Former Special Counsel Jack Smith claimed in closed-door congressional testimony on Wednesday that investigators had proof \u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt\u201d that President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0\u201ccriminally\u201d conspired to overturn the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith\u00a0made the remarks in his opening statement to lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI made my decisions in the investigation without regard to President Trump\u2019s political association, activities, beliefs, or candidacy in the 2024 election,\u201d Smith said in his opening statement, which was obtained in advance by the Associated Press<\/a>. \u201cWe took actions based on what the facts and the law required \u2014 the very lesson I learned early in my career as a prosecutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Smith added that his probe had \u201cdeveloped powerful evidence that showed President Trump willfully retained highly classified documents after he left office in January 2021, storing them at his social club, including in a bathroom and a ballroom where events and gatherings took place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Smith\u2019s investigation, which began in 2022, focused on Trump\u2019s alleged effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, as well as the classified documents that were stored at Mar-a-Lago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Charges were filed in both investigations, but later dropped\u00a0due to the longstanding DOJ policy against the indictment of a sitting president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Trump has yet to comment on Smith’s bold accusation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.<\/em>
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