US special counsel files new indictment against Trump in Jan 6 case
China DailyXinhua | Updated: 2024-08-28 09:24 US former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump WASHINGTON - US Special Counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a new indictment in the federal criminal case against former president Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, following a Supreme Court decision that granted Trump sweeping immunity from prosecution for his "official" conduct as president. The new indictment dropped certain specific allegations against Trump but retains the same four criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. Trump's lawyers have argued that the former president's words and actions on and before Jan 6, 2021 amounted to legitimate inquiry about possible election fraud. "In an apparent bid to downplay any connection between Trump's conduct and his official duties, the new charging document repeatedly emphasizes the political and personal nature of many of the actions Trump took during the post-election period and on Jan 6, 2021," according to a report by Politico.