Washington [US], October 4: As the United States enters the climax of the presidential election month, prosecutors have decided to launch a crackdown on former President Donald Trump.
AFP reported yesterday that Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on October 2 announced the main details of the dossier just submitted by the team of special prosecutor Jack Smith. This is the latest step by the prosecution after the Supreme Court on July 1 ruled that Mr. Trump, as President of the United States from 2019 to 2021, has immunity for some acts of alleged interference in the 2020 election results.
The prosecution's last ditch effort
Observers say the 165-page filing is likely a final attempt by prosecutors to fully present their case before Trump faces Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 presidential election. According to Reuters, the filing provides the most comprehensive look yet at the evidence the prosecutors have gathered to prove that Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, should not be granted immunity under a Supreme Court ruling in the 2020 election.
In short, Smith's team argues that Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election was a personal act, not one that the Supreme Court has said is entitled to immunity. Much of the case focuses on then-Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over a joint session of Congress to certify Joe Biden's victory. Trump is accused of trying to force Pence to use his presiding authority to overturn the election results in his favor.
"When he lost the 2020 election, he sought to stay in the White House through criminal conduct," the filing concluded. In response to the new accusation, Mr. Trump called the decision to release the records in the trial court about a month before the election a complete act of interference in this year's election, according to NewsNation
Heat of debate
Earlier, on his social media account Truth Social, Mr. Trump said that Judge Chutkan's release of the details of the file a day after the televised debate between the two vice presidential candidates on October 1 was only to cover up the defeat of the Democratic candidate. Nielsen data recorded that about 43 million people watched the first and only debate between Republican representative, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, and Democratic opponent, Governor of Minnesota, Tim Walz.
Viewers watched the debate live on 15 different television networks. More than 30 million American households tuned in, with more than 9 million viewers between the ages of 35 and 54, and more than 3 million between the ages of 18 and 34. The largest age group was over 55, at about 29 million. According to a CBS poll, 42% of viewers thought Vance won the debate, while Walz had 41% support. About 17% of viewers thought it was a draw.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper