Jack Smith’s report reveals significant findings about Trump’s actions surrounding the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot.
Washington D.C.: So, early Tuesday morning, just days before Trump was set to take office again, Jack Smith dropped his final report. It’s all about the alleged criminal stuff Trump did to cling to power after losing the 2020 election. And let me tell you, Trump and his lawyers were not happy about it.
Basically, Trump faced some serious federal charges. He was accused of trying to steal the election from Biden and messing with Congress on January 6, 2021. Plus, there were issues with him keeping classified documents after leaving the White House. The charges got tweaked after the Supreme Court said presidents are protected when doing “official” acts, and they were eventually dropped when Trump got re-elected.
But here’s the kicker: Smith made it clear that the charges weren’t dropped because Trump was innocent, as he keeps claiming. Nope, it was more about the Justice Department’s policy against going after a sitting president.
In this hefty 174-page report, Smith insists he could have won the case against Trump. He even said that if it weren’t for Trump’s election win, they had enough evidence to convict him. That’s a big deal!
Back in 2021, Trump got impeached for inciting an “insurrection,” but the Senate didn’t convict him. They fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.
While a lot of what’s in Smith’s report was already out there thanks to the January 6 Committee, this report dives deeper into the evidence and lays out what the prosecution would have argued against Trump. Only part of it is out now since some folks involved in the classified documents case are still waiting for their hearings.
Trump wasted no time bashing Smith and the report. He called Smith “deranged” and claimed the report was based on info that was destroyed by the “Unselect Committee.” He insists it showed he was innocent and others were guilty.
Now, let’s break down five key takeaways from the report.
First off, Trump was ready to claim victory no matter what. The report shows he was told multiple times he lost, even admitting it himself. But he had plans to create doubt about the election results and declare victory before all the votes were counted.
Second, Trump pressured state officials and even Mike Pence to change the election results. He called up Republican leaders in states he lost, pushing them to ignore the vote counts. They all told him there was no evidence to back up his claims.
Fourth, Trump took advantage of the January 6 riot. He fired up his supporters with false claims about the election being stolen, which led to chaos at the Capitol. He watched it all unfold on TV and didn’t try to calm anyone down until much later.
Lastly, Smith thought about charging Trump with insurrection but decided against it. He couldn’t find enough legal precedent for charging someone for inciting insurrection without directly engaging in it.
So, as Trump heads back to the White House, he’s making history as the first president impeached twice and the first to be convicted of a felony. Quite the legacy, huh?
