Special Counsel Report Claims Trump Attempted to Overturn 2020 Election Results

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In a landmark report released on January 14, 2025, Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an "unprecedented criminal effort" to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joseph Biden. The 137-page report asserts there was sufficient evidence to convict Trump, but prosecution could not proceed due to Justice Department policy prohibiting charges against a sitting president.

Smith, who resigned last week, defended his investigation amid criticism from Trump, who dismissed the findings as politically motivated. In his response on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump labeled Smith a "lamebrain prosecutor" and reiterated his belief that he won the 2024 election in a landslide.

The report highlights Trump's attempts to spread false claims of widespread voter fraud and his efforts to pressure state lawmakers not to certify the election results. The investigation also ties Trump's actions to the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, when a mob of his supporters attempted to disrupt the certification of Biden's victory.

Despite legal challenges that delayed the investigation, Smith emphasized the independence of his office and dismissed Trump's claims of political influence over his prosecutorial decisions. The report's second section, dealing with separate charges against Trump related to mishandling classified documents, remains confidential as legal proceedings are ongoing against two of Trump's associates.

Trump's legal team previously sought to prevent the release of Smith's report, but their efforts were rejected by the courts. With Smith's departure from the Justice Department, the future of related legal actions remains uncertain.

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