WASHINGTON − In a report released early Tuesday, special counsel Jack Smith defended charging President-elect Donald Trump with illegally trying to steal the 2020 presidential election and then dropping the charges after Trump’s general election victory in November.
In the sweeping report, Smith argued that his office had the evidence to secure a conviction against the former president if the election case had ever gone to trial. Smith requested to dismiss the case following Trump’s election based on Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump attacked Smith on Truth Social as “deranged” following the report’s release and claimed that information was destroyed that would have proved his innocence.
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Read the full report from Jack Smith on Trump election case:
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Smith resigned on Friday, days before Trump is set to be inaugurated. He was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to serve as special counsel overseeing two investigations of Trump.
Smith has also written a report on a separate case alleging Trump mishandled classified documents after the end of his first presidential term. That report hasn’t been released.
