Judge unveils more evidence from special counsel in Trump 2020 election case

Judge unveils more evidence from special counsel in Trump 2020 election case

The judge overseeing President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case released more evidence collected by special counsel Jack Smith on Friday, unveiling a huge batch of heavily redacted documents.

The 1,889 pages of documents, which Trump’s legal team had sought to keep secret, make up four volumes of an appendix that Smith’s attorneys filed alongside a presidential immunity motion that was filed. revealed earlier this month. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, ordered the unsealing of the redacted annex last week, but delayed publication to give Trump time to challenge his decision.

The new documents include transcripts of court hearings, interviews and speeches related to the case, as well as additional sources. Smith had indicated that much of the annex contains sensitive information that should remain hidden from the public, and the released version contains hundreds of pages that remain under seal. That evidence, subject to a protective order issued early in the case last year, likely includes transcripts of grand jury testimony and interviews with the FBI.

But many of the documents contain publicly available information, including voting tabulations and tweets from Trump and others linked to the case. Prosecutors also included Trump’s speech near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, in which he told a crowd of supporters that he had won the election and said “we’re going to the Capitol.”

Chutkan reiterated his decision to release the annex in an order issued Thursday, writing that the public is presumed to have access to “all facets of criminal legal proceedings.” Trump’s legal team tried to keep the documents under seal, arguing that their release could influence the 2024 presidential election, but Chutkan said she did not find their arguments compelling and would not consider political considerations when conducting the case.

Trump was initially indicted last year, with prosecutors alleging that he and his allies orchestrated a massive campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The case was on hold for months while Trump’s lawyers argued that he should be safe from prosecution.

The Supreme Court decided over the summer, presidents are immunized against “official acts” they perform while in office. Smith filed a new indictment limiting the charges to comply with the court’s decision. Chutkan is now tasked with determining whether Trump has immunity in the Supreme Court. He pleaded not guilty.

Smith’s team filed a motion urging Chutkan to conclude that Trump is not immune from prosecution, which was made public on October 2. Trump’s lawyers have until November 7 – two days after Election Day – to submit their response.

His lawyers argued that Chutkan should not release any additional information about the case, saying in a filing that “the asymmetrical disclosure of the charged allegations and related materials during early voting creates a disturbing appearance of election interference.” But Chutkan said the court was not limiting public access to just one part of the case, since Trump and his team could present their own legal arguments and facts.

In a separate order on Wednesday, Chutkan also widely rejected Trump has asked prosecutors to seek and provide more information that he believes could support his defense. Chutkan said prosecutors may have already sought the information Trump wants, or may not have it under their control.

Among the evidence Trump unsuccessfully requested was information about suspected undercover agents at the Capitol on January 6. Chutkan said the former president “provides nothing other than speculation that there were even such undercover actors” at the Capitol when Trump supporters violated the law. building.

Scott MacFarlane and

contributed to this report.