Legal experts are cautiously weighing in on the bombshell news out of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee and The New York Times revealing how the former president, Donald Trump, pressured top DOJ officials to declare the election “corrupt” and help him overturn it.

NBC News and MSNBC Legal Analyst Glenn Kirschner, a former fed prosecutor, calls Trump pressuring the DOJ “evidence of an intent to overthrow the government,” and asks what more will it take for him to be indicted.

And this statement constitutes evidence of an intent to overthrow the government/stop the lawfully elected incoming president from assuming power. How much additional evidence of Trump’s crimes will DOJ require before indicting him? JusticeMatters https://t.co/oMOzDwjwT8

— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) July 30, 2021

Constitutional law scholar, University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University Laurence Tribe says this is “part of a pattern showing Trump’s criminal planning to foment a coup”:

“‘Just say the election was corrupt + leave the rest to me’ & to congressional allies, [Deputy Acting AG Richard] Donoghue wrote in summarizing Mr. Trump’s response.” That’s part of a pattern showing Trump’s criminal planning to foment a coup:https://t.co/FqiPglOelm

— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) July 30, 2021

Noted attorney George Conway, who turned down a position of solicitor general in the Trump administration says Trump “should be prosecuted”:

It’s difficult to overstate how much this reeks of criminal intent on the part of the former guy. https://t.co/xD3WkYfDoh

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 30, 2021

It literally would have been a crime for Trump merely to have ordered the acting attorney general to march down Pennsylvania Avenue with a “Trump 2020” flag. See 18 U.S.C. § 610.

This is way beyond the pale and should be prosecuted. https://t.co/xD3WkYfDoh

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) July 30, 2021

Law Professor and former Bush chief White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter:

Put this together with the November 2020 White House meeting with General Flynn and Trump would have had DOJ clearance for a military coup.

Trump Pressed Justice Dept. to Declare Election Results Corrupt, Notes Show https://t.co/In0k67z086

— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) July 30, 2021

Now we know that they were just waiting for DOJ to declare the election illegal so they could move the troops into Pennsylvania, Georgia Michigan…
It’s called a coup.

Invoking Martial Law to Reverse the 2020 Election Could be Criminal Sedition https://t.co/T0fnu1VV0S

— Richard W. Painter (@RWPUSA) July 30, 2021

Condé Nast Legal Affairs Editor Luke Zaleski sums it all up and concludes: “Trump is guilty. He tried to overthrow the government.”

Trump is guilty. He tried to overthrow the government. It’s a simple case. He stood to benefit. He lied for months. Gathered violent militias and hate groups and confederates in DC. Whipped them up with violent rhetoric and sent them to the Capitol to attack. And they did-for him https://t.co/bHvPyC7xwd

— Luke Zaleski (@ZaleskiLuke) July 30, 2021

That Trump incited the insurrection to stop his loss is undeniable. It’s self evident. We all watched it happen over months and on January 6th. It’s like arguing he won the election or the chiefs won the super bowl. Anyone who defends trump is lying to you or themselves or both.

— Luke Zaleski (@ZaleskiLuke) July 30, 2021

MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough hooted with derision after Donald Trump apparently confirmed the crimes his longtime accountant was indicted on.

The “Morning Joe” host rolled video of Trump’s rally speech over the weekend, where the twice-impeached one-term president claimed he didn’t know his chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg had to pay taxes on fringe benefits the Trump Organization doled out.

“You can’t actually say it’s one of the dumber things you’ve ever heard him say,” Scarborough said, cackling with laughter. “This guy who claims to be a business genius, you have to pay taxes on apartments? Whoever knew you had to pay taxes on cars and apartments? You know who did? They did — because they had two spread sheets. They were keeping two sets of books, according to the charges and the information. It seems they knew all too well the ramifications of not paying almost $1 million in taxes on those benefits.”

Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, said Trump’s remarks would hurt his longtime accountant and possibly even himself.

“That sound you hear is the sound of the Trump bus rolling over Allen Weisselberg at that rally,” Aronberg said. “I do take it as admissions they’re going to hurt Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization and could come back to be used against Trump himself if he’s ever charged in this matter. What you saw was a preview of his future defense, if he’s ever charged, which is what I call the ‘Sgt. Schultz’ defense — you remember the character, from ‘Hogan’s Heroes,’ ‘I know nothing,’ he used to say. We see that defense all the time here in the prosecutor business when it comes to white-collar fraud cases.”

“The defense could help Trump but Allen Weisselberg can’t use it,” Aronberg added. “He has a level of sophistication, experience, knowledge, that makes that defense inapplicable. Plus, there’s evidence of criminal intent here like the allegation of two separate sets of books one for the IRS and one internally that kept account of the hidden benefits that Weisselberg got, so when he said he never received a raise between 2011, 2018, it was done under the table, according to prosecutors, and subsidized by taxpayers.”