'Not an intelligent plan': Trump's Colorado defense relies on election deniers' testimony

A series of tense exchanges between plaintiffs’ attorneys and witnesses called by former President Donald Trump’s legal team characterized the opening stages of Trump’s defense in a Colorado trial to determine whether he is ineligible to seek office under the Constitution’s “insurrection” clause.

Several of the witnesses called by Trump’s attorneys are close allies of the former president who continue to spread conspiracy theories alleging widespread fraud in the 2020 election, which have been repeatedly debunked by elections officials, experts, media investigations, law enforcement and the courts.

Trump has been indicted by federal prosecutors who allege that his “pervasive and destabilizing lies” about the election had “targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government.” Shortly after Trump gave a speech at the White House Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol and interrupted congressional proceedings to certify the Electoral College results.