Report details investigation that led to Trump being charged in 2023 with 4 felony counts for allegedly orchestrating 'criminal scheme' to overturn 2020 election results, local media reports
The US Justice Department has submitted to Congress Volume One of special counsel Jack Smith's final report, outlining his investigation into Donald Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.
The report details the investigation that led to Trump, who will be returning to the White House on Jan. 20, being charged in 2023 with four felony counts for allegedly orchestrating a "criminal scheme" to overturn the 2020 election results in an attempt to undermine democracy and stay in power, ABC News reported on Tuesday. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The case, along with Smith's classified documents case against the president-elect, was dismissed after Trump's victory in November's presidential election, in accordance with a long-standing Justice Department policy that prohibits prosecuting a sitting president.
The first of two volumes of Smith's final report was made public Tuesday after US District Judge Aileen Cannon authorized its release on Monday, after a week-long court battle.
Trump's former co-defendants in the classified documents case, longtime aide Walt Nauta and staffer Carlos De Oliveira, attempted to prevent the release of both volumes, one on the classified documents case and the other on Jan. 6.
However, Cannon permitted the public release of the Jan. 6 volume, ruling that its contents were unrelated to the evidence or charges against Nauta and De Oliveira in their ongoing case.
After consulting with Special Counsel Jack Smith, Attorney General Merrick Garland decided not to release Volume Two, which pertains to the classified documents investigation, as Nauta and De Oliveira's cases were still under appeal.
In 2023, Trump pleaded not guilty to 40 criminal counts related to his handling of classified materials after leaving the White House, following prosecutors' allegations that he repeatedly refused to return hundreds of classified documents.
In a superseding indictment, Trump, along with Nauta and De Oliveira, also pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Smith resigned on Friday after concluding the cases and submitting his report to Garland.
