As Republicans continue mostly sticking with Donald Trump while he seeks another term as president, federal prosecutors in an ongoing case against him continue linking him to January 6, 2021’s violence, in which massive mobs descended on the Capitol and perpetrated attacks against police and others, targeting the Congressional proceedings to formally certify the 2020 election results.
In a recap of allegations against Trump included in a new federal court filing from the team of Special Counsel Jack Smith, they tie Trump to what transpired at the Capitol and call him out for seeking to use the chaos to further his ploys at holding onto presidential power, as they describe the situation.
“And on January 6, the defendant directed a large crowd of supporters, whom he knew to be “angry” based on his election fraud lies, to go to the Capitol and obstruct the proceeding,” the new filing says, adding: “The defendant likewise sought to exploit the violence that overtook the Capitol and caused the suspension of the certification proceeding on January 6, including by publicly attacking the Vice President 11 minutes after rioters had broken into the Capitol building; the Vice President had to be evacuated from the building one minute later, and rioters called the Vice President a “Traitor” and for him to be hanged.” That last mentioned incident is widely documented.
The broader filing in which these arguments are included responds to a push from Trump for a dismissal of his charges. In this particular court case, Trump stands criminally accused of conspiracies that prosecutors say threatened government operations and the expression by everyday Americans of their right to vote. Elsewhere in their latest rebuttal, the federal team also denies that comments from Trump that have figured in the case are, in fact, protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And elsewhere in court generally, arguments are continuing before a Colorado judge on potentially blocking Trump from that state’s ballots on the basis of his January 6 ties. Read more from the federal prosecution team here.
