2020 election | Trump is guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt,” says ex-prosecutor

(Washington) Former special prosecutor Jack Smith assures that his investigation against Donald Trump, in particular for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, concluded that he was guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt”, according to the report of a hearing before Congress published Wednesday.

The American president accuses Jack Smith of embodying the “instrumentalization”, according to him, of justice by his Democratic opponents. The former magistrate had initiated two federal criminal proceedings against Donald Trump before abandoning them in the wake of his election last year.

“Our investigation concluded, beyond a reasonable doubt, that President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” said Jack Smith, according to a transcript of his hearing made public by the House Judiciary Committee.

This document confirms the elements published in mid-December by the American press, when the former special prosecutor defended his work behind closed doors.

First elected in 2016, the now 79-year-old Republican has always contested the election of Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.

“Our investigation also gathered strong evidence that President Trump deliberately withheld highly confidential documents after leaving office in January 2021,” continues Jack Smith.

These two cases were dismissed after the election of Donald Trump in November 2024, with the Justice Department dismissing proceedings against a sitting president. At the end of his investigation, Jack Smith, however, said he was convinced that he would have succeeded in convicting Donald Trump if the latter had not been elected president.

The former special prosecutor also rejects accusations of instrumentalization of justice. “If I were asked today if I should prosecute a former president on the basis of the same facts, I would do it, whether it was a Republican or a Democrat,” assures Jack Smith.

Since his return to power, Donald Trump himself has continued to encourage the Department of Justice to launch proceedings against Jack Smith and others he considers personal enemies.