Former President Donald Trump, according to a filing by special counsel Jack Smith’s team, was acting as a private candidate rather than as president when he sought to overturn his 2020 election loss. The filing revealed that Trump knew his claims about the election were false but spread them to stay in power. It also stated that Trump was on Twitter as the Capitol was being attacked on Jan. 6. The filing was in response to a Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity for some actions taken as president. Smith’s team argued that Trump should stand trial for his private crimes and adjusted their case to comply with the ruling.
The filing detailed how Trump, with the help of his campaign team, allegedly launched criminal plans to disrupt the election results in seven states he lost. Trump reportedly declared victory before all ballots were counted and claimed he would only lose if there was fraud. A Trump campaign spokesman criticized the filing as “falsehood-ridden” and accused the Smith team of trying to weaponize the Justice Department to cling to power.
Overall, the filing highlights Trump’s alleged role in spreading falsehoods about the election and attempting to overturn the results, casting doubt on the legitimacy of his actions during and after the 2020 election.
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