New Trump defense: He's too stupid to form intent

[Nevilledog]

https://www.mediamatters.org/ben-shapiro/ben-shapiro-claims-it-would-be-difficult-prosecute-trump-because-hes-not-capable-intent

BEN SHAPIRO (HOST): Now, the biggest problem that any prosecution -- and this is what Merrick Garland is facing down -- the biggest problem for any prosecution of Trump is that virtually all the crimes that they are talking about are crimes that require intent as an element of the crime. They're not negligence crimes. It's not Trump sat there, and he didn't really know what was going to happen, and he was careless and reckless about it and, therefore, it happened. Because that – again, recklessness is a lower standard and criminal negligence is a lower standard.

If you want to prove intent – and that is what this committee said they were doing. They said from the outset that there was a 7 step plan, like a concerted plan, of intent to get us from November 4 to January 6 and that that plan was put in place, step-by-step methodically. They've not proved that there was a plan, right? It seems more like Donald Trump thrashing against a glass box, is more what it seems like, frankly. But that was always true.

Now, a few years ago I said that I wasn't sure -- we were talking about Trump and Ukraine and the impeachment effort. And I said there, too, this is a crime of intent. I'm not sure that Donald Trump has intent to eat a ham sandwich. I just – he's not a person who has a plan. And a lot of folks on the left were like, oh, you're excusing him -- and it's like, since when is a person not having the capacity to make long-term plans some sort of defense of the person qua person? It's a defense against a criminal liability charge. Doesn't mean it's a defense of the person qua person.

Ok, but the point is that this is always going to be a difficulty with Trump. Because Trump is so – he's so instinctive in the way that he responds to things that it's very difficult to ever to say that he had intent to do this particular thing that required a concerted plan. That's just not the way that he operates. And I think everyone who watches him knows this.

*the end*

[rzemanfl]

1. That's the same as the old defense. n/t

[Nevilledog]

2. Trump Jr. defense per Mueller.

[Thomas Hurt]

3. But the Pig himself has declared himself a stable genius, thus he can't be too stupid to form intent

[Nevilledog]

5. It's the old "Stupid people are too stupid to know they're stupid" theory

Also works for *crazy*

[Raven123]

4. BS. Trump's intent was to stay on as POTUS by ANY means available. Not hard to understand.

The record of public and reported private meetings and communications simply support that contention. Arguments to the contrary enable him. He has thrived on the shock factor, keeping his enablers with the deer in the headlights look, daring them to take him on. Their unwillingness to hold him responsible does not excuse his behavior. Time to hold him accountable

[EarlG]

6. His intent is only unclear if you refuse to exercise any common sense at all

What actually happened was that Trump couldn't stand losing the election and did absolutely everything he could possibly think of to change the result, up to and including attempting to intimidate Georgia's Secretary of State, siccing terrorists on innocent election workers, and inciting an armed mob to attack Congress.