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The charges were brought by Jack Smith, the prosecutor appointed to lead the federal election interference case.
Prosecutors allege in a new court filing that Donald Trump “resorted to a crime” to overturn his 2020 election loss, arguing the former president is not immune.
It was filed by Special Counsel Jack Smith, the prosecutor appointed to lead the election interference case against Mr. Trump, and made public Wednesday.
The filing challenges President Trump’s claims that he is protected by a landmark Supreme Court decision this summer that granted broad immunity from prosecution for acts committed while in office. There is.
The 165-page court document is the last chance for prosecutors to outline their case, as the trial won’t take place until Republican Trump competes for the White House against Democratic rival Kamala Harris in next month’s election. There is a possibility that
In Wednesday’s filing, prosecutors argue that President Trump was not always acting in an official capacity and was engaged in “personal criminal activity” to overturn the 2020 results. There is.
The document is an effort by prosecutors to move forward with the criminal case against Trump following the July Supreme Court ruling.
In response, prosecutors decided to narrow the scope of the charges. That’s because the ruling did not apply immunity to unofficial acts, and prosecutors said that while Trump may still be in office, his alleged efforts to overturn the election Some claimed it was related to his campaign and civilian life.
In a new filing, Smith said the court should “determine that the defendant must be tried for his private crimes like any other citizen.”
The case has been repeatedly delayed since the Justice Department accused Trump, who denies wrongdoing, of illegally trying to block the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory more than a year ago.
The filing lists several instances in which Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence expressed doubts about his boss’ claims of voter fraud and tried to persuade him to accept that he lost the election.
In court documents, prosecutors say President Trump was unfazed when he learned that the vice president had been rushed to a safe location as a mob stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. , says. When informed about the scene, he is said to have said:
Mr. Pence later went public with his rift with Mr. Trump following the storming of the Capitol, where some rioters chanted “hang Mike Pence” after the vice president refused to block the certification of the election results.
What the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling means for President Trump… Find out in 60 seconds
Trump’s lawyers fought to have the latest filing sealed, but campaign spokesman Stephen Chan said it was “full of lies” and “unconstitutional.” .
In a post on his platform Truth Social on Wednesday, President Trump called it a “hit job” and said it “should never have been released so close to the election.”
He accused prosecutors of “gross” misconduct.
The filing provides new evidence and provides the clearest view yet of how prosecutors intend to build their case against Trump at trial.
He claims he always planned to declare victory regardless of the outcome and had been laying the groundwork to do so long before Election Day. It also accuses him of intentionally spreading false claims about a vote he considered “insane.”
Smith also provided some new details about the Trump campaign’s role in wreaking havoc in battleground states where large numbers of mail-in ballots were being counted in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Detroit, Michigan, a Democratic stronghold, when a large number of ballots appeared to be in Biden’s favor, Trump campaign operatives told colleagues to “find a reason why something was wrong with the ballots.” ”, allegedly telling Biden to “give Biden a choice.” File a lawsuit.”
The filing also alleges that President Trump and his allies, including attorney Rudy Giuliani, sought to “exploit the violence and chaos at the Capitol on January 6, 2021” to delay election certification. It is also claimed that They allegedly did this by calling senators and leaving voicemails asking them to object to state electors.
President Trump said Wednesday that the case would end with a “complete victory” for him. A trial date has not been set.
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