Former U.S. President and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, United States, October 29, 2023.
Scott Morgan | Reuters
Donald Trump “stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes” related to his attempt to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, the office of special prosecutor Jack Smith said in a statement. court deposit Monday.
“No other president has engaged in conspiracy or obstruction to overturn valid election results and unlawfully retain power,” Smith’s office said in the filing.
In it, Smith formally opposed requests from Trump’s lawyers to dismiss his indictment on four counts of federal election interference. US District Court in Washington, D.C.
Smith’s attorneys said in the filing that Trump’s motions asking Judge Tanya Chutkan to drop the indictment cite prior court cases that “undermine rather than support his arguments” and “rely on distortions and misrepresentations.
“The defendant also asserts that he could not have known that his actions were criminal because, in the past, others who questioned, contested or protested the election results were not prosecuted,” the special prosecutor wrote.
“But the defendant stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes.”
In a separate filing Monday, Smith’s office opposed Trump’s motion to expunge from his indictment so-called inflammatory allegations related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by a mob of his supporters.
The riot occurred after weeks of false claims by Trump that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election following widespread voter fraud.
The other filing alleged that Trump “promoted and touted the events of that day.” As the violent attack continued, the defendant told the rioters that they were “very special” and that “we love you.” “
“In the years that followed, he defended the rioters as ‘great patriots’ and proclaimed January 6 ‘a beautiful day,'” the filing says.
“The Court should recognize the defendant’s motion for what it is: an unfounded effort to evade the indictment’s clear allegations that the defendant is responsible for the events at the Capitol on January 6,” prosecutors wrote.
Trump, who is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, has pleaded not guilty in the case, which is expected to go to trial in late March.
[colabot2]
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