5 key takeaways from special counsel's bombshell filing on Trump's alleged bid to overturn 2020 election
Trump allegedly planned to declare victory regardless of the election results, aiming to create confusion on election night to later claim fraud. Prosecutors argue this was part of a broader effort to maintain power.
A campaign employee allegedly encouraged creating chaos at a polling site, with instructions to provoke unrest that Trump could use as evidence of voter fraud.
Trump privately referred to lawyer Sidney Powell’s claims of voter fraud as "crazy" while publicly adopting and amplifying the same conspiracy theories.
Former Vice President Mike Pence’s notes and testimony show Trump repeatedly pressured him to reject the election results, despite legal and advisory counsel urging otherwise.
Prosecutors claim Trump modified his Jan. 6 speech to falsely suggest Pence could overturn the election results, contributing to the violence at the Capitol.
New information regarding Donald Trump and his associates’ alleged efforts to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election has emerged in a recent court filing. Special Counsel Jack Smith provided details in a 165-page document, accusing the former president of engaging in increasingly "desperate" attempts to stay in power after his loss to Joe Biden. These allegations were put forth following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity earlier this year.
The filing asserts that Trump knowingly misled the public, state officials, and even his vice president in his efforts to cling to the presidency. At times, Trump privately acknowledged that certain claims of election fraud were "crazy," according to prosecutors. Despite this, he continued to assert widespread voter fraud, even after multiple advisers disproved his allegations.
Efforts to Overturn Election Results
The document outlines how Trump and his allies launched numerous legal challenges and pursued fraudulent electors in seven states where Trump had lost. According to the filing, when these efforts failed, Trump’s rhetoric allegedly turned to inciting violence, with prosecutors claiming that his actions were directly responsible for the unrest on January 6.
Smith's filing suggests that Trump viewed the large crowd gathered on January 6 as his "last hope" to prevent the certification of Biden's victory. In his speech, Trump is accused of encouraging his supporters to march to the Capitol, which eventually led to the breach of the building.
READ MORE ABOUT THE FAKE ELECTORS SCHEMES:
Planned Chaos and Allegations of Fraud
The special counsel's document also alleges that Trump laid the groundwork for his efforts well before Election Day by sowing doubt about the election process among his supporters. Prosecutors claim that Trump planned to declare victory prematurely, regardless of the actual vote count.
One instance highlighted in the filing is an event where a campaign employee reportedly encouraged colleagues to "make them riot" during a vote count in Detroit. This chaos was later used by Trump to bolster his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
Trump’s Comments and Actions
Prosecutors further allege that Trump made contradictory statements about the claims of fraud. In one notable moment, the filing states that Trump privately called his lawyer Sidney Powell's fraud allegations "crazy," though he continued to rely on similar arguments to cast doubt on the election’s legitimacy.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include four criminal counts related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The case is set to move forward as Judge Chutkan begins considering whether any of the actions described in the case are protected by presidential immunity.
The special counsel's filing argues that Trump was acting as a candidate, not as a sitting president, when he allegedly committed crimes, and therefore should stand trial as any private citizen would.
For more information on the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, you can read the decision here. To learn more about Trump’s interactions with Justice Department officials, read the official acts discussion here.
