(ProsperNews.net) – On Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan made public a heavily redacted set of documents related to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to interfere with the 2020 election. These documents, totaling nearly 1,900 pages, had previously been sealed while Chutkan reviewed which allegations could proceed to trial. The documents were released in accordance with the Supreme Court’s July opinion, which grants former presidents broad immunity for official acts taken during their time in office.
The redacted version contains mostly previously disclosed materials, such as screenshots of Trump’s social media posts about the 2020 election and his video statement on January 6, 2021, where he addressed the Capitol rioters, telling them to “go home” but also calling them “very special.” Most of the pages remain whited-out due to grand jury secrecy rules, and the sealed content is believed to include grand jury testimony.
Other visible documents include excerpts from former Vice President Mike Pence’s book, testimony from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, and transcripts of Trump’s phone call pressuring Georgia election officials to “find” enough votes to reverse his defeat to Joe Biden. The filing also includes emails from Trump’s 2020 campaign and a letter from Pence to Congress stating that he lacked the unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes to count.
These appendices were part of a 165-page brief unsealed earlier in October, where prosecutors presented new evidence in their argument that Trump is not entitled to immunity. Trump’s legal team opposed the release of the documents so close to the 2024 election, but Judge Chutkan ruled that the political calendar should not influence the timing of the document release.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges related to the case, and this legal battle continues to unfold as the 2024 election nears.
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