THIS YEAR ALONE.

WHY ILLINOIS LEADS THE COUNTRY.

>>> THE TOP STORY, FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP IS INDICTED BY A FEDERAL GRAND JURY ON FOUR FELONY COUNTS CONNECTED TO ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN THE 2020 ELECTION THAT HE LOST.

FACING FEDERAL CRIMINAL CHARGES RELATED TO THE MAR-A-LAGO PROBE.

ALLEGED HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS IN NEW YORK.

AND POTENTIAL STATE ELECTION CHARGES IN GEORGIA.

HERE IS SPECIAL COUNCIL JACK SMITH MOMENTS AN ON THE HISTORIC INDICTMENT.

>> THE ATTACK ON THE NATION'S CAPITAL, JANUARY 6, 2021 WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED ASSAULT ON THE SEAT OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

FUELED BY LIES.

LIES BY THE DEFENDANT.

TARGETING AND INSTRUCTING A BEDROCK FUNCTION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

THE PROCESS OF COLLECTING, COUNTING AND CERTIFYING THE RESULTS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

>> AND HERE TO BREAK DOWN THE BOMB SHELL NEWS THIS EVENING, FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR RENATO MARIATI.

THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.

TWO COUNTS OF TAMPERING WITH WITNESS VICTIM.

WHAT ARE THE GRAVITIES OF THESE CHARGES?

>> OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE INCREDIBLY SERIOUS.

ONE I WILL SAY IS THAT THE GRAVITY IN MY MIND GOES BEYOND ANY LEGAL ANALYSIS.

DONALD TRUMP IS ALREADY FACING SERIOUS FELONY CHARGES AND TWO DIFFERENT INDICTMENTS AND I THINK MY ANALYSIS WOULD BE THAT MAR-A-LAGO INDICTMENT IN MANY WAYS IS STRONGER AS A MATTER OF EVIDENCE.

CERTAINLY, HE MAY FACE MORE YEARS IN PRISON FROM THAT, BUT THIS HAS A HISTORIC MAGNITUDE AND GRAVITY THAT ALL THE OTHER CASES DO NOT MATCH.

>> HOW IMPORTANT IS PROVING INTENT HERE?

COULD TRUMP DEFEND HIMSELF BY SAYING BUT I THOUGHT I WON THE ELECTION AND PEOPLE TOLD ME I WON THE ELECTION THOUGH THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF FOLKS SAID NO, THE ELECTION WAS CLEAR, YOU LOST AND THERE IS NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OTHERWISE?

>> YEAH.

THAT WILL BE I THINK CENTRAL TO TRUMP'S DEFENSE.

CENTRAL TO TRUMP'S DEFENSE IS THAT HE THOUGHT THERE WAS FRAUD IN THE ELECTION.

TRYING TO INVESTIGATE THE ISSUES.

IF YOU READ THE INDICTMENT.

WHICH IS LONG.

I HAVE BEEN TRYING MY BEST TO READ THROUGH IT FOR THE PAST HOUR OR SO.

THE SPECIAL COUNCIL IS GOING TO GREAT LENGTHS TO SHOW ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS TRUMP ACTUALLY KNEW THIS WAS A FALSEHOOD.

FROM HIS OWN VICE PRESIDENT.

AND ONE OF THE NEW REVELATIONS IS TRUMP TOLD HIS VICE PRESIDENT YOU ARE TOO HONEST.

BUT ALSO, FROM HIS ATTORNEY GENERAL AND OTHERS IN THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND MANY OTHER OFFICIALS WORKING FOR HIM AND WITH HIM.

>> INDEED, THAT'S A STANDOUT QUOTE, THAT ALLEGATION THAT HE TOLD THE FORMER VICE PRESIDENT THAT HE IS TOO HONEST.

BUT IT DOES SEEM LIKE THERE IS AT LEAST OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE THAT ANY REASONABLE PERSON WOULD KNOW THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION.

THERE ARE SIX COCONSPIRATORS.

ARE THEY COOPERATORS?

>> I DON'T THINK SO.

IT IS PRETTY OBVIOUS CO-CONSPIRATOR NUMBER ONE IS RUDY GIULIANI.

I DON'T THINK HE IS COOPERATING AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.

I THINK JACK SMITH MADE A CALCULATION THAT IN DC, HE MIGHT GET TO TRIAL IN A WAY AND WITH A SPEED HE IS NOT ABLE TO DO IN FLORIDA.

GIVEN THAT THE FLORIDA CASE, THE MAR-A-LAGO CASE IS SO MANY DOCUMENTS INVOLVED.

SO HE DECIDED THE MOST NARROW INDICTMENT POSSIBLE TO TRY TO SPEED HIS WAY TO THE TRIAL BEFORE THE ELECTION SEASON.

>> AND THAT IS WHAT HE SAID.

ATTEMPTING TO GO FOR A SPEEDY TRIAL.

TRUMP AND HIS SUPPORTERS HAVE PUT FORTH THE MESSAGING THAT THIS IS QUOTE UNQUOTE ELECTION INTERFERENCE.

COMING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE ALLEGEDLY FOLKS WANT TO INTERFERE WITH HIM AND HIS FRONT RUNNER STATUS IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.

BEYOND THE MESSAGING TACTICS DO YOU SEE ANY LEGAL DEFENSE STRATEGY FROM THE TRUMP TEAM EITHER IN THIS OR THE MAR-A-LAGO DOCUMENTS CASE TO THIS POINT?

>> IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

I THINK THE DEFENSE WILL TRY TO INJECT THAT INTO THE TRIAL.

WHAT I EXPECT IS THERE WILL BE MOTIONS THAT ARE FILED BEFORE THE TRIAL.

PROSECUTORS SAY THAT ARGUMENT AND DISCUSSION IS NOT RELEVANT TO ANYTHING AND DOESN'T ANYTHING MORE OR LESS TRUE IN TERMS OF THE CASE.

THE JUDGE MIGHT EXCLUDE THAT.

I EXPECT THE DEFENSE TO NONETHELESS FIND WAYS TO INJECT THAT INTO THE TRIAL.

THERE ARE LEGIT QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN SOONER.

THAT'S A LEGITIMATE QUESTION.

BUT I THINK I WOULD NOT CHARACTERIZE ALL OF THESE INDICTMENTS IN DIFFERENT JURISDICTION TO BE ELECTION INTERFERENCE.

THEY ARE WHAT APPEARS TO BE VERY SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS BACKED UP BY EVIDENCE.

>> IN FACT, THE WASHINGTON POST DID AN INVESTIGATION SHOW TAG THE DOJ DIDN'T SERIOUSLY INVESTIGATE TRUMP'S ROLE IN THESE ALLEGED SCHEMES UNTIL A YEAR AFTER JANUARY 6th CITING PERHAPS THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE POLITICAL IMPLY IMPLIATION.

DOES THAT HAMPER THINGS?

>> I THINK IT DOES.

AT THE END OF THE DAY, JACK SMITH MAY HAVE MADE DECISIONS WITH THAT IN MIND.

WITH THE CALENDAR IN MIND.

SECONDLY, IT CREATES THIS ARGUMENT, THIS ISSUE THAT THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN KNOWN IF THEY HAD STARTED EARLIER.

WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE TALKING ELECTION INTERFERENCE.

IF HE HAD BEEN INDICTED A YEAR AGO.

>> WE HAVE SEEN THAT TRUMP HAS USED THIS IN HIS POLITICAL CAMPAIGN AND IT IS CERTAINLY A MESSAGING STRATEGY THAT IS WORKING WITH HIS SUPPORTERS.

BUT YOU SEE TRUMP AS A DEFENDANT CALLING THE PROSECUTOR DERANGED.

HE HAS CALLED OTHERWISE SUPPORTERS TO QUOTE UNQUOTE DO SOMETHING.

WHAT CAN HE DO BEFORE IT IS A PROBLEM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY.

>> AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

IT DEPENDS ON THE JUDGE.

I THINK THE JUDGE IS GOING TO GIVE HIM SOME LATITUDE TO COMMENT ON CHARGES.

YOU KNOW.

AFTER ALL, HE WAS THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

HE HAS THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO SPEAK HIS MIND.

THE JUDGE MIGHT SORT OF, YOU KNOW, INTERJECT HERSELF INTO THAT IN A CERTAIN RESPECT.

AND TRY TO ADMONISH TRUMP AND HIS ATTORNEYS AND TAKE FURTHER STEPS.

BUT YOU HAVE TO BE PRETTY CAREFUL.

BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS AND YOU HAVE TO BALANCE THAT AGAINST THE