Ex-Meadows aide explains why Trump 'takes out everybody who is loyal to him'

A major legal bombshell came out of Arizona on Wednesday, April 24 when Democratic State Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the criminal indictments of 11 Donald Trump allies who tried to overturn the 2020 election results in her state and were part of the "fake electors" scheme.

Some of the defendants are also facing criminal charges in Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference/RICO case, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and former Trump lawyers John Eastman and Jenna Ellis. Unlike Eastman and Giuliani, Ellis "flipped" on Trump, reached a plea deal with Willis' office and has agreed to fully cooperate with the Georgia prosecutor in order to avoid state prison. Ellis' plea agreement in Georgia raises the question: Will she agree to some type of plea deal in the Arizona case?

Trump himself is not indicted in Mayes' case, although he is an unindicted co-conspirator and is described as "Unindicted Co-conspirator 1."

READ MORE:Trump, Giuliani and Meadows revealed as 'unindicted co-conspirators' in MI investigation

After Mayes’ announcement, former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson discussed the Arizona case with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. And her big takeaway is that loyalty to Trump is a recipe for major legal peril.

Hutchinson told Collins, "I think whether you are close to Donald Trump or you worked for Donald Trump, we all owe the American people the truth about Donald Trump. We owe them the opportunity to know who he actually is."

Hutchinson herself was an aide in the Trump White House, but she turned against him after the January 6, 2021 insurrection and became a key witness for the bipartisan January 6 Select Committee in 2022. Although a conservative Republican, Hutchison is supporting President Joe Biden in the 2024 election and now views Trump as a dangerous authoritarian.

The former Meadows aide told Collins, "It's not easy. You know, I was very loyal to Donald Trump when I worked for him. And it took me a long time to make that break. There are a lot of consequences you have to weigh when you make the break from Trump World. But what I fear more is the deceit that Donald Trump will continue to perpetuate if more people don't stick up for the truth."

READ MORE: 'One reason Kris Mayes may not have indicted Donald Trump' yet: legal expert

Hutchinson said of Meadows' indictment in Arizona, "It's really sad…. It's difficult to see him in this position. But I think on the greater scale too, we look at how Mr. Trump has conducted himself through his business career and also his political career — I almost relate it to bodies around him."

The Republican elaborated, "He takes out everybody who is loyal to him because it's all about his personal gain and what he can gain from those people. Donald Trump is inherently about himself. That's why America is in the position that it is today — because he did not want to give up the presidency. He is now running again. He has been indicted in multiple jurisdictions…. Donald Trump does not show respect for our democratic institutions. In fact, I would argue he shows the exact opposite: He shows contempt for our institutions."

READ MORE: 'The end of democracy': Bernie Sanders says 'humiliated' Trump could cause 'collapse'

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