Five bombshell claims in Jack Smith’s new filing against Donald Trump in 2020 election fraud case
Special Counsel Jack Smith filed a new complaint against Donald Trump on Wednesday as part of his alleged fraudulent activities in the 2020 election.
The case against Trump – who stayed in the White House between 2017 and 2021 – accuses him of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden.
Prosecutors allege he pressured officials to overturn the results and knowingly spread lies about election fraud, while using the events of January 6, 2021 — when a riot occurred at the Capitol — in a bid for power to stay.
Trump has responded by repeating false claims that the 2020 vote was “rigged” while suggesting the timing of the filing’s release was intended to damage his 2024 presidential campaign.
Following the filing, MailOnline looks at some of the key claims that emerged from Smith’s evidence.
Former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a news conference at the Discovery Center on October 1, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Special Counsel Jack Smith addresses the media about an indictment against former President Donald Trump on August 1, 2023 in Washington
Trump planned to stay in power no matter what
Smith described a series of conversations alleging that the then-president knew his claims of election fraud were disingenuous
He also provided evidence that Trump’s sole goal was to stay in power, including the quote: “(It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, you gotta fight like hell!”
It was heard that a witness was aware of a private conversation the former president had with his family aboard Marine One – the helicopter on which US presidents travel – when he made the comment.
Trump showed no concern about Vice President Mike Pence’s safety
Former US Vice President Mike Pence speaks in honor of Constitution Day at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on September 17, 2024
The filing also highlights Trump’s apparent lack of concern for the safety of his vice president, Mike Pence.
During the Capitol riots, which took place on January 6, 2021, after an aide told him that Pence had been forced to flee to a secure location, Trump said, “So what?”
Despite the severity of the situation at the time, Trump was said to be stunned by the events unfolding around him.
The former president was alone with his phone in the White House dining room while the Capitol was hacked
Another claim from the hearing that accuses Trump of not doing enough to curb the chaos is that he had reportedly sat alone in the White House dining room.
He is said to have been in the dining room “where he used his phone to check Twitter and watch television” of the chaos that followed at the Capitol.
This claim is supported by forensic evidence collected by the FBI, which mapped his iPhone and described that Trump was on his phone through various “news and social media applications” throughout the afternoon of January 6.
Trump campaign worker said: ‘make them riot’
Violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, January 6, 2021
The filing also details the actions of an unidentified Trump campaign official, who was reportedly excited about the possibility of a riot taking place in Michigan ahead of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021.
The employee was described by prosecutors as a co-conspirator and allegedly wanted to “create chaos” at a polling place in Detroit – after it became clear that a series of election results favoring Biden were legitimate.
“Find a reason why this isn’t the case,” the alleged co-conspirator told a colleague, prosecutors wrote.
When the colleague said an outbreak of violence was imminent, the campaign worker responded, “Root them,” and “Do it!!!”
Trump ‘willingly spreads lies about election fraud’
Another bombshell claim to emerge from Smith’s filing is that Trump allegedly fired his lawyers after the 2020 election because his replacement would willingly “knowingly spread false claims of election fraud.”
Prosecutors allege that Trump fired his previous lawyer after the 2020 election – on November 13, 2020, after Trump’s lawyer and staff told him he had a “slim chance” of winning the election.
In response, Trump fired his lawyer and hired an unnamed co-conspirator — believed to be Rudy Giuliani — to lead his legal team.
Smith also claimed that Trump only hired Giuliani because he was “willing to falsely claim victory.”