A former GOP lawmaker revealed on Wednesday that three months ago, the FBI had questioned him for four hours about former President Donald Trump.
Former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers made the admission on CNN after being asked whether he’s ever been subpoenaed by special counsel Jack Smith.
Listen:
As previously reported, Smith is investigating Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Following the election three years ago, Trump and his allies reportedly reached out to a number of lawmakers to ask for their help in overturning it. Bowers was one of these lawmakers.
“That’s a great question. I’m hesitant to talk about any subpoenas, etc.,” he said Wednesday when asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins about whether he’s ever been subpoenaed in the Trump case.
“But I have been interviewed by the FBI. … It was four hours of a discussion that they had with me. Very professional. … It was a few–a couple of months ago, three months ago,” he then added, prompting shock from Collins.
“Can you tell us what you talked about? I mean, this is news. We did not know that you had spoken to Jack Smith’s team. Can you talk about what you offered to them — what information?” the shocked CNN host asked him.
“I offered them nothing new. They seemed to have a good grasp on all of the testimony that I’d given and all the interviews that I had given to the Arizona Republic and people from The Washington Post,” Bowers replied.
“They were very aware of the January 6th committee testimony that I gave. There may have been something that I said that was of interest, but I don’t remember anything standing out that had not been mentioned before,” he added.
Later in the interview, he also admitted to having turned over certain documents to Smith’s team that he’d received from Trump and allies when he asked them for proof that the 2020 election had been stolen.
“I know I gave a lot of documents to my attorney. And I still have a lot of documents that I don’t know if they’re important or not,” he said.
Now, while Bowers’ admission may not seem like a big deal at first glance, according to CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig it’s, in fact, a huge deal. Indeed, following Bowers’ admission, Collins turned to Honig for his analysis, and he was shocked, to put it lightly.
Listen:
“This is extraordinarily significant. For four hours he’s met with the FBI, and this means that Jack Smith and his team are looking at Rusty Bowers as a witness. That would be what you would do with someone who’s not resisting you. You’d send out the FBI – as a prosecutor – if he’s willing to talk, as apparently Rusty Bowers was, you get as much information as you can,” Honig said.
“This is the first and I think best indicator that Jack Smith is looking at this as a coordinated, multi-state effort by Donald Trump and the attorneys, who Rusty Bowers just listed. And I should add, he’s a really good witness. I mean, I’m sitting here, watching him, as a former prosecutor, thinking, ‘Boy, would I love to put him on the stand.’ He’s credible. He’s backed up by the other evidence. He’s relatable. So, I imagine Jack Smith, and his team, are looking at him the same way,” he added.
Responding to Honig’s analysis, Collins then brought up the documents Bowers had allegedly given FBI investigators.
“What do you make of what he said about turning over evidence, documents, to them, which he says he got when he asked for proof that there was election fraud. … What are they going to use that for?” she said.
“That backs up Bowers’ testimony that he gave in front of the Jan. 6 committee that, at one point when he asked for proof, he was told we don’t have any proof but we have theories,” Honig replied.
“And then Rusty Bowers can say, ‘Well, here’s what they gave me. Here, FBI, is what they gave me and it’s a bunch of nothing.’ And that is what we call corroboration,” he added.
The story is not that former Arizona Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers has been interviewed by Jack Smith. The interview happened months ago. The story is that Bowers now feels comfortable talking publicly about it, because he senses that Trump’s 1/6 indictment is imminent.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) July 6, 2023
Honig concluded his analysis by explaining why Bowers’ admission is so important.
“What we just learned, the fact that Rusty Bowers has spoken with the FBI, is enormously telling for me. It tells me that Jack Smith is looking at this in the big picture and that he’s getting to the most important witnesses and asking the most important questions,” he said.
Thus far, Trump has only been indicted for his mishandling of classified documents. He has yet to be charged/indicted for his efforts in the 2020 race.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.