Jack Smith Report Insists Evidence Against Trump ‘Sufficient’ for Conviction If Not for 2024 Victory
Donald Trump’s re-election in 2024 stopped him from being convicted for trying to overturn the 2020 election, according to a report by special counsel Jack Smith.
The Justice Department released the 137-page report on Tuesday, which was also shared by The New York Times. It detailed Trump’s actions after losing the 2020 election.
“When it became clear that Trump had lost and legal ways to challenge the results had failed, he turned to criminal actions to stay in power,” Smith wrote.
Smith was appointed to investigate Trump’s attempts to undermine democracy after the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He concluded that if Trump had not been re-elected, there was enough evidence to convict him in court.
The report emphasized that the Justice Department’s view on presidential immunity blocked Trump’s prosecution. “The Constitution prevents the prosecution of a sitting president, no matter how serious the crimes,” Smith explained.
The investigation revealed Trump pressured state officials, organized fake electors, and encouraged protests against election results. Smith pointed out that Trump’s claims of election fraud were “clearly false.”
Though Trump was impeached and charged with four crimes, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., he pleaded not guilty to all charges. Prosecutors considered using the Insurrection Act but decided against it due to a lack of evidence tying Trump to the January 6 violence.
Trump called the report a political attack on Truth Social, calling Smith a “lamebrain prosecutor.”
Smith defended his investigation, saying it followed the facts and law. “My only goal was to follow the evidence wherever it led,” he said, denying any political influence. He added that claims of bias from Trump were “laughable.”
Another part of the report, which discusses Trump’s handling of sensitive national security documents, remains sealed because of ongoing legal cases involving two of Trump’s associates.
