By AP News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Special counsel Jack Smith filed a new indictment Tuesday against Donald Trump over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election. It keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against him, following a Supreme Court opinion that conferred broad immunity on former presidents. Read more.
Why this matters:
The stripped-down criminal case represents a first effort by prosecutors to comply with a Supreme Court opinion that made all but certain the Republican presidential nominee won’t face trial before the November election.
The new indictment does away with references to allegations that could be deemed as official acts for which Trump is entitled to immunity in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling. That includes allegations that Trump tried to enlist the Justice Department in his effort to undo his election loss, including by conducting sham investigations and telling states — incorrectly — that significant fraud had been detected.
In a statement on his Truth Social platform, Trump called the new indictment “an act of desperation” and an “effort to resurrect a ‘dead’ Witch Hunt.’” He said the new case has “all the problems of the old Indictment, and should be dismissed IMMEDIATELY.”
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