Special Prosecutor Jack Smith has filed a slew of new and serious charges against Donald Trump. Smith, who is leading the investigation into the former President’s attempt to flip the 2020 presidential election, has offered Judge Tanya Chutkan several counts against Trump that would not be covered by the immunity granted by the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Smith is trying to convince the judge that numerous acts performed by Trump “fall within the private sphere” and not within the president’s duties. As such, they are not protected by the presidential immunity ruled by the nine justices.
In the 165 pages released on Wednesday, Smith outlines “increasingly desperate” efforts by Trump and his allies to try to subvert the results of presidential elections in November and December 2020 and January 2021. Those attempts resulted in the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when crowds tried to block the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
“When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes in order to try to stay in office. With private accomplices, the defendant launched a series of increasingly desperate schemes to overturn legitimate election results in seven states he had lost,” reads the document drafted by Smith.
The new documentation lists several testimonies–hitherto unknown close Trump aides who, under oath, admitted that they had repeatedly tried to convince the then-president that the election had been fair and that there was no legal basis for saying otherwise.
There is also testimony from his VP, Mike Pence, who had tried to push him to accept defeat “in the knowledge that he had nonetheless breathed new life into a dying party.”
Trump’s lawyers had tried to block the filing of Smith’s motion, arguing that it may interfere with the results of the November election. Smith responded that he “has no role or interest in partisan politics.”
The Prosecutor had filed the sealed legal brief last week, leaving it up to Judge Chutkan to decide whether or not to make it public or publish a shortened version.
In the debate between the VPs on Tuesday night, Trump’s Vice Presidential running mate JD Vance would not acknowledge that in 2020 Trump was defeated. Although his performance in the discussion was smooth and he was often liked more than his rival, Democrat Tim Walz, this refusal rang numerous alarm bells: it made it clear that Vance obeys Trump to the point of refusing to acknowledge the electoral reality of 2020.
Meanwhile, it was announced that Trump has backed out of an interview with “60 Minutes,” contravening a decades-long tradition of appearing on the popular CBS program.
The broadcaster said both Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump had previously agreed to appear on the special, airing Oct. 7.
