Special counsel Jack Smith’s team, led by senior assistant special counsel Molly Gaston, is gearing up to make the Jan. 6 Capitol riots a central element in their case against former President Donald Trump.
While Trump hasn’t faced direct charges of inciting the riots, the filing argues that his actions were part of a corrupt attempt to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election.
As reported by Politico on Thursday, November 9, 2023, Gaston emphasized that the charges against Trump include conspiring to obstruct and obstructing the official certification proceeding on January 6.
She highlighted the violent advancement of a large crowd directed by Trump at the Capitol, creating what she described as a “catastrophic security risk.” This, according to the filing, is crucial evidence supporting their case.
Tim Heaphy, former chief investigative counsel for the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol attack, sees parallels between Smith’s approach and the committee’s final report.
The committee’s report characterized the riots as the culmination of an “increasingly desperate conspiracy” to prevent the election’s certification.
Before the Capitol unrest, Trump had made controversial moves, such as calling Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and urging him to “find” 12,000 votes. Additionally, he applied pressure on the Department of Justice to label the 2020 presidential election as “corrupt.”
The filing suggests that these actions, along with his attempt to sway Vice President Mike Pence into refusing certification, contribute to the narrative of a concerted effort to disrupt the democratic process.
The court filing sheds light on the intricate web of events leading up to the Capitol riots and positions them as integral components of the broader charge against Trump.
As legal proceedings unfold, the focus on Trump’s alleged attempts to obstruct the election’s certification gains prominence, with the Capitol chaos serving as a pivotal moment in the narrative.