The Biden-Harris Department of Justice’s (DOJ) special counsel, Jack Smith, filed a superseding indictment against former President Donald J. Trump in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, in an ‘attempt’ to comply with the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. United States on presidential immunity. On its surface, the indictment appears as another underhanded attempt to escalate the Biden-Harris government’s lawfare campaign against Trump. But it also almost certainly means that the Washington, D.C. ‘election interference’ trial won’t occur until well after the 2024 presidential election.
Earlier this month, Smith asked U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to delay proceedings until August 30 so that his office could submit an updated timetable. Chutkan granted the request, and Smith indicated that either an amended or superseding indictment would be filed in response to the presidential immunity issue.
The new indictment against Trump from Smith‘s office preserves the four core federal charges: Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction of, and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Conspiracy Against Rights. However, the document has now removed much of the ancillary evidence that formed the ‘meat’ of Smith’s prior indictment.
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