The New York Times reports:
Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted President-elect Donald J. Trump on charges of illegally seeking to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, said in a final report released early Tuesday that the evidence would have been sufficient to convict Mr. Trump in a trial, had his 2024 election victory not made it impossible for the prosecution to continue.
“The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Mr. Smith wrote.
He continued: “Indeed, 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.”
The Washington Post reports:
For 137 pages, Smith detailed the incriminating evidence he says he collected against Trump over his two-year investigation, portraying the former and now incoming president as a man who allegedly wielded his power to deceive state lawmakers, Republican Party activists and presidential electors to claim victory in an election he knew he lost.
The Justice Department posted the report on its website shortly before 1 a.m. — less than an hour after a court order barring its release expired. The report serves as the final public record of a historic Justice Department prosecution that never made it to trial, with the federal government abandoning the case in November after its criminal defendant became the president-elect.
Justice Department regulations prohibit the prosecution of a sitting president, but Smith emphasized in his report that dropping the case does not lessen the severity of the crimes that prosecutors allege Trump committed.
NBC News reports:
The report brings to an end a chapter in American history that saw, for the first time, a former president indicted on federal charges only to go on and be re-elected and, in a few days, returned to power. Trump fought to keep the report secret, but last-minute requests to prohibit the release were refused.
Smith’s report said that Trump’s actions, resulting in the interruption of America’s record of peaceful transfers of power, were without historical comparison and that Trump’s “political and financial status” as well as “the prospect of his future election to the presidency” made the investigation more challenging.
Trump’s “ability and willingness to use his influence and following on social media to target witnesses, courts, and Department employees” was a “significant challenge” for the office, causing the special counsel to “engage in time-consuming litigation to protect witnesses from threats and harassment,” the report said.
ABC News reports:
After conducting interviews with 250 witnesses voluntarily, calling 55 people to testify before the grand jury, executing dozens of subpoenas and search warrants, and sifting through a terabyte of publicly accessible data, Smith’s team concluded they could convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump committed multiple federal crimes when he attempted to overturn the election, the report said.
“The throughline of all of Mr. Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit — knowingly false claims of election fraud — and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process,” the report said.
Smith also noted that the case against Trump presented unique challenges, including Trump’s “ability and willingness” to use social media to target witnesses, courts, and prosecutors with “threats and harassment.” Like any other case involving a conspiracy, prosecutors also expressed concerns about convincing witnesses to cooperate while the defendant still exerted influence and command over his alleged co-conspirators.
There’s much more at all links above.
BREAKING: Special counsel Jack Smith says his team “stood up for the rule of law” in new report submitted to Congress detailing his team’s findings about Donald Trump’s efforts to cling to power after the 2020 election. https://t.co/GjNzIX5YL0
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 14, 2025