Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the federal probe into the election
In the wake of Donald Trump’s recent federal indictment in a classified documents case, and his indictment by a grand jury in New York over an alleged hush money payment, the former president could be facing more legal issues, with reports suggesting prosecutors are narrowing the scope of their investigation into his claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
The Washington Post reports that prosecutors are focused on ads and fundraising pitches that falsely claimed election fraud as well as plans for “fake electors” to be installed in swing states that voted for Joe Biden.
Reports surfaced in 2022 that, in the wake of Trump’s loss, groups from seven states including Arizona, Georgia and New Mexico sent lists of so-called “alternate electors” to the National Archives. Those who signed the falsified documents claimed that Trump won the 2020 election — when, in reality, the electors in those states voted in favor of now-President Biden.
The Post reports that investigators are focusing on some of the attorneys that were in Trump’s orbit during his attempts to overturn the election results, such as Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, John Eastman, Kurt Olsen and Kenneth Chesebro, and Jeffrey Clark.
Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the federal probe into the election, which is separate from a criminal probe by the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga. — which is also investigating Trump and his allies’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Smith is also overseeing the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified document, for which the former president was recently indicted by a federal grand jury.
Earlier this month, Trump was accused of 37 criminal offenses in that case: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information (a violation of the Espionage Act); one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Each of those charges against the former president carry potential prison sentences, with the obstruction charges carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years per count. Violating the Espionage Act carries a maximum sentence of up to 10 years, and both the conspiracy and false statements charges carry sentences of up to five years per offense.
In March, Trump was indicted by a grand jury in New York on charges that stemmed from an alleged $130,000 hush money payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels while he was a presidential candidate in 2016.