Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), Donald Trump’s running mate, expressed outrage on Tuesday over a new superseding indictment filed by special counsel Jack Smith against the former president, according to a report by NBC News. However, Vance admitted that he hadn’t yet read the entire document.
“I don’t think that it changes anything legally,” Vance stated. “Looks like Jack Smith doing more of what he does, which is filing these sorts of lawsuits in an effort to influence the election.” Vance made these comments as he deplaned in Nashville, Tennessee, acknowledging that he had not reviewed the full indictment. He went on to criticize Smith, saying, “He should be ashamed of himself, but it’s one of the reasons why we have to win because he should not be anywhere near power.”
Vance also mentioned the Supreme Court’s involvement in the case, although his comments reflected a misunderstanding of the Court’s actions. “Of course, the reason the Supreme Court threw out his lawsuit is because they said it implicated the president’s official acts,” Vance added.
In reality, the Supreme Court did not dismiss Smith’s case. Instead, it ruled that presidents have a presumption of immunity for official acts and instructed District Judge Tanya Chutkan to review the case according to that standard.
The new indictment filed by Smith addresses the 2020 election interference plot leading up to the events of January 6. This action was in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, which required the removal of aspects of the case that involved Trump’s alleged ordering of the Justice Department to engage in corrupt activities. While proving such charges would be difficult under the Supreme Court’s new immunity guidelines, other parts of the case—focused on Trump’s actions as a candidate—remain intact in the indictment.
Additionally, Smith is in the process of appealing the dismissal of another case against Trump. This case involves classified documents that were allegedly removed and hidden at Mar-a-Lago. The appeal follows a decision by a Trump-appointed judge who ruled that Smith had been improperly appointed as special counsel.