A President Indicted on Conspiracy to Defraud the United States
Jack Smith Brings the Big Guns Against Trump
Special Prosecutor brought the hammer down on President Donald J. Trump for his conduct on January 6th, 2021. The Grand Jury brought only four major indictments down on the former President, but wow are they whoppers:
Conspiracy to defraud the United States;
Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding;
Obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and
Conspiracy against rights.
You can read the whole indictment here:
https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/23893881/trump-indictment-in-2020-election-and-jan-6-probe.pdf
The most important facts come in the two very first paragraphs of the indictment:
But the allegations go way further than that. It describes in detail what happened on January 6th, and what Trump and his associates did to perpetuate the events. There are six co-conspirators mentioned in the indictment, all unnamed, and you can quickly determine by the decriptions who several of these are (Sidney Powell, John Eastman, Rudy Giuliani, etc). Point by point, Smith dissects everything Trump had done since lost the election and walks through deliberately and in detail what occurred. In a single paragraph, Smith outlines the basis of three of the indictments:
It goes to great lengths to itemize every Trump claim about the election, and how it was refuted, often by officials, people within his own administration and by various Secretaries of State across the country (including many Republicans). For example:
But what the indictment also makes clear is that Trump KNEW that he lost. In a number of places it points out how he ADMITS that he lost:
It contains repeated attempts by Trump to get Pence to side with him and do as Trump bid him to. Pence repeatedly refuses and pushes back. Mostly, this relates to and leads up to the alternative slates of electors scheme which factors directly into the indictment’s allegations. Trump’s harrassment and hounding of Pence continues right through January 6th. It really is fascinating to read the extent and the amount of pressure brought to bear on the Vice President.
However, the most fascinating part of the indictment is the period of January 6th itself, when rioters are invading the Capitol, and Jack Smith provides page after page of detail, Trump is mentioned sparingly. There is clearly a sense of absence and a vacuum there. When Trump is finally mentioned again, it is this passage:
Ouch. But it doesn’t stop there…
It really is a marvel to read. Two and a half years of hearings, fact gathering, the 1/6 Commission and continuous reporting and interviews leading to a President being indicted for trying to overthrow the United States.
“Nobody told me there’d be days like these
Strange Days Indeed. Strange Days Indeed.”
—John Lennon
PurpleAmerica’s Final Word on the Subject
Narration: He was a crook. Trump was worse.
Thank you for this. This is a great summary, very factual, and enticed me to go read the whole indictment. I feel vindicated a bit by this indictment, like finally somebody cares about this terrible crime. Finally.