Special Counsel Jack Smith has laid out the specifics of his election interference case against former President Donald Trump. This follows the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, with the case focusing on Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
What Happened: Smith’s 165-page filing was unsealed on Wednesday. The Supreme Court had previously ruled that former presidents retain immunity for official acts, but left it to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to decide if Trump’s actions are protected from prosecution, reported The Hill.
Smith contended that Trump’s plan to overturn the election results was a “private criminal effort,” involving private individuals and his campaign infrastructure. The filing offers more insight into the evidence against Trump than the 45-page indictment disclosed last year.
Smith wrote, “When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes to try to stay in office. With private co-conspirators, the defendant launched a series of increasingly desperate plans to overturn the legitimate election results in seven states that he had lost.”
The document also uncovers new evidence of Trump’s attempts to sway election officials in crucial swing states. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, dismissed the brief as “falsehood-ridden” and “unconstitutional.”
“President Trump is dominating, and the Radical Democrats throughout the Deep State are freaking out,” said” Cheung, according to the report.
Why It Matters: This case has been evolving over time. In August 2024, Smith filed a revised indictment against Trump in response to the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. The new indictment maintained all four original charges against Trump, excluding certain allegations related to Trump’s alleged attempts to use the Justice Department to propagate his unsubstantiated claims of election fraud.
In December 2023, Smith sought to restrict Trump from introducing certain evidence and making “political attacks” about his federal 2020 election subversion criminal prosecution. This was in anticipation of the trial scheduled for March 4.
The unsealing of Smith’s detailed filing is the latest step in this ongoing legal saga, shedding more light on the specifics of the case against the former president.
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