Washington [US], August 28: Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted again for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
According to NBC News, on August 27, Mr. Trump faced an amended federal indictment on four similar charges in the original indictment in August 2023, including: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights.
However, this time the indictment focuses on Mr Trump's role as a political candidate for re-election, rather than as president at the time.
The amended indictment, which is 36 pages long, is nine pages shorter than the original, and is based on key testimony and evidence from witnesses primarily outside the U.S. government. The amended indictment removes allegations that Mr. Trump sought to pressure the U.S. Justice Department as he sought to overturn the election results.
The amended indictment also redacts sections detailing conversations between Mr Trump and US Justice Department officials. Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark was also removed from the list of co-defendants.
Previously, the US Supreme Court said on July 1 that the president enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his term.
"The superseding indictment, presented to an entirely new jury that has never heard evidence in this case, reflects the U.S. government's efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court's ruling and detention guidelines," said special counsel Jack Smith
US federal judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington is expected to decide in the coming weeks based on the US Supreme Court's earlier exemption decision.
Attorney Bradley Moss (USA) commented that the amended indictment reflects the US Department of Justice's effort to narrow the scope of factual information to address the Supreme Court's ruling on immunity.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington is expected to rule in the coming weeks on the Supreme Court's earlier decision to grant immunity. Reuters said it is unlikely the case will be heard before the November 5 U.S. election.
In response to the incident, in a statement on the social media platform Truth, former President Trump said: "Mr. Smith has rewritten the exact same lawsuit to try to get around the US Supreme Court." Just 2 hours after Mr. Smith filed the lawsuit, former President Trump's campaign also sent a fundraising email to voters and called on people to donate to support him.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
