President Trump accused special counsel Jack Smith of trying to influence the upcoming presidential election by pushing to release new evidence and witness testimony as voters begin heading to the polls. In a court filing Tuesday, Trump argued for additional redactions in a sealed brief filed by Smith, which outlines the special counsel’s case that Trump attempted to “overturn” the 2020 election.
The brief, expected to be a nearly 200-page comprehensive legal argument, presents the Justice Department’s investigation and aims to demonstrate that Smith's case can withstand scrutiny, even after a Supreme Court ruling acknowledged Trump’s presidential immunity in some aspects of the prosecution. The document is anticipated to be the most detailed account of the case against Trump, likened to an opening statement at trial.
Trump opposed the public release of parts of the brief, asserting that the special counsel’s office was politically motivated. He claimed that the timing of the brief’s disclosure, coinciding with the start of early voting, was aimed at damaging his chances in the 2024 election.
“The Office wants their politically motivated manifesto to be public, contrary to the Justice Manual and longstanding DOJ norms in cases not involving President Trump, in the final weeks of the 2024 Presidential election while early voting has already begun throughout the United States,” Trump stated in the filing.
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan is tasked with deciding how much of the brief will be made public. Prosecutors have proposed minimal redactions, which would reveal substantial new evidence from grand jury witnesses. However, Trump’s legal team contended that the proposed redactions don’t sufficiently protect witness privacy and safety, and called for additional redactions to witness titles and positions not mentioned in the indictment.
Smith defended his proposed redactions, maintaining that they balance witness protection with the need for public transparency in the case.
Read the court filing here.
