"The throughline of all of Mr. Trump’s criminal efforts was deceit—knowingly false claims of election fraud—and the evidence shows that Mr. Trump used these lies as a weapon to defeat a federal government function foundational to the United States’ democratic process," the report states.
The report, arriving just days before Trump is to return to office on Jan. 20, focuses fresh attention on his frantic but failed effort to cling to power in 2020. With the prosecution foreclosed thanks to Trump’s election victory, the document is expected to be the final Justice Department chronicle of a dark chapter in American history that threatened to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, a bedrock of democracy for centuries, and complements already released indictments and reports.
Trump responded early Tuesday with a post on his Truth Social platform, claiming he was "totally innocent" and calling Smith "a lamebrain prosecutor who was unable to get his case tried before the Election." He added, "THE VOTERS HAVE SPOKEN!!!"
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Jack Smith 01/13/2025 Rudy Giuliani found in contempt of court — again — for defaming Georgia election workers
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Jack Smith 01/09/2025 ‘Non-compliance has consequences': Angry judge orders Fani Willis pay attorneys fees for repeatedly violating open records laws over Jan. 6 committee docs