Special counsel Jack Smith's final report on Donald Trump’s attempts on and before January 6 to overturn the 2020 election states that the case against the president-elect would’ve been strong enough to convict him if he hadn’t won his re-election bid.
“But for Mr. 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,” Smith wrote.
Trump and his allies unsuccessfully fought to block the report’s release. A second volume of Smith’s report, concerning Trump’s retention of classified documents, has been at least temporarily blocked by Judge Aileen Cannon.
The 137-page final report lays out alleged schemes by Trump to pressure state officials in Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and other states to change election results, send fake slates of electors to Congress, abuse the Department of Justice's credibility to bolster his election subversion campaign, pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to illegally stop the electoral count certification and ultimately encourage a mob of his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol.
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Smith wrote that his office “stands fully behind” its findings but acknowledged DOJ’s policy against indicting or prosecuting sitting presidents. Despite a lack of accountability for the president-elect, the report’s release contains a startling and detailed look at Trump’s plans to hold onto power at any cost.
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