Donald Trump called Special counsel Jack Smith‘s report on US President-elect’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results “fake” and said that the “Unselect Committee illegally destroyed and deleted all the evidences.”
Jack Smith and his team earlier today concluded their investigation that led to Trump being charged in 2023 with four felony counts related to a alleged “criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election results. Trump entered a not guilty plea to all charges.
This report, which the justice department published early Tuesday following a federal judge’s approval, involves over 250 voluntary interviews and testimony from more than 55 witnesses before the grand jury.
“To show you how desperate Deranged Jack Smith is, he released his Fake findings at 1:00 A.M. in the morning. Did he say that the Unselect Committee illegally destroyed and deleted all of the evidence,” Trump said in Truth Social.
The cases against Trump, including the classified documents case, were discontinued after his reelection in November, due to the Justice Department’s established policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
The final report strongly indicates Smith’s belief that Trump – who is due to be inaugurated in less than a week – would have been found guilty of multiple felonies for his attempts to unlawfully alter the 2020 election outcome, had voters not elected him president in 2024, ABC reported.
“The Department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a President is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Office stands fully behind,” the report said.
“Indeed, but for 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.”
“The throughline of all of Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit – knowingly false claims of election fraud — and the evidence shows that Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process,” the report said.
Addressing Trump’s free speech defence, the report stated, “The Office was cognizant of Trump’s free speech rights during the investigation and would not have brought a prosecution if the evidence indicated he had engaged in mere political exaggeration or rough-and-tumble politics. The conduct of Trump and co-conspirators, however, went well beyond speaking their minds or contesting the election results though our legal system.”
The report details interviews with various “fake electors” who acknowledged they would not have participated had they known the full extent of the co-conspirators’ intentions.
The investigation’s scope was broader than previously known, involving over 250 voluntary interviews and testimony from more than 55 witnesses before the grand jury, as per ABC.
Judge Aileen Cannon permitted the public release of Volume One early Tuesday, whilst Volume Two, concerning the classified documents investigation, remains unreleased due to ongoing appeals involving Trump’s former co-defendants.
Smith resigned as special prosecutor on Friday after completing the cases and submitting his report to Garland.
