NEW: Trump has spent his post-presidency embroiled in lawsuits & investigations, a swirl of legal scrutiny that would keep a more careful person quiet. His initial plan to hold a 1/6 presser was “boneheaded” an ex-US prosecutor told @thisisinsider businessinsider.com/donald-trump-c…
The cancellation of the January 6 press conference means that Trump will not deliver public remarks just days before a crucial court hearing in cases alleging that he encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol.
Any remarks at the press conference would almost surely have complicated the hearing, scheduled for January 10 in Washington, DC, federal court, where a judge is set to hear Trump's arguments for dismissing lawsuits filed by Democratic lawmakers and Capitol police.
"It is a really boneheaded move because we know he does not pull any punches. He is very reckless when he speaks in front of an audience," Rizwan Qureshi, an ex-prosecutor in the US attorney's office handling the Capitol riot criminal cases, said before Trump cancelled.
Qureshi, now a partner at the law firm Reed Smith, said any of Trump's remarks could be used against him and potentially shed further light on the roles of advisors and associates already facing scrutiny over their conduct on January 6 and in the buildup to the Capitol attack.
"He needs to be careful because he could incriminate himself or at least give prosecutors and law enforcement the opportunity to make derivative use of his statements to further explore the roles others close to him may have played," Qureshi added.
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