Donald Trump faces revised US indictment in election subversion case
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The revised indictment focuses on Trump's role as a political candidate seeking re-election, rather than as the president.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - Donald Trump was hit by a new federal indictment on Aug 27 in his bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat, with prosecutors narrowing their approach after a US Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
US Special Counsel Jack Smith's team obtained a new indictment in the Washington case.
The revised indictment lays out the same four charges it brought against the Republican former president in 2023 focusing on Trump's role as a political candidate seeking re-election, rather than as the president at the time.
The Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that Trump cannot be prosecuted for actions that were within his constitutional powers as president.
Attorneys for Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump in a statement on his Truth Social platform said the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling should lead to the entire case being thrown out, saying: “Smith rewrote the exact same case in an effort to circumvent the Supreme Court Decision.”
He has pleaded not guilty to the initial charges, denouncing this case and the others he faces as politically motivated attempts to prevent him from returning to power.
Trump is again seeking election as the Republican candidate, this time in a race against Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris. The election will take place on Nov 5.
Opinion polls have shown Ms Harris opening up a narrow national lead over Trump since Democratic President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid in July.
The revised indictment no longer includes allegations that Trump sought to pressure the US Justice Department in his bid to overturn his election defeat, an apparent effort to keep the prosecution alive after the high court found that Trump could not be prosecuted for that conduct.
This indictment, like the initial one, accuses Trump of a multi-part conspiracy to block the certification of his election defeat to Mr Biden. The case was presented to a new grand jury, one that had not heard evidence from the original case, said a Justice Department spokesman.
The new version of the indictment hinges on key testimony and evidence from witnesses largely outside the federal government, such as former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, whom the indictment says was pressured by Trump and a co-conspirator to call a special session to hold a hearing based on bogus assertions of voter fraud. REUTERS
