Prosecutors Present New Evidence In Trump Election Case

Donald Trump began laying the groundwork to overturn the 2020 election even before he lost, pushed false claims of voter fraud, and “resorted to crimes” in his failed attempt to stay in power, prosecutors stated in a court filing unsealed Wednesday.

The filing introduces previously undisclosed testimony from Trump’s closest aides. I Photo: Donald J. Trump Facebook

The Associated Press (AP) report by Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer highlights new evidence against the former US president.

The filing from special counsel Jack Smith’s team provides the most detailed account so far of what prosecutors intend to prove if the case, charging Trump with conspiring to overturn the election, goes to trial.

Although the months-long congressional investigation and the indictment have previously outlined Trump’s efforts to reverse the election, the filing introduces previously undisclosed testimony from Trump’s closest aides.

It portrays an “increasingly desperate” president who, while losing his hold on the White House, “used deceit to target every stage of the electoral process,” according to additional reporting by Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro for AP.

The filing quotes Trump as saying “So what?” when told by an aide that Vice President Mike Pence had been rushed to a secure location after violent Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The document also claims Trump dismissed concerns from an adviser that his legal team could not prove the false allegations in court, reportedly saying, “The details don’t matter.”

The brief aims to convince US District Judge Tanya Chutkan that the offenses detailed in the indictment were carried out by Trump in his private, rather than presidential, capacity.

This distinction is critical as the case progresses. Judge Chutkan allowed a redacted version of the filing to be made public despite objections from Trump’s legal team, who argued that unsealing it so close to the election would be unfair.