{"id":2332913,"date":"2024-08-28T19:20:57","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T23:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/turley-jack-smith-stretched-the-law-with-new-trump-indictment\/"},"modified":"2024-08-28T19:25:59","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T23:25:59","slug":"turley-jack-smith-stretched-the-law-with-new-trump-indictment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/turley-jack-smith-stretched-the-law-with-new-trump-indictment\/","title":{"rendered":"Turley: Jack Smith &#8216;Stretched the Law&#8217; with New Trump Indictment"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fturley-jack-smith-stretched-the-law-with-new-trump-indictment%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2332913&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley discussed the recent\u2064 superseding \u200dindictment against former President \u2064Donald Trump issued by \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sidney-powell-is-an-american-legal-giant\/\" title=\"Sidney Powell Is an American Legal Giant\">special counsel<\/a> Jack Smith, saying Smith has &#8220;stretched the law&#8221; in his approach. The new indictment mirrors the original charges filed \u2063on August 1, 2023, which accuse\u2064 Trump of interference in the 2020 election. Turley criticized Smith&#8217;s \u200bhistory \u200cof \u2063stretching legal interpretations, recalling a past case that was overturned by the Supreme Court due to similar issues.<\/p>\n<p>The updated \u2062indictment, as Turley described, makes minor adjustments to avoid legal challenges related to &#8220;official \u2063acts&#8221; that could exempt the president\u2064 from prosecution. Additionally, it emphasizes Trump&#8217;s alleged pressure on\u200d state and local officials \u2064and the submission of false elector slates. Turley remarked that while \u2063Smith has made minimal changes to the indictment, he essentially maintained the core of the allegations. Trump, in a recent post, claimed that Smith and the justice department violated policies\u2063 aimed at preventing actions\u2062 that could affect elections close to\u200c their dates.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> <script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said on Wednesday that special counsel Jack Smith has &ldquo;stretched the law&rdquo; by handing over a superseding indictment against former President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The indictment, filed on Tuesday night, includes the same four charges as Smith&rsquo;s initial indictment handed down on August 1, 2023, in relation to Trump&rsquo;s alleged interference in the 2020 election. Turley said on Fox News&rsquo; &ldquo;America Reports&rdquo; that Smith has &ldquo;always played right up the margin&rdquo; in his past legal cases, even causing his case against former Republican Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell to be vacated by the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is vintage Jack Smith. He has always played right up to the margin in cases, and at times he has crossed over. He was reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court on probably his previous most famous case because he stretched the law, and that has been a signature of his, and I think he&rsquo;s still doing it,&rdquo; Turley said.<\/p>\n<p>Smith prosecuted McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, for allegedly violating federal bribery law by accepting luxury gifts from a businessman in exchange for promoting his dietary supplement. The Supreme Court overruled McDonnell&rsquo;s conviction in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-lomachenko-wins-unanimous-decision-for-2nd-lightweight-belt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unanimous decision<\/a> on September 8, 2016, ruling McDonnell&rsquo;s actions were distasteful, but not a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-demand-investigation-over-dhs-money-being-used-to-buy-chinese-solar-panels-made-with-forced-labor\/\" title=\"House Republicans Demand Investigation Over DHS Money Being Used to Buy Chinese Solar Panels Made With Forced Labor\">federal law violation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Turley said Smith simply tweaked the original indictment without any major changes in order to remove parts that are considered &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wake-up-with-the-washington-examiner-bidens-supreme-court-plan-defining-harris-and-the-fbis-cryptic-problem-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Wake up with the Washington Examiner: Biden\u2019s Supreme Court plan, defining Harris, and the FBI\u2019s cryptic problem - Washington Examiner\">official acts&#038;rdquo<\/a>; taken by the now-former president on January 6, 2021. The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that a president is immune from prosecution regarding &ldquo;official acts&rdquo; taken during their presidency in a July 1 ruling, requiring Smith to consider which aspects in the indictment could be classified as an official act.<\/p>\n<p>  <script> \t\t\t\tif( ! getCookie( 'ff_subbed' ) ) if( typeof FFADS.replace_ict !='undefined' ) if( FFADS.replace_ict ) eval( FFADS.replace_ict ); \t\t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It reminded me, I was once at my favorite Italian beef stand in Chicago, a woman asked for a low-cal option, and the owner cut the sandwich in half and charged her the full amount. And I think that&rsquo;s basically what this is, he&rsquo;s basically charging the full amount, there&rsquo;s just less product,&rdquo; Turley said.<\/p>\n<p>Trump claimed in a  post on Tuesday that Smith and the Department of Justice have violated its own policy that mandates the agency should not take any action that may influence an election within 60 days of that election. Turley said Attorney General Merrick Garland will not enforce that rule against Smith and that the special counsel does not &ldquo;feel bound&rdquo; by the mandate.<\/p>\n<p>Smith charged Trump with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-former-mma-fighter-ronda-rousey-apologizes-posting-sandy-hook-conspiracy-online-11-years-ago\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">conspiracy<\/a> to obstruct an official proceeding, one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, along with one count of conspiracy against rights. The special counsel omitted allegations related to Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;attempt to leverage the Justice Department&rdquo; and conversations the then-president had with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and his White House advisers.<\/p>\n<p>The updated indictment further emphasizes Trump&rsquo;s alleged attempts to &ldquo;pressure state and local officials&rdquo; and &ldquo;submit false slates of electors.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> <label>* Name<\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> <\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> <label>* <\/label> <br \/> <input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> <\/div>\n<p> <label>* Message<\/label> <br \/> <textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea>  <\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\">  <\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<p>   <script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\">  <\/div>\n<style> \t\t\t \t\t\t.insticator-unit.type-commenting{margin: 0 10px 25px 10px}@media screen and (max-width:1060px){#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{margin: 0 auto 25px auto !important;}}#div-insticator-ad-cmt-1, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-2, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-3, #div-insticator-ad-cmt-4{height: 280px !important; width: 336px !important} \t\t<\/style>\n<div class=\"insticator-unit type-commenting\">\n<div class=\"insticator-ads\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-1\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-2\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"insticator-ads additional\">   <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\t\t\tif ( ! getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tInsticator.ad.loadAd(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\"); \t\t\t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-3\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"div-insticator-ad-cmt-4\").remove() \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t<\/script> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley stated on Wednesday that special counsel Jack Smith has &#8220;stretched the law&#8221; by presenting a superseding indictment against former President Donald Trump. This new indictment, submitted on Tuesday night, contains the same four charges as the original indictment issued on August 1, 2023, concerning Trump&#8217;s alleged interference in the 2020 election. During an appearance on Fox News&#8217; &#8220;America Reports,&#8221; Turley remarked that Smith has consistently operated at the edge of legal boundaries in his previous cases, which even led to the Supreme Court vacating his case against former Republican Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. He noted, &#8220;This is classic Jack Smith; he often pushes legal limits and sometimes crosses them.&#8221; The Supreme Court unanimously overturned McDonnell&#8217;s conviction in September 2016, determining that while McDonnell&#8217;s actions were inappropriate, they did not constitute a violation of federal law.<\/p>\n<p>Turley pointed out that Smith made minor adjustments to the original indictment without significant changes to eliminate elements considered &#8220;official acts&#8221; performed by Trump on January 6, 2021. A July ruling from the Supreme Court established that a president cannot be prosecuted for &#8220;official acts&#8221; conducted during their presidency, prompting Smith to reassess which parts of the indictment could be deemed official actions.<\/p>\n<p>Turley likened this situation to an experience at his favorite Italian beef stand in Chicago where a woman requested a low-calorie option but was charged full price for half a sandwich. He suggested this reflects how Smith is charging for less substantial content while maintaining full charges.<\/p>\n<p>Trump claimed in a post on Tuesday that both Smith and the Department of Justice have breached their own policy prohibiting any actions likely to influence an election within 60 days prior. Turley asserted that Attorney General Merrick Garland would not enforce this rule against Smith and indicated that Smith does not feel constrained by it.<\/p>\n<p>The updated charges against Trump include one count each of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Notably absent from this version are allegations regarding Trump&#8217;s supposed attempts to manipulate the Justice Department or discussions with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and White House advisers. The revised indictment further highlights Trump&#8217;s alleged efforts to pressure state and local officials as well as submit false elector slates<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2332914,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Untitled-design-22.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[6733,32463,36218,39601,7547],"class_list":["post-2332913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-controversy","tag-jack-smith","tag-legal-analysis","tag-trump-indictment","tag-turley"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Untitled-design-22.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2332913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2332913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2332914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2332913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2332913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2332913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}