In a new indictment, special prosecutor Jack Smith reveals how Donald Trump wanted to save the election he lost. There are violent accusations there.
It was a political shock: US presidents – and therefore Donald Trump – are protected from prosecution for crimes committed in office, the US Constitutional Court decided. At least as long as it took place within the scope of official business. Special investigator Jack Smith has now filed a lawsuit with which he wants to prove that Trump can still be convicted. It contains shocking details about Trump’s handling of the election. Even Trump’s house channel Fox News is now talking about “crimes.”
At the core of the lawsuit, which was published partially redacted on Wednesday, is one question: Did the former president commit the acts within the scope of his office? Smith is convinced: “The answer to this question is no.” What is remarkable, however, is the extent of his collection of evidence: on over 165 pages, Smith listed one piece of evidence for Trump’s guilt after another. And comes to a clear conclusion: “After losing the 2020 election, the defendant decided to commit crimes in order to remain in office. Together with his co-conspirators, he began an increasingly desperate series of plans to overturn the legitimate election results. “
Donald Trump: No protection for his deputy
In doing so, Smith reveals numerous details that are not publicly known about Trump’s election fraud campaign, which was actually extensively documented. Even his own team repeatedly confronted the president with the fact that there was no legal action against the result and no real evidence of election fraud in favor of Joe Biden. Trump insisted on continuing. He called on his Vice President Mike Pence to “bow to him” – and simply not recognize the election.
When he then refused, according to the indictment, Trump deliberately incited the mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 – also with the declared goal of lynching Pence. When Trump was informed that Pence had to be rescued by the Secret Service, he reacted unimpressed: “And if so,” he is said to have said in front of witnesses.
Even Fox News talks about crime
In view of the serious allegations, even Trump’s long-time house broadcaster “Fox News” suddenly chooses unusually harsh words. “The president has decided to focus on crime,” said moderator Neil Cavuto, somewhat cryptically but clearly. The broadcaster had so far largely presented both Trump’s election fraud allegations and his personal actions as legitimate.
The Trump camp reacted harshly to the lawsuit. “ELECTION MANIPULATION” – Trump complained in capital letters on his network Truth Social. The lawsuit is full of false allegations and is unconstitutional, said Trump. Publishing the lawsuit shortly after Tuesday’s vice presidential debate was “a blatant attempt by the Harris-Biden regime to suppress American democracy and use it as a weapon 33 days before the election,” the candidate raged. “I didn’t rig the 2020 election. That was them,” he added hours later, almost desperately.
Open procedure
The new indictment became necessary because the Constitutional Court followed Donald Trump’s argument in July that the US President should not be prosecuted for crimes committed while in office. Smith’s already advanced prosecution was set back by this decision. The anger over the decision is clearly visible in the new indictment; it sometimes explicitly argues against the judges’ decision and states, for example, that an indictment of Trump would not restrict his ability to act as president – which was the main argument of the constitutional judges.
Whether the new lawsuit actually ends up in court depends on several factors. Through objections, it could ultimately even end up before the Constitutional Court again. If Trump wins, it would be finished anyway. Trump had already announced that he would not only depose Smith after a new election. Instead, bring him to court together with his opponent Kamala Harris and the incumbent President Joe Biden.
Sources: Statement of Claim, The Hill, Fox News