Special investigator report

“Unprecedented criminal effort” by Trump

Donald Trump(Bild: APA/2024 Getty Images)

Donald Trump, who will take office as US President again in a few days, has made an "unprecedented criminal effort" to stay in power following his election defeat in 2020, according to a special investigation report.

The Republican is accused in the report published in part by the US Department of Justice on Tuesday of, among other things, deliberately trying to obstruct the recording and authentication of votes when he lost the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.

Enough evidence available for conviction
There is enough evidence against Trump for a conviction in court proceedings. However, his imminent return to the White House had made this impossible. Trump's lawyers rejected the report as a "politically motivated attack" and criticized its publication so shortly before Trump's re-inauguration.

Trump was already president from 2017 until the beginning of 2021, after which he had to vacate his post in favor of Biden. In 2024, he made another attempt at the White House, this time successfully. He is due to take the oath of office next Monday.

Special investigator sharply attacked several times
The report was compiled by Jack Smith, who investigated the events as a special investigator. He resigned a few days ago, citing Trump's re-election and the Justice Department's usual practice of not taking action against a sitting president.

Trump has always denied all allegations. He had repeatedly attacked Smith for his investigations. To this day, Trump has not conceded his defeat in the 2020 election. Instead, he has repeated the false claim countless times that his victory was stolen from him.