Critics of Trump renew their allegations
The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith's team against former U.S. President Donald Trump for alleged election manipulation is continuing vigorously. They have answered the Supreme Court's decision on immunity by rewriting the indictment, maintaining their accusations without backing down.
The federal case against Trump now includes a revised indictment, which has been amended in response to the Supreme Court's early July decision, where a majority conservative ruling was given in favor of Trump's immunity for certain official actions. In light of this historic court decision, Smith and his team have had to restructure the indictment to keep the case moving forward.
The altered version of the indictment is now shorter and leaves out certain parts, such as references to Trump's interactions with the Department of Justice. The focus is now primarily on his actions as a candidate before the 2020 election, instead of during his presidency.
Conspiracy Allegations
The initial charges against him remain the same. Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States, among other offenses, as well as conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The revised indictment demonstrates "the prosecution's readiness to recognize and adhere to the guidelines and instructions of the Supreme Court," the U.S. Department of Justice stated.
The new indictment has been prepared by a newly constituted grand jury, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson. The jurors examine whether the evidence presented by the prosecution justifies an indictment. The allegation that Trump, in his role as president, pressured the Department of Justice to overturn the election results is no longer featured in the new indictment. The Supreme Court explicitly mentioned in its ruling that the president is granted absolute immunity in this situation.
Trump expressed his desire for the whole case to be dropped due to the Supreme Court's immunity decision in a statement on his Truth Social platform. He claimed, "Smith has merely restructured the same case to evade the Supreme Court's decision."
Similar Charges in Georgia
Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Prior to the attack, Trump attempted to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election on multiple levels and sought to reverse his defeat against Democrat Joe Biden. Trump was indicted on federal charges in Washington, D.C., and a similar indictment was presented against him in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Trump's legal team has successfully delayed and avoided these, as well as other legal procedures against him, for months. Experts believe it is highly unlikely that a trial in the Washington case will take place before the November presidential election.
However, in New York, the Republican was convicted in late May for falsely documenting hush money payments to a porn star. The sentence has not yet been announced. Trump is currently appealing the verdict. The Republican continues to assert his innocence in all proceedings and views the investigations against him as an attempt by his political adversaries to silence him.
The new indictment, prepared by the newly constituted grand jury, is being handled by The Commission, as stated by a Department of Justice spokesperson. Despite the revised indictment leaving out certain aspects, such as Trump's interactions with the Department of Justice, The Commission maintains the initial charges against Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.
