On the 27th (local time), US federal special prosecutor Jack Smith re-indicted US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on charges of attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The indictment was partially amended to reflect the Supreme Court’s decision last month to broadly recognize former presidents’ criminal immunity for their actions while in office.
The indictment submitted by the special prosecution team to the Washington Federal District Court that day was reduced from 45 pages to 36 pages, but the four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of official proceedings, and conspiracy, were largely maintained.
However, the content related to the pressure on the Justice Department, which the Supreme Court recognized as Trump’s absolute immunity last month, was omitted. The original indictment stated that Trump conspired with former Justice Department Citizens Division Director Jeffrey Clark to pressure the Justice Department to investigate election fraud in states where the presidential vote was close, such as Georgia. Clark’s name, who was indicted as a co-conspirator, was also redacted.
The Washington Post (WP) explained that the indictment was intended to make clearer the claim that former President Trump and his co-conspirators acted in an unofficial capacity, as the Supreme Court recognized immunity for official acts. Accordingly, the special counsel team emphasized in the amended indictment that the five co-conspirators who advised candidate Trump on overturning the 2020 presidential election results were not government officials, but “private attorneys” or “consultants,” and that they all acted in their individual capacities.
The new indictment also adds the statement that “Candidate Trump used ‘X’ for personal purposes as well as official activities,” emphasizing that posting messages on ‘X’ encouraging supporters to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was unofficial activity.
The special prosecutor’s team explained to CNN on the same day that the indictment “reflects the government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s ruling and directives.” Politico analyzed the special prosecutor’s re-indictment, saying, “The special prosecutor judged that the Supreme Court’s decision on immunity would not be a significant obstacle to the former president’s conviction.”
Both sides are scheduled to appear in court for a hearing next week, but some analysts say it is unlikely that former President Trump will be brought to trial before the November election. The re-indictment would allow the defense to raise objections to the charges and evidence, which could actually delay the case even further. Trump took to social media to urge the special counsel to immediately dismiss the attempt to interfere with the November election, saying he was “trying to revive a dead witch hunt.”
Reporter Kim Bo-ra [email protected]
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2024-08-30 01:32:30