The federal judge presiding over the case against Donald Trump for the alleged attempt to change the results of the 2020 elections published, this Friday the 18th, almost 2,000 pages with evidence against the former president, less than three weeks before the elections in the USA.
Judge Tanya Chutkan rejected a request from Trump’s lawyers to keep the documents confidential until November 14, nine days after the presidential election in which Trump once again presents himself as the Republican candidate.
The tycoon’s lawyers assess that the publication of the documents could have a “worrying appearance of interference” in an election in which their client appears tied in voting intention polls with his Democratic opponent, the vice president. Kamala Harris.
Chutkan considered that while “there is undoubtedly a public interest for the courts not to get involved in elections,” withholding the documents could also be interpreted as an act of voting interference.
“If the court withheld information that the public would otherwise have a right to access solely because of the possible political consequences of its disclosure, such withholding could constitute — or appear to be — election interference,” he argued.
“Therefore, the court will continue to keep political considerations out of its decision-making, instead of incorporating them as requested by the defendant”, concludes the judge.
The documents are an appendix to a court filing by Special Counsel Jack Smith in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that a former president has broad immunity for official acts performed while in office.
In the presentation, Smith said that Trump made a “private criminal effort” to alter the 2020 elections and should not be protected by presidential immunity.
Trump, 78, was scheduled to stand trial in March, but the case was suspended pending resolution of his lawyers’ demand for presidential immunity.
Chutkan has not set a new date for the trial, but it will not take place before the November 5 elections.
If Trump wins, it is very likely that the charges against him will be dropped.
The former president is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to obstruct an official proceedingthe session of Congress intended to confirm the results of the 2020 election, which was attacked by a mob of his supporters in January 6, 2021.
The Republican is also responsible for trying to deprive Americans of their right to vote with his false claims that he had won the elections.
This is just one of several legal troubles for Trump, who in May was convicted in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business documents to cover up payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels to silence her about an extramarital affair she claims to have had with the businessman.
The Republican also faces charges in the state of Georgia for allegedly trying to change the results of the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden.
