Trump Indicted Over Efforts To Overturn Election
What's in the 45-page indictment, and who else could be charged
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Good morning,
Another Trump indictment, the US credit rating downgraded, and it’s somehow only Wednesday. Though in good news, we all have another chance at the Mega Millions $1.2 billion jackpot after last night. And, get this, your losing ticket will get you free Krispy Kreme today.
Serenity now (insanity later!).
Have a good one,
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🎙The Mo News Podcast: Breaking down Trump’s indictment, the US credit rating downgrade, and the lawsuit against Lizzo.
🗞 DONALD TRUMP INDICTED AGAIN
For the second time in two months, a federal grand jury has indicted former president Donald Trump. The Special Counsel is once again Jack Smith— but this time the charges are in connection with Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election leading up to the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
Prosecutors say it is part of an effort to hold him accountable for an unprecedented effort to block the peaceful transfer of power and threaten American democracy.
He was indicted on four counts:
Conspiracy to defraud the United States "by using dishonesty, fraud and deceit to obstruct the nation’s process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election";
Conspiracy to impede the Jan. 6 congressional proceeding;
Conspiracy against the right to vote and to have that vote counted;
Obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct and impede, the certification of the electoral vote.
🔍 HERE IS THE FULL 45-PAGE INDICTMENT.
Federal prosecutors comprehensively lay out their case against the former president, accusing him of trying to subvert the election by enlisting the DOJ to conduct sham investigations, putting together slates of fake electors in several states, trying to get his VP to overturn the election, and exploiting the Capitol attack to force members of Congress to halt the certification of the election. The document is full of dozens of examples.
❝
Excerpt: “Each of these conspiracies — which built on the widespread mistrust the defendant was creating through pervasive and destabilizing lies about election fraud — targeted a bedrock function of the United State federal government: the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election.”
Timing: Trump will make an initial court appearance in DC Thursday afternoon. A schedule for pretrial motions will be set, and a trial could extend into the presidential election season next year.
JACK SMITH STATEMENT
Shortly after Trump was indicted, Special Counsel Jack Smith gave a brief statement to the media, tying Trump to the attack on January 6.
THE JUDGE
Overseeing this case: U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan. Unlike the Trump-appointed judge in the classified documents federal case, Chutkan was appointed by former President Obama. (Note: Both judges were chosen at random.)
Chutkan has set tougher sentences than requested by the Justice Department in several of the cases involving Jan. 6 defendants, citing the necessity of consequences for taking part in the insurrection.
PENCE VS TRUMP
The indictment repeatedly cites handwritten notes from former VP Mike Pence, who contemporaneously documented his conversations with Trump.
At one point, Trump complained to Pence that the VP was “too honest” to block the certification of votes on January 6th. On Tuesday, Pence came out swinging in a statement, saying that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President.”
Pence is currently contesting Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination, and the drama could play out in the courtroom as well, since he will likely be called to testify during the trial.
THE CO-CONSPIRATORS
As part of the indictment, federal prosecutors allege that Trump enlisted six co-conspirators to “assist him in his criminal efforts to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election and retain power.”
They are not named, but five have been identified based on publicly-known descriptions of episodes in the indictment. So far, they have not been indicted, but prosecutors could add charges at any point.
Rudy Giuliani
John Eastman
Sidney Powell
Jeffrey Clark
Kenneth Chesebro
A political consultant
TRUMP’S RESPONSE
The former president has responded to this indictment about election interference by comparing himself to the victims of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. His allies and lawyers say that Trump was exercising free speech in contesting the election and did nothing illegal. They believe this indictment represents prosecutorial overreach and showcase a biased DOJ.
TRUMP’S OTHER LEGAL PROBLEMS:
This is just the latest in a string of legal problems for the former president. He has now been indicted three times in five months, and faces a potential fourth indictment.
Federal Classified Documents Case: Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump in the classified documents and obstruction of justice probe in early June. He faces 40 criminal counts. A trial is set to start next May.
NY Criminal Case: A Manhattan grand jury indicted him for business fraud in the spring, in the case that includes making hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. He faces 34 criminal counts related to falsifying business records. That trial is set to start in March 2024.
Georgia Criminal Case: A grand jury in Atlanta is considering an indictment against Trump related to 2020 election interference in the state. That could come down in the next few weeks.
He also faces a couple civil cases in NY related to defamation and business misconduct by the Trump Corporation.
✔︎Mo News Reality Check: We have to view these indictments through a legal lens and a political lens. On the legal front, Trump now faces at least three criminal trials next year (four if Georgia indicts). It’s costly and time consuming— and a conviction technically could land him behind bars.
At the same time, politically, every indictment thus far has only made him a stronger Republican primary candidate. If anything, this indictment reinforces his argument that he’s being unfairly attacked and targeted. However, it is unclear how this would play in a general election next fall against Biden.
The bottom line for the campaign right now: None of these indictments— or potential convictions— will prevent him from continuing his run for president.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨 NATION
📌 High school boys are trending conservative; Girls more liberal than ever. (THE HILL)
📌 Fitch cuts US credit rating to AA+; Treasury calls it 'arbitrary' (REUTERS)
📌 Massive fire burning in California and Nevada is spawning dangerous ‘fire whirls’ (CNN)
📌 A desperate push to save Florida’s coral: get it out to sea (NY TIMES)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Poland rushes troops to border, Belarus denies breaching with helicopter (REUTERS)
📌 France begins evacuating its citizens and other Europeans from Niger. (GUARDIAN)
📌 Chinese zoo goes viral as it is accused of dressing up humans as bears (FOX NEWS)
📌 Warner Bros. got in on ‘Barbenheimer’ memes. It was no joke in Japan. (WASHINGTON POST)
📱BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
📌 Job openings, layoffs declined in June in a positive sign for the labor market. (CNBC)
📌 No Winner Again! Mega Millions pot grows to $1.2 billion after Tuesday’s drawing (ABC) But your losing ticket will still get you a free Krispy Kreme today!
📌 Where’s the Beef? Taco Bell sued by customer over false advertising (CNN)
📌 Bed Bath & Beyond returns as online-only retailer operated By Overstock (FORBES)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Lizzo sued by former backup dancers for alleged Sexual, racial harassment and hostile work environment. (PEOPLE)
📌 The end of US Women’s soccer dominance (ATLANTIC)
📌 Tiger Woods joins PGA Tour Policy Board as part of 'new governance and transparency measures'. (GOLF DIGEST)
📌 CBS, Nickelodeon teaming up for kids-centric Super Bowl broadcast. (CBS NEWS)
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 2
1776: The official signing of The Declaration of Independence took place in Philadelphia.
1943: A Japanese destroyer sank the US torpedo boat PT 109, Future president John F. Kennedy and 10 other crewmen survived.
1962: Aretha Franklin makes her television debut, singing "Try A Little Tenderness" on American Bandstand.
1962: Bob Dylan makes his name change official, legally saying goodbye to his birth name, Robert Zimmerman.
1990: Iraq invaded Kuwait, and Saddam Hussein's subsequent refusal to withdraw his troops sparked the Persian Gulf War, in which an international force led by the United States quickly defeated Iraq.
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