Judge releases evidence in Trump election interference case
Date
10/3/2024 8:55:44 AM
(MENAFN) A federal judge on Wednesday unsealed a redacted motion by special counsel Jack Smith, revealing evidence against former President Donald trump in his election interference criminal case in Washington, D.C.
Smith’s 165-page filing argued that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, could still face prosecution for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, despite a Supreme Court ruling in July granting him presumptive immunity for official presidential actions.
“When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes to try to stay in office,” Smith wrote.
He continued, stating that Trump, along with private co-conspirators, initiated a series of increasingly desperate schemes to overturn legitimate election results in seven states he had lost.
Judge Tanya Chutkan unsealed the filing less than five weeks before Trump is scheduled to face Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in the 2024 presidential election.
Should Trump win, he could instruct the Department of Justice to dismiss the criminal case against him.
Trump has argued that his efforts to challenge President Joe Biden’s electoral victory were part of his official presidential duties, and therefore protected from prosecution under the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling.
Smith rejected this argument in Wednesday’s filing, asserting, “Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one.”
MENAFN03102024000045016755ID1108743516
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.