Special Counsel Jack Smith released a report on Tuesday, Jan. 15, about his investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“The throughline of all of Mr. Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit — knowingly false claims of election fraud — and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process,” the report states.
Trump responded early Tuesday with a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he was “totally innocent” and called Smith “a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election.” He added, “THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!!”
Smith said his team defended the rule of law and stood by their decision to bring charges, even though Trump’s 2024 election victory stopped the case from going to trial.
The report accuses Trump of spreading lies about election fraud to stay in power and of trying to disrupt the democratic process. It details his efforts to pressure officials, use fake electors, and incite the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Trump’s conflicts with his vice president, Mike Pence, over certifying the election results are also highlighted.
“Mr. Trump’s resort to intimidation and harassment during the investigation was not new, as demonstrated by his actions during the charged conspiracies,” Smith wrote.
“A fundamental component of Mr. Trump’s conduct underlying the charges in the Election Case was his pattern of using social media — at the time, Twitter — to publicly attack and seek to influence state and federal officials, judges, and election workers who refused to support false claims that the election had been stolen or who otherwise resisted complicity in Mr. Trump’s scheme,” he added.
Although prosecutors believed they had enough evidence to convict Trump, his re-election and Supreme Court rulings made it impossible to continue the case, he said. The report also addresses the challenges of the investigation, including Trump use of executive privilege to block evidence and target witnesses and prosecutors on social media.
Smith emphasized that the team’s actions to uphold justice matter, even though the case could not move forward. A separate section about Trump’s handling of classified documents remains sealed for now.
CGTN America
Special Counsel Jack Smith released a report on Tuesday, Jan. 15, about his investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
“The throughline of all of Mr. Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit — knowingly false claims of election fraud — and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process,” the report states.
Trump responded early Tuesday with a post on his Truth Social platform, saying he was “totally innocent” and called Smith “a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election.” He added, “THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!!”
Smith said his team defended the rule of law and stood by their decision to bring charges, even though Trump’s 2024 election victory stopped the case from going to trial.
The report accuses Trump of spreading lies about election fraud to stay in power and of trying to disrupt the democratic process. It details his efforts to pressure officials, use fake electors, and incite the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Trump’s conflicts with his vice president, Mike Pence, over certifying the election results are also highlighted.
“Mr. Trump’s resort to intimidation and harassment during the investigation was not new, as demonstrated by his actions during the charged conspiracies,” Smith wrote.
“A fundamental component of Mr. Trump’s conduct underlying the charges in the Election Case was his pattern of using social media — at the time, Twitter — to publicly attack and seek to influence state and federal officials, judges, and election workers who refused to support false claims that the election had been stolen or who otherwise resisted complicity in Mr. Trump’s scheme,” he added.
Although prosecutors believed they had enough evidence to convict Trump, his re-election and Supreme Court rulings made it impossible to continue the case, he said. The report also addresses the challenges of the investigation, including Trump use of executive privilege to block evidence and target witnesses and prosecutors on social media.
Smith emphasized that the team’s actions to uphold justice matter, even though the case could not move forward. A separate section about Trump’s handling of classified documents remains sealed for now.
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