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A new report, released by Special Counsel Jack Smith and submitted to the US Congress, shows that former President Donald Trump could have been convicted of illegally trying to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election if he had not been re-elected president in November 2024.
The 137-page report states that the evidence collected was sufficient to support a trial conviction for Trump, who was accused of a number of violations, including conspiracy to change the outcome of the election, knowingly spreading false allegations of voter fraud and attempting to exploit the January 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol.
However, after his re-election and return to office, the criminal prosecutions have been halted, due to Justice Department regulations that prohibit the prosecution of a sitting president. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and called the investigations politically motivated. After the report was released, he reacted on his platform “Truth Social,” calling prosecutor Jack Smith a “crazy person” and stressing that “THE VOTER HAS SPEAKEN!!!”
Jack Smith, appointed as special counsel in 2022 to oversee the investigation into Trump, has collected evidence accusing him of “unprecedented efforts to illegally hold onto power.” The report also includes allegations of illegally holding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence. Two Trump associates, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, are still under investigation in connection with the matter.
A court has temporarily blocked the full release of Smith’s report, to avoid affecting the legal proceedings against Trump associates. In the meantime, Trump’s return to the White House has halted any further criminal action against him. The report clarifies that the Justice Department is barred from prosecuting a sitting president, while noting that, had he not been reelected, the evidence would have been sufficient for a conviction.
The future of the legal cases involving Trump associates remains unclear, and the Court will further consider the release of the rest of the report this week.
Redaksia
