Prosecutor's report indicates that Trump undertook an extraordinary criminal endeavor to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election.
Special Counsel Jack Smith stated that Donald Trump "motivated his supporters to engage in acts of physical violence" and indicated that sufficient evidence existed for a jury to secure a conviction against him.
President-elect Donald Trump was reported to have engaged in an extraordinary criminal endeavor to reverse his defeat in the 2020 election, as outlined in a report by Special Counsel Jack Smith. According to Prosecutor Smith, Mr. Trump "motivated his supporters to engage in acts of physical violence" during the riots on January 6 and deliberately propagated a false narrative regarding election fraud in 2020.
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Nevertheless, attempts to prosecute Mr. Trump for his efforts to retain power were impeded by his re-election in November, as noted in the special prosecutor's report released by the Department of Justice on Tuesday. Additionally, Mr. Smith indicated that charges could be warranted against Mr. Trump's co-conspirators, although he did not reach any definitive conclusions. Following Mr. Trump's election victory in November, Mr. Smith resigned from his position.
"Indeed, but for Mr Trump's election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial," Mr Smith's report said.
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The publication of the report occurred shortly after Mr. Trump received a sentence following his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. The President-elect has repeatedly criticized Mr. Smith, with his associates suggesting that the special counsel should now be subjected to criminal charges for pursuing the case against him. Following the report's release, Mr. Trump labeled Mr. Smith as "deranged" and denounced the report's findings as "fake."
Accompanying the report was a letter from Mr. Trump's legal team addressed to the Justice Department, dated January 6, 2025. In this correspondence, they urged Mr. Smith to "cease all efforts toward the preparation and release" of the report, which they claimed was "in line with the bad-faith crusade" that they alleged Mr. Smith was conducting on behalf of the Biden-Harris administration. In response, the special prosecutor defended his investigation, stating: "Mr. Trump's assertion that my prosecutorial decisions were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political figures is, quite frankly, laughable."
Special counsel Jack Smith
Mr. Smith's legal situation encountered significant obstacles even prior to the indication that Mr. Trump would be reinstated in the White House. The proceedings were suspended for several months while the former president asserted a legal argument claiming immunity from prosecution for actions undertaken during his presidency. The Supreme Court, which holds a conservative majority, largely supported his position, affirming that former presidents enjoy extensive immunity from criminal charges.
Additional allegations detailed in the report released today include:
• Mr. Trump reached out to state legislators and officials, urging them to disregard the official vote counts and alter the election results.
• Mr. Trump and his associates devised a scheme to employ fraudulent electors in seven states he lost in the 2020 election, intending to submit false certifications to Washington, D.C.
• Discontented with the Justice Department for failing to uncover substantial evidence of fraud in the 2020 election, Mr. Trump sought to leverage federal authority to sustain his fraudulent claims and maintain his position in office.
• Mr. Trump persistently urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to utilize his role as President of the Senate to alter the election results, a request that Mr. Pence consistently declined.
