NEW: Jim Jordan Investigates Jack Smith’s Superseding Indictment of Trump
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is investigating Jack Smith’s superseding indictment of President Trump.
“On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an opinion in Trump v. United States, explaining the parameters of presidential immunity and rebuking Special Counsel Jack Smith for violating this Constitutional principle in his political prosecution of President Donald J. Trump. On August 27, 2024, Special Counsel Smith obtained a superseding indictment against President Trump in an attempt to fix the constitutional defects inherent in his initial indictment,” Jim Jordan wrote in the letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“In doing so, however, Special Counsel Smith appears to have violated longstanding Department policy intended to protect our democratic processes. The Committee must therefore understand whether you approved Special Counsel Smith’s indictment in advance or whether Special Counsel Smith continues to exercise prosecutorial authority without your ‘meaningful direction or supervision,” Chairman Jordan said.
Jack Smith. Election interference. pic.twitter.com/rFBGy8PChD
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 30, 2024
Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted President Trump AGAIN in DC on Tuesday following the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
Jack Smith’s prosecutors presented evidence to a new grand jury in order to recalibrate the case after the Supreme Court ruled Trump is immune from prosecution for ‘official acts’ as president.
The grand jury indicted Trump on the same four charges that were unveiled last August: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
“The superseding indictment, which was presented to a new grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in this case, reflects the Government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings and remand instructions,” wrote Smith’s team in the 36-page indictment.
Trump’s lawyers argued that Trump is immune from federal prosecution for alleged ‘crimes’ committed while he served as US President.
In Jack Smith’s indictment last August, prosecutors asserted that President Trump sought to use the DOJ to help him overturn the results of the 2020 election.
In the new indictment, Jack Smith’s prosecutors claim Trump’s actions were not ‘official acts’ because his rally was privately funded and “privately organized.”
Federal prosecutors also argued that Trump used his X/Twitter account for “personal purposes.”
A status report to Judge Tanya Chutkan is due by Friday, August 30 (today) and the status conference is continued until September 5.
You can email Cristina Laila here, and read more of Cristina Laila’s articles here.