A CNN panelist sparked heated debate among his liberal colleagues by arguing that President-elect Donald Trump and his family were unfairly targeted by the January 6th Committee, four criminal cases, and two civil cases—three of which resulted in guilty verdicts. Criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala contended that while President Joe Biden may not have explicitly directed these efforts, they were spearheaded by administration officials seemingly acting under his tacit approval.
In a clip shared by the Daily Caller, Aidala is seen effectively countering fellow panelists who defended former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney. Cheney, who co-chaired the congressional investigation into the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riots, placed the blame squarely on Trump for the violence that unfolded that day. On Thursday, Biden awarded Cheney the Presidential Medal of Freedom, praising her dedication “to defend our Nation and the ideals we stand for: Freedom. Dignity. And decency.”
Former GOP Representative Joe Walsh of Illinois, who despises Trump, called on Biden to pardon Cheney in order to “protect” her from a vindictive incoming president. However, Aidala promptly pointed out to the anti-Trump Republican that it was Biden’s Justice Department that initiated extensive legal cases against Trump and his family. “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, prompting Aidala to respond, “I know, but, congressman, his — the Democratic administration just went after Trump and his whole family. His whole family.”
“Wait, wait,” Walsh said, with CNN host Abby Phillip asking, “Hang on. What do you mean, the Democratic administration? What are you talking about?” Panelist Cari Champion objected, asking Aidala to name who had “gone after” Trump, eliciting laughs from the panel. “Last I looked, Joe Biden is a Democrat. Last I looked, the attorney general, Merrick Garland, is a Democrat,” Aidala responded. “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.”
“The Democrats went after Donald Trump and his entire family,” Aidala said, prompting former Hillary Clinton campaign aide Amanda Litman to say, “It was not President Joe Biden saying, ‘I’m going to put Donald Trump…’” Aidala interjected with a dose of reality, however: “It’s his administration. It’s his administration. And it’s his entire family. Ivanka had to testify. Donald Jr. had to testify. Eric had to testify.”
WATCH:
Court evidence suggests that senior officials in the Biden White House were kept informed about aspects of President-elect Trump’s ongoing legal battles. During a court hearing for one of Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case, a defense attorney introduced White House visitor logs showing that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat, met with Vice President Kamala Harris shortly before filing charges against Trump.
Similarly, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who publicly vowed to “get” Trump after her election in 2019, attended a White House reception with Harris in August 2023, just months before filing her civil case accusing Trump of illegally inflating the value of his real estate portfolio.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.