Trump “Resorted to Crimes” After 2020 Election Loss, Federal Prosecutors Claim in Unsealed Court Filing
Federal prosecutors have revealed in a newly unsealed court filing that former President Donald Trump “resorted to crimes” following his defeat in the 2020 election. The prosecutors argue that Trump is not entitled to immunity from prosecution related to his attempts to cling to power after losing to Democrat Joe Biden.
This filing, submitted by special counsel Jack Smith’s team, comes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling that granted former presidents broad immunity for official acts performed while in office. The ruling, however, has not altered the charges against Trump, which include conspiring to overturn the electoral results.
The purpose of this legal brief is to persuade U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan that the actions outlined in the indictment are private rather than official acts, which would allow them to remain part of the ongoing case. Among the actions detailed is Trump’s effort to persuade former Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the electoral votes on January 6, 2021.
Smith’s team stated, “Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one. Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted—a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role.”
The filing continues, “When the defendant lost the 2020 presidential election, he resorted to crimes to try to stay in office,” underscoring the seriousness of the allegations against Trump as the legal battle continues to unfold.
As this case develops, it raises important questions about the accountability of public officials and the limits of presidential immunity, further intensifying the ongoing political discourse surrounding Trump’s actions during and after the election.
Source: AP
