Hey there, news enthusiasts! Brace yourselves for a political thriller that's more dramatic than any Netflix binge could offer. 😲
According to a bombshell report released on Tuesday, U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that former President Donald Trump engaged in an \"unprecedented criminal effort\" to cling to power after losing the 2020 election. But here's the plot twist: Smith was thwarted from taking the case to trial due to President-elect Joe Biden's November victory, which led to Trump's imminent return to the White House on January 20. 🏛️
Smith's report details a four-count indictment against Trump, accusing him of plotting to obstruct the collection and certification of votes following his defeat by Democratic President Biden. The evidence, according to Smith, was solid enough to convict Trump at trial. However, the longstanding Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president put the brakes on the legal proceedings. 🚫⚖️
\"The claim from Mr. Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable,\" Smith wrote in a letter detailing his report. 🎯
But Trump isn't one to stay silent. In a fiery post on his Truth Social platform, he called Smith a \"lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the election.\" 🔥
Trump's legal team fired back, too. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, they slammed the report as a \"politically motivated attack\" and argued that releasing it ahead of Trump's return to the White House would harm the presidential transition. 📄✉️
The report also drops some juicy tidbits, like the fact that prosecutors considered charging Trump under the Insurrection Act for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Ultimately, they decided against it due to legal risks and insufficient evidence that Trump intended for the full scope of the violence that day. 🏛️⚔️
Smith, who left the Justice Department last week, defended his investigation and his team amidst relentless criticism. He emphasized that his actions were guided by the law, not politics. 🛡️
Amidst all this, Trump and his former co-defendants tried to block the release of the report. However, courts denied their requests, and the report was made public just days before Trump's return to the Oval Office on January 20. 📅
With Trump set to retake the helm, the political landscape is gearing up for what could be an intense ride. Buckle up, folks! 🎢
Reference(s):
Trump engaged in 'criminal effort' to overturn 2020 election: report
cgtn.com
