Of that team. We will keep you updated on that story thank you so much for joining us. Cnn primetime with abby phillip joins us right now. Thank you so, much kaitlan. Have a good night. And good evening, everyone. I am abby phillip. Donald trumps path to the republican nomination is not only getting more dominant. It is becoming more bulletproof. And as the indictments against him grow so it is his stranglehold on the field. And new cnn numbers show one of the reasons why. Voters just arent worried. A. Majority of Republican Voters and conservativeleaning independents say that they are not concerned that the charges against him will hinder his ability to win the General Election. Nor would the case hurt his ability to serve for another full term. Now, at least one of his rivals, nikki haley, suggests not putting too much stalk into what are these polls say. The American People are not going to vote for a convicted criminal. The American People are going to vote for someone who can win a General Election. I have faith in the American People. But, nikki haley herself may be one reason why that blind faith in the American People may not be warranted. This was the former governor of South Carolina, on the debate stage just a few weeks. Ago. If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your partys choice . Please raise your hand if you would. [applause] nikki haley raised her hand. She and fellow republican candidates not named trump are in a bind. The numbers keep rising for trump among the very voters she is trying to court. And, in that hypothetical General Election matchup that she mentioned with president biden, a biden win is hardly a given. The 2 are neck and neck, at least at this very moment in time. And joining me now is former republican congressman at South Carolina governor mark sanford. Governor sanford. Thank you very much for joining us. So, as you look at this these numbers, do you see it the way it seems to be . Which is that trump support is pretty locked in right now in the Republican Party . I think the operative thing you just said was right now. And it is so early in the process. Ive been through my share of elections over the years. And at this point, i will just give you one quick anecdote that i think tells the whole story. I went to the debate they are in milwaukee, and the next morning, i got in the cab, and i asked the cabdriver, tell me who did you think won the debate . And he sort of paused and he says, you know, i think it was that indian guy, i kind of liked him. But you know, i also kind of liked, there were a couple of women. But, i like the woman who is was wearing the white dressed best. Of course, there was only one woman, it was nikki haley. And, i did like that black guy. That was about as detailed as he could get. And so at this point in the campaign, what we are really measuring is sort of name i. D. , we are in biden and trump stand way out front, weve got a long way to go, and i think its telling that the caucus process in iowa, and how that could upset the apple cart, and the degree to which governor kristi, excuse me, governor sununu has said, on i am going to make it my job to make sure trump doesnt get elected. So i think weve got some potholes in the road to this being a coronation. Perhaps. But those two fellow South Carolinians that you mentioned that that man described in that way, tim scott and nikki haley. I mean, they are in single digit support in the latest poll. No other republican is even close to trump. And that includes ron desantis. At this point, what do you think that they should do to make defeating trump a possibility . Is there anything that you could see them doing, that would actually change this dynamic in the race . Hit and contrast. I mean, you talk about that clip you just played a moment ago, you talk about a lack of leadership where everybody sort of tepidly raising their hands, and sort of looks to the left, looks to the right, and its like you are back in kindergarten. Okay, they are raising their and, i guess i will also. This was not, if trump was the nominee, it was if trump was indicted, convicted, and the nominee. And, the fact that you would have that three fold punch and still raise your hand, is crazy world. So, people need to say, no, i disagree, which he shouldnt be. Which nikki is now saying, but you wouldnt say it on the debate stage. People need to make contrast, people respond to contrast in these debates. And they respond to how he, trump has said a lot, he said he was going to have the mexicans build the wall, but he said he said he would eliminate the debt and the deficit, but he didnt do that. Make contrast, and i think people would make real headway if they did so. So, i want you to respond to something. This happened just earlier today. Former Vice President mike pence seems to be doing exactly what you are suggesting, making a contrast by making this pitch against populism. Listen. I believe that now, we have a choice, our party is facing. Whether we are going to produce leadership that is grounded in that timeless conservative agenda, and that has defined our movement for more than 50 years. Or whether we are going to follow the siren song of populism, and move our party away from those same principles. Not to put too fine a point on it, but he ran with trump, on a populist message. Does that work, if you are mike pence . No, it doesnt i mean, right message, wrong more year. The fact that he would stand they are at Press Conference after Press Conference after Press Conference, with this fawning and adoring look, as he would look on as trump would say whatever the next crazy thing that trump was saying. And yet, now he is going to make the pitch against, well, we need to go a different way . He stood there for 4 years, adoringly and looking at your, quote, leader. I just think its a tough sell from his standpoint. Its a tough road ahead, i think, for mike pence. And, probably most of the though other candidates on that debate stage. Governor mark sanford, thank you you for joining us tonight. My pleasure. And its the longest sentence yet to be handed down in the january 6th insurrection cases. A judge giving proud boys leader Enrique Tario 22 year behind bars, in the sedition case. Role in that capitol plot. Now, tarrio followed his other proud boy defendants in recent weeks, emotion, emotional, begging for mercy in the courtroom. He apologized to the judge, saying in part, quote, my candidate lost, i felt like something was personally stolen for me. Every Media Channel that i turned to told me i was justified. He went on to say, i am not a political zealot. Now, remember, donald trump has suggested that he will pardon some of these guys. And joining me now is trumps former fixer michael cohen. Michael is now principle of crisis x. Hes also the host of 2 podcasts, mea culpa, and political beat down, and the New York Times bestselling author of orange how donald trump weaponize the u. S. Department of justice against his critics. Michael, thanks for being here, as always. I want to start with one of the latest pieces of news to come out today, which is that a number of the january 6th defendants, they have been receiving significant sentences for their actions at the capitol that day, including proud boys leader enrique tarrio, who just today was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Some are trying to walk this fine line of regret at this moment. Maybe they were hoping for a pardon or hoping for leniency for from the. Judge on the question of pardons, do you think that trump will try to pardon some of these people, who already have gone through the Justice System, and the Justice System and said you need to be in prison for decades . Yeah, well that presumes that donald ends up winning the General Election, even presumption that he becomes the nominee for the gop. Theres plenty of time, and theres a lot of indictments, and a lot of cases that are still confronting him. But, yes i do. I believe that some of them not all but i believe that some of them, like on and rektaro, would end up receiving a pardon or some form of commutation, if donald should enter the white house yet again. And for these proud boys, one of the things about the sentencing is that they all cried, and seemed to beg for mercy. What do you make of that . Well, now, unfortunately for them, they are confronted with the reality of the gravity of what they did, on behalf of donald j. Trump, based upon him blowing the dog whistle for them to attack the capitol. They are now seeing the damage that donald trump has caused to their lives. But, lets not forget the damage that donald has caused to so many other lives, mine included. So, the reality is setting. In and it should be a warning too all of the 18 codefendants in the georgia case, that this is going to happen to them as well. Its why i constantly say on social media, or coming to see you here, abby, on cnn, that the time period that these people are going to get is going to be significant. So if they think that the january 6th cases are isolated, they are not. And i suspect that the Fulton County georgia determinations will be equally as painful. You just brought up the georgia case. Now, all 19 of those defendants have pled not guilty in that case. With all of these defendants in georgia, and the unindicted and unnamed Co Conspirators in the federal cases, we are starting to see a lot of finger pointing playing out in the legal filings. Do you think that they will make a break with trump, like you eventually did . My hope is that they take a look to see what just happened with enrique tarrio, where he got 22 years, and then the other insurrectionist got 17 years. These are real sentences, not that mine wasnt, at a 36 month, three year sentence, that is significant also, especially based upon what the crime was. But, these are real long sentences. And if they want to be part of that club of people who spend, basically the rest of their lives behind bars, my recommendation for them would be, speak now. Because as soon as the guy next to you, or the woman next few starts speaking, and spilling the beans, your information is not as important, its not as significant. So, the person, really, who starts to speak first is the one that will get the benefit. A big part of this in the georgia case, and actually in the federal case as well, that looks into the efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, is former white house Chief Of Staff mark meadows. He provided testimony last week in the georgia case, and he put a lot of his actions at the feet of donald trump. Do you get the sense that meadows could be considering turning against him as well . Sure. Again, if mark has half a brain, then he would be speaking now, because he knows that donald will point the finger at him at any opportunity that he gets. Its no different, and you may have seen from the deposition, that donald gave with the new York Attorney general, he pointed the finger at his own son eric, Throwing Eric under the bus. If eric can be thrown under the bus by donald, then what do you think donald will do with someone like mark meadows, or somebody like Rudy Giuliani . Or you know, Sidney Powell, or any of the other codefendants . Donald doesnt care about anyone or anything, other than himself. And he will point fingers and throw anyone under the bus to save himself. You know well how expensive it is to deal with the legal challenges that face people who are embroiled in these things with donald trump. But right now, it does not appear that in the georgia case, trump is paying any of the legal bills for these folks, even for someone like a Rudy Giuliani. And now, cnn is reporting that some of trumps codefendants in georgia, they are struggling to even afford the legal issues that they havent even really gotten into yet. Its just the beginning. That cash crunch, do you think that cash crunch can incentivize people to flip . Like i said before, donald doesnt care about anyone or anything other than himself. He is not going to waste a single penny on any one of these people. And he is going to use the line that, oh, it wouldnt look right if in fact i paid your legal bills. It will look like we had some form of a joint defense agreement, or there is collusion going on between us. He will use anything that he can, in order to continue to grift off the American People, his supporters, for himself, not for the benefit of others. But yes, once the bills start pouring in and, as you said, abby, i certainly know what that was like. Its devastating, i mean, nobody, unless you are a billionaire, can afford to fight with the government, because the government has unlimited resources. And they continue to use them, and they then expand upon them. So at the end of the day, these people are sunk. All right, michael cohen, thank you very much. Thanks, abby. And, just in, special counsel jack smith is accusing trump of trying to prejudice the jury pool. This, as we learn his investigation is expanding. Michigan Secretary Of StateJocelyn Benson joins me, live. 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Cant overcome the boundaries we face. so Morgan Stanley is partnering with the Womens Tennis Association to remove them. because this game is for everyone. and new tonight, jack smith said in a court filing that, when it comes to the 2020 election interference case, former President Trump has made daily extrajudicial statements that threaten to prejudice the jury. This new allegation comes as cnn exclusively learned that the scope of smiths Investigation Continues to expand, with a new focus on this Postelection Fundraising and Voting System breaches, and how the former President May how the former may have paid for the latter. Now, prosecutors are currently honing in on former President Trumps lawyer, sydney powell. Remember, she was also a codefendant in that Georgia Election case. Jocelyn benson is michigans Secretary Of State and michigan was, of course, one of the states where Voting Systems were targeted. Secretary benson, thanks for joining us. You have spoken to investigators in both the state and federal levels about this push to access Voting Systems. What can you tell us about what these investigators have been most interested in in those conversations . I think, 2 things. First, thanks for having me. And the connection between what happened in michigan and a national conspiracy, in a very detailed way so, a lot of things happened in michigan, whether it was the voting machine breaches, the cases out of and trim Antrim County tragedy of our capitol on january 6th, so, drawing those connections with a meticulous focus on what was true and what was not and what was alleged and said versus what actually happened is a lot of what we unpacked in our conversations with everyone at the state and federal level investigating these incidents. It appears that Sidney Powell is a figure that that is at the center of so much of that this. Today ask about her in particular . I dont want to comment too much on the investigation itself and those discussions. But i will say its very clear that Sidney Powell was an active part of both what happened in michigan, and nationwide, and the lies that she fed the public and l