford emphasized that Trump is not facing prosecution for merely lying but for lying to the government. Trump's legal team contends that his false statements are shielded by the First Amendment, but Wakeford pointed out that the indictment against Trump alleges that his lies were used in furtherance of criminal activity with criminal intent.
Wakeford highlighted that the repeated lies mentioned in the indictment were not just isolated instances of falsehoods but were integral to a broader pattern of criminal behavior. He stressed that despite the constitutional protections of free speech, the core issue at hand is that Trump's speech and actions were part of a scheme to commit crimes.
According to Wakeford, the focus should not be solely on the First Amendment rights but on recognizing that Trump's speech and conduct were intertwined with illegal activities. The prosecution's argument centers on the assertion that Trump's expressions were not merely protected speech but were instrumental in carrying out criminal intentions.
