18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY july 4-10, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com In ruling that Donald Trump has some immunity from criminal prosecution, the Supreme Court has undermined bedrock principles of American democracy. By Claire Finkelstein and Richard Painter Power VS Jack Smith was appointed in 2022 by the U.S. Department of Justice as special counsel to investigate and prosecute alleged crimes in connection to interference with the transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, when Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden. Trump sued the government claiming prosecutorial immunity. The events of Jan. 6, 2021, are by now well known. A failed insurrection at the United States Capitol shook not just the American government officials inside the building that day, but also the fabric of the Republic as activists sought to block Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. Since then, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, at least 1,265 alleged participants have been charged with crimes connected to the events of Jan. 6. One of those is former president (and 2024 presidential candidate) Donald J. Trump. In the most high-profile case to emerge from those events, special prosecutor Jack Smith was appointed by the DOJ to investigate the former president and on Aug. 1, 2023, Trump was indicted on federal criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. While Trump was tried and convicted earlier in 2024 for fraudulent business practices in the State of New York, this federal criminal case has yet to go to trial. That is because in federal court case No. 23-939, Donald J. Trump vs. Gage Skidmore Still from U.S. DOJ video
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