Kathrine Frich
Former US special prosecutor have revived debate over Donald Trump’s actions after the 2020 election.
Testimony released this week outlines allegations that, despite political consequences, remain unresolved.
The statements come more than a year after the criminal cases against Trump were formally closed.
Claims restated
Former special prosecutor Jack Smith said on Thursday that Donald Trump illegally tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and block the transfer of power to Joe Biden.
The comments were reported by Reuters and AFP and cited by Agerpres.
“Far from accepting his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump has engaged in an illegal plan to reverse the results and prevent the legal transfer of power” to Biden, Smith said, according to prepared remarks released ahead of his appearance before the House Judiciary Committee.
Smith added that decisions by his team were not politically motivated.
“We made our decisions without regard to President Trump’s political orientation, activities, or beliefs or his candidacy in 2024,” he said.
Legal basis
Smith also said Trump’s conduct met the threshold for criminal charges.
“President Trump was impeached because the evidence showed that he deliberately violated the laws he swore to uphold,” he stated.
The former prosecutor launched two federal cases against Trump while he was out of office.
One focused on alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, while the other concerned the retention of classified documents after leaving the White House.
Both cases were later dropped following Trump’s election victory in November 2024.
Cases closed
The US Justice Department cited its long-standing policy against prosecuting a sitting president in closing the proceedings.
In a final report released in January 2025, Smith said he believed a conviction would have been secured “without Trump’s election and his imminent return to the presidency.”
Smith testified privately before the House Judiciary Committee in December, defending his work and saying the foundation of the cases “remains entirely President Trump and his actions.”
Transcript released
On New Year’s Eve, the House of Representatives published 255 pages of Smith’s testimony.
According to the transcript, Smith said Trump had admitted to multiple people that he lost the 2020 election.
Publicly, Trump has continued to claim victory in that contest.
His supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results.
After returning to office in January 2025, Trump pardoned those involved in the riot.
Sources: Reuters, AFP, Agerpres, Digi24
