In a filing made on Wednesday, special counsel Jack Smith’s team argued that former President Donald Trump was acting primarily as a private candidate for office rather than as president of the United States when he attempted to overturn his 2020 election loss. The filing revealed new details of the scheme at the center of Trump’s federal election interference case. The Supreme Court ruled that Trump had some immunity for actions taken as president, but prosecutors could still pursue charges related to his private actions. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Trump in August to comply with the Supreme Court’s order. Trump allegedly engaged in criminal activities in a desperate attempt to stay in office, including seeking to overturn election results in seven states he had lost.
According to Smith’s team, Trump knowingly spread falsehoods about the election and worked with a team of private co-conspirators to disrupt the government function of collecting and counting votes. He was aware that mail-in ballots, which were expected to favor Joe Biden, would take time to be counted, yet he declared victory prematurely and laid the groundwork for claims of fraud. Trump’s campaign manager, deputy campaign manager, senior campaign advisor, and campaign operative were allegedly involved in carrying out the scheme. Smith’s team contends that Trump must face trial for his private crimes as any other citizen would. The investigation into Trump’s actions related to the 2020 election is ongoing, and further updates are expected.
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