Trump Challenges Special Counsel's Evidence Release in Election Case

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Former President Donald Trump's legal team is contesting special counsel Jack Smith's plan to publicly release evidence in the federal case regarding Trump's alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Smith submitted a 180-page sealed brief last week, detailing the government's evidence against Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to four felony charges, including those connected to the January 6 Capitol riot.

 

Smith proposed making public various forms of evidence, including "grand jury transcripts, interview reports, or material obtained through sealed search warrants." To protect witnesses, especially those potentially vulnerable to intimidation by Trump's supporters, Smith suggested that some information, such as their names, be redacted.

 

However, on Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, responded by filing a memo opposing Smith’s motion. They argued that the special counsel's plan is politically motivated, intended to damage Trump’s presidential campaign. The memo stated that Smith's efforts aim to release what they called a "politically motivated manifesto" in the crucial period leading up to the 2024 election, as early voting begins. "The true motivation driving the efforts by the Special Counsel's Office to disseminate witness statements that they previously sought to lock down is as obvious as it is inappropriate," Trump's filing reads.

 

They went on to assert that Smith's timing is intended to influence the election, writing, "The Office wants their politically motivated manifesto to be public...in the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election."

 

Smith, however, quickly rebutted these claims, maintaining that his motion is legally justified and not politically motivated. He denied the Trump team's accusation, stating, "The defendant's opposition includes his standard and unsupported refrain that the Government's position is motivated by improper political considerations." Smith further argued that the accusations are baseless, noting that similar claims were dismissed by the court earlier in the case. "That allegation is false—just as it was false when the Court denied the defendant's motion to dismiss the case on grounds of selective and vindictive prosecution."

 

Smith emphasized that his office is focused solely on upholding the law, writing, "The Special Counsel's mandate is to uphold the law. It has no role or interest in partisan politics and has faithfully executed its prosecutorial duties in this case."

Smith's filing comes after a restructured indictment of Trump, filed last month in response to a Supreme Court ruling regarding presidential immunity during certain official acts. Despite the legal proceedings, Trump has maintained that he is the target of a "witch hunt," claiming that Smith's prosecution is an attempt to interfere with his 2024 presidential campaign.

 

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, has signaled that she may not be swayed by arguments based on Trump's political status. In a previous hearing on the case schedule, Chutkan dismissed concerns about the election calendar, stating that she was "not concerned with the electoral schedule," a stance she took during an exchange with Trump's legal team.

 

As the case progresses, tensions remain high between the Trump team and the special counsel’s office, with both sides accusing each other of politicizing the legal process.

 

Based on a report from: Newsweek 2024-10-03

 

 

 

[mushroomdave]

Better save whatever you can of that snake oil money for your lawyers Grifter Man!! 

You will sure be in need of it come the morning of November 6 that's for sure!!

 

Oops forgot.....he doesn't pay them!!  

 

"Lock Him Up, Lock Him Up, Lock Him Up"