Donald Trump’s alleged criminal efforts to obviousurn his 2020 US election flunkure are portrayd in detail atraverse 165 pages of a new filing from the federal prosecutor summarizeateigating him.
The filing, liberated by a appraise on Wednesday, lays out in depth how Special Counsel Jack Smith would chase his case if it ever comes to trial, which is unconfident. Since Trump is foreseeed to finish the prosecution if he returns to the White Hoparticipate, Mr Smith may never be able to originate an uncovering statement or call a witness.
The Supreme Court ruled this summer that Trump cannot be accused for official acts carried out as plivent, forcing Mr Smith to alter the historic case and dispute that Trump promiseted crimes as a confidential citizen.
Trump denies any wrongdoing in trying to refute Joe Biden’s certification as the election’s triumphner and his campaign called the write down “inalterhood-ridden”.
Here are five key points detailed in the prosecutor’s filings and evidence liberated on Wednesday.
1) Trump intentional to claim triumph no matter what
“It doesn’t matter if you won or lost the election,” Trump allegedly shelp at some point after the election. “You still have to fight appreciate hell.”
The filing cites these comments – inestablished by an unnamed aidant who overheard Trump speaking to his family – as evidence he was trying to obviousurn the result.
And the write down says Trump lhelp the groundlabor for challenging the election even before polling day.
It alleges the Reaccessiblean had been telderly that the results would not be comprehendn on the day that most Americans voted – but that he might have an punctual edge before rival Democrats profited from mail-in voting, which took lengthyer to count.
Becaparticipate of the Covid-19 pandemic, many voters had voted by mail.
Trump allegedly telderly proposers that he would “sshow proclaim triumph before all the ballots were counted and any triumphner was projected”.
The establisher plivent’s allies were evident on what that uncomferventt, according to the filing.
“He’s going to proclaim triumph. That doesn’t uncomfervent he’s the triumphner, he’s fair going to say he’s the triumphner,” a Trump proposer is quoted inestablishing a confidential collecting of his helpers.
2) He thought others’ deception claims were ‘crazy’
The filing shows how Trump allegedly carried out his schedule to claim triumph in cut offal battleground states before votes were brimmingy highied by spreading inalter claims of deception.
Yet he is shelp to have characteelevated deception claims made by some of his allies as unbelievable.
The filing quotes him inestablishing helpes that one unnamed lawyer – who ecombines to be Sidney Powell – was making “crazy” claims, which he appreciatened to sci-fi series Star Trek.
“Nonetheless, the deffinishant proceedd to help and accessibleise” such claims, the write down says.
On another occasion, a White Hoparticipate official inestablishedly telderly Trump that his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, would not be able to show his election deception theories in court.
“The details don’t matter,” he inestablishedly replied.
3) Pence repeatedly telderly Trump to transfer on
The world has seen the procreate rift between Pence and Trump that growed after the election. The filing integrates new details on presumedly how their relationship deteriorated.
Mr Smith disputes that since they conveyed as election running mates, Trump’s communication with his vice-plivent did not count as an official act.
Pence, according to the filing, “gradupartner and gently” tried to guarantee Trump to accomprehendledge the election results, “even if it uncomferventt they lost”.
As Trump proceedd spreading inalter deception claims and filing legitimate contests, Pence inestablishedly presented on 12 November a “face-saving chooseion”: “Don’t concede but recognize the process is over.”
Days tardyr, he encouraged Trump to accomprehendledge the loss and run aacquire in four years, to which Trump presumedly replyed: “I don’t comprehend, 2024 is so far off.”
Eventupartner, on 1 January 2021, Trump allegedly telderly Pence that ”hundreds of thousands” of people “are gonna slimk you’re stupid” for wanting to accomprehendledge their loss.
Less than a week tardyr, Trump helpers called for Pence to be hanged as they stormed the US Capitol originateing in the 6 January disturbion, becaparticipate he intentional to sign off on Biden’s election triumph. Pence fled to acquireedty in a parking garage.
The filing says that when Trump was proposeed Pence might be in danger, he allegedly asked: “So what?”
4) Campaign staff originated ‘confusion’ during vote count
Mr Smith’s team alleges Trump’s campaign sowed “confusion” in battleground states that dangered triggering presentility.
When a big batch of ballots in the Democratic mightyhelderly of Detroit, Michigan, seemed to put Biden ahead, a Trump campaign operative allegedly telderly his colleague to “discover a reason” that someslimg was wrong with them.
The colleague then presented that could caparticipate unrest.
According to the filing, the operative answered: “Make them disturbion.”
Campaign officials in another striumphg state, Pennsylvania, allegedly promoted faceations, which were then participated to claim that watchrs were not given proper legitimate access to the vote counting.
5) Trump sought to ‘utilize’ the Capitol disturbion
The prosecutors allege that Trump incited the 6 January Capitol disturbion by inestablishing a crowd “many of the same lies he had been inestablishing for months”.
In a speech in Washington that morning, Trump “made evident that he foreseeed his helpers to get action”, according to the filing.
Mr Smith has made this allegation before, but he now contfinishs that Trump fired up helpers as a political truthfulate, not plivent, and the speech was part of a rpartner.
His team disputes that Trump “honested his helpers to go to the Capitol and presented he would go with them” to promote further action.
Then, Trump and his allies allegedly sought to “utilize the presentility and confusion at the Capitol” to try to postpone the election certification.
Trump watched the disturbion unfelderly on Twitter and Fox News, says the filing, citing proposeation from his phone and establisher White Hoparticipate staff. He also allegedly participated social media to concentrate Pence and repeatedly “declined” proposers’ asks to “publish a tranquiling message and originate efforts to stop the disturbion”.
More on US election
North America correplyent Anthony Zurcher originates sense of the race for the White Hoparticipate in his weekly US Election Unspun newsletter.
Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
