How Donald Trump’s 2024 Win Prevented His Conviction In the 2020 Case, Here's What The Special Council Report Reveals

In a scathing report released on 14 January, United States (US) Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that Donald Trump engaged in an "unprecedented criminal effort" to retain power after losing the 2020 presidential election.

The report asserted that Trump would have likely been convicted had he not won the 2024 presidential election, which thwarted efforts to bring the case to trial.

The four-count indictment against Trump accused him of orchestrating a scheme to obstruct the certification of votes following his defeat by Joe Biden in 2020.

However, Smith dropped the charges after Trump’s electoral victory, citing the Justice Department's longstanding policy against prosecuting a sitting president. Trump is set to assume office on 20 January.

"The claim from Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable," wrote Smith in a letter accompanying the report, defending the integrity of his investigation and the prosecutors involved.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all charges, consistently attacked the investigation, branding Smith "deranged" and characterising the cases as politically motivated attempts to damage his campaign and movement.

The report and earlier investigations, including a comprehensive 700-page congressional panel report from 2022, detailed Trump’s actions after the 2020 election. Both concluded that he perpetuated false claims of voter fraud, pressured state lawmakers to overturn election results, and sought to use fraudulent slates of electors in states won by Biden.

The culmination of these efforts was the 6 January 2021, attack on the US Capitol, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed Congress to disrupt the certification of Biden’s victory.

Even before his election win, Smith’s case encountered significant legal obstacles.

Proceedings were paused as Trump argued that he could not be prosecuted for official actions taken during his presidency. The Supreme Court's conservative majority sided with Trump, granting broad immunity to former presidents from criminal prosecution.

While Trump’s election victory effectively shielded him from conviction, the report underscores the seriousness of the allegations.