Special Prosecutor Jack Smith is moving steadily ahead to put Donald Trump on trial March 4, 2024 in a DC courtroom. The coming trial, before federal district Judge Tanya Chutkan, will address Mr. Trump’s use of election falsehoods to stop, delay or change Congress’ count of the 2020 electoral vote on January 6, 2021. To clear the way, Smith just filed a 64-page fact laden brief responding to Mr. Trump’s motions to dismiss the indictment. Smith’s responses are a window into the serious legal peril facing Mr. Trump.
Already Republicans face the prospect their leading candidate becomes a convicted felon just as they approach the mid-July 2024 Republican National Convention. Republicans may want to consider Smith’s responses to the Trump lawyers now before the election calendar takes them further down the road with Mr. Trump.
Jack Smith’s responses to the Trump defenses reveal the seriousness of the charges. Mr. Trump’s attorneys argue of claims the election was rigged or stolen: “whatever one thinks of President Trump’s expressed opinions on this issue, his assertion of them does not constitute ‘deceit’ or ‘trickery’” under federal law. Smith responds Mr. Trump did more than express opinions. He used “facts” his lawyers’ briefs do not attempt to defend as true. For example, Trump statements that “36,000 non-citizens had voted in Arizona”; that “more than 10,300 dead people had voted in Georgia”; that “there had been 205,000 more votes than voters in Pennsylvania”; or that “...
Celtic Park. 17 May 2025.. Photo Vagelis Georgariou “It’s one thing saving for a rainy day but it looks like Celtic are saving for a monsoon,” Swiss Ramble We assume it was supposed to reassure. I...