Washington DC: Donald Trump referred to US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan as “the most evil person” after the Judge unsealed over 1,800 pages of evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election conspiracy case against him.
Trump criticized the Judges’ decision to reject his request to delay the release of this evidence until after the upcoming vote, claiming it constituted “election interference.”
The nearly 1,900 pages of documents compiled by Special Counsel Jack Smith were originally sealed to assist US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in determining which allegations could proceed to trial. This followed a Supreme Court ruling in July that granted broad immunity to former presidents for actions taken while in office.
Most of the released pages were heavily redacted, and it is believed that the unviewable content includes grand jury testimony, which is protected by secrecy rules.
Publicly visible excerpts included sections from former Vice President Mike Pence’s book, witness testimonies from the January 6 House committee investigation, and a transcript of Trump urging Georgia election officials to “find” votes to overturn his loss to Joe Biden.
The filing was part of a 165-page brief unsealed this month, where prosecutors presented new evidence to argue that Trump is not immune from prosecution.
The indictment against Donald Trump is focused on the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, accusing him of conspiring illegally to overturn his election defeat to Joe Biden, which occurred three months earlier.
The charges detail how Trump allegedly coordinated with others to challenge the election results and incited the violence at the Capitol as Congress was in the process of certifying Biden’s victory.
The case has significant legal implications, as it not only addresses Trump’s actions leading up to the riot but also challenges the extent of presidential immunity regarding actions taken while in office.
The special counsel’s investigation has brought forth various documents and evidence that are now part of the ongoing legal proceedings.