In a report to Congress released after midnight Monday, special counsel Jack Smith says his office had enough evidence to "indict and secure" a conviction at trial of President-elect Donald Trump in connection with efforts to overturn his loss to Vice President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
Special Counsel Smith states in the report that Mr. Trump "engaged in a series of unlawful efforts to secure power" after it became clear that he had lost and that legal avenues to challenge the result had failed, A2 reports.
“These include efforts to induce state officials to disregard the actual voter tally sheets; to compile false voter lists in the seven states where he lost; to coerce Justice Department officials and his own Vice President, Michael R. Pence, to act contrary to their oaths of office and in favor of Mr. Trump’s personal interests; and on January 6, 2021, leading an angry mob to the United States Capitol to prevent Congressional certification of the presidential election and subsequently supporting participants in the riots,” the report states.
The special counsel says Mr. Trump acted both in his private capacity as a presidential candidate and with the help of numerous associates, and that he attempted to use "the power and authority of the United States government to support his scheme."
The report further says that his unsubstantiated claims, such as numerous votes cast on behalf of deceased persons, or by people who were not eligible to vote, or that voting machines had changed votes cast for Mr. Trump to votes for Mr. Biden, were “demonstrably and, in many cases, clearly false.”
President-elect Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has attacked the special counsel's work as politically motivated.
He responded to the report's release early Tuesday with a post on his social media platform "Truth Social," calling Mr. Smith "a strange prosecutor."
"Crazy Jack Smith was unable to successfully prosecute his 'boss' political opponent, corrupt Joe Biden, so he ends up writing another 'Report' based on information that the Unelected Political Tools and Thugs Committee illegally DESTROYED AND DELETED, showing how completely innocent I was and how completely guilty Nancy Pelosi and others were," Mr. Trump said.
President-elect Trump will be inaugurated for a new term next week, after winning against Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. During the campaign, Mr. Trump denied that he had lost the 2020 election, including during a debate in September with Ms. Harris.
Tuesday's release of the report came a day after Judge Aileen Cannon allowed the Justice Department to release the portion of Attorney General Smith's report that dealt with former President Trump's efforts to stay in power.
Judge Cannon, who was appointed by then-President Trump, had previously blocked the release of Attorney General Smith's full report, which also includes a yet-to-be-released section regarding allegations that Mr. Trump illegally retained classified documents after leaving office.
Special Counsel Smith sought to prosecute Mr. Trump on both counts, while Mr. Trump denied any wrongdoing.
Judge Cannon dismissed the lawsuit over the classified documents in July, arguing that special prosecutor Smith had been appointed illegally.
The Supreme Court also ruled in July that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts, which tempered prosecutor Smith's efforts in the election interference case.
After Mr. Trump won against Ms. Harris, the Justice Department dropped both charges against Mr. Trump, citing its long-standing policy against prosecuting a sitting president of the United States./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
