{"id":2333268,"date":"2024-08-29T06:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-29T10:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-pivots-strategy-in-trump-criminal-cases-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-29T06:31:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-29T10:31:52","slug":"jack-smith-pivots-strategy-in-trump-criminal-cases-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jack-smith-pivots-strategy-in-trump-criminal-cases-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Smith pivots strategy in Trump criminal cases &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/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%2Fjack-smith-pivots-strategy-in-trump-criminal-cases-washington-examiner%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=2333268&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>Special Counsel Jack\u2063 Smith is\u2064 adjusting his strategy in his criminal cases\u2064 against former President Donald Trump,\u200c especially\u2062 as he faces setbacks in prosecuting Trump \u2064over the 2020 election and classified documents. Recently, Smith filed a superseding indictment in a D.C. case, narrowing the\u2064 charges\u2063 after the Supreme Court ruled that Trump was \u2062immune\u200c from prosecution for certain actions included \u200din the original indictment. Legal experts view this move as a possible &#8220;last-ditch effort&#8221; to preempt a dismissal by defense attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>As the election date \u200dapproaches, Smith\u2019s new \u2062strategy appears \u2062to hinge on the prospect of Trump\u200b losing in the 2024 elections. \u2062Legal analysts suggest that if Trump wins, he could effectively \u200dshut down the \u200cprosecution once \u200bin office. Smith \u200bretains \u2062four counts \u2062against \u200cTrump,\u2063 including conspiracy to defraud the U.S.,\u2062 although the revised indictment\u200c presents a less aggressive case. The\u200b shift in strategy is compounded by\u200d delays and appeals, \u200cleading Smith to align with the Department of Justice&#8217;s broader approach in navigating these complex legal waters. A status\u2064 conference is\u2064 scheduled to discuss the case,\u2062 but it&#8217;s uncertain how the new indictment will influence upcoming legal proceedings.  <\/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\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Jack Smith pivots strategy in Trump criminal cases<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1739145\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Special counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jack Smith<\/a>, facing setbacks in both of his criminal cases against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a>, is hedging bets on the former president losing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2024-elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>2024 election<\/a> in the hope of one day securing a criminal conviction.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Smith on Tuesday filed a superseding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/763251986\/Trump-indictment?secret_password=Cz4LNJpxCty79R4D1E8G#fullscreen&amp;from_embed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>36-page indictment<\/a> in the 2020 election case in Washington, D.C., based on a more narrow set of allegedly criminal acts after the Supreme Court ruled this summer that Trump was immune from prosecution for some of the conduct included in Smith&rsquo;s original <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/storage\/US_v_Trump_23_cr_257.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>45-page indictment<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Donald Trump and Jack Smith (AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>Smith&rsquo;s amended indictment piles atop a series of missteps the prosecutor has made in his quest to convict Trump, calling the superseding indictment a &ldquo;last-ditch effort to try to avoid a motion to dismiss&rdquo; the Washington case by defense attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Smith filed the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-asks-supreme-court-to-reject-trump-request-in-fbi-classified-documents-case\/\" title=\"DOJ Asks Supreme Court to Reject Trump Request in FBI Classified Documents Case\">classified documents case<\/a> in Florida instead of Washington, D.C., to avoid a change of venue motion,&rdquo; Rahmani said, noting in hindsight, that &ldquo;was a mistake&rdquo; because a more friendly Trump-appointed judge was selected to take on that case.<\/p>\n<p>Ohio-based attorney Danny Karon likened the new charging document to &ldquo;halftime adjustments&rdquo; to the original indictment, noting that given the close proximity now to the election, &ldquo;whether this second indictment will matter is going to be up to the voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The case most certainly wouldn&rsquo;t go to trial before the election, and if Trump wins the presidency, he controls the Justice Department, which means he&rsquo;ll shut down the case,&rdquo; Karon added.<\/p>\n<p>The special counsel maintained the four counts against Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, but limited the evidence in the indictment and even removed one unnamed individual, former Department of Justice official Jeff Clark, from a list of unindicted co-conspirators.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Smith had to walk a fine line in seeking a new indictment, presenting the case to a new grand jury and with a little less teeth than the original indictment as he tries to keep within the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-overturns-chevron-doctrine-upends-administrative-state\/\" title=\"SCOTUS Overturns Chevron Doctrine, Upends Administrative State\">high court&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s ruling but still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-atf-nominee-promises-to-give-hunter-biden-gun-background-check-form-to-senate-probe-any-crimes\/\" title=\"Biden ATF Nominee Promises To Give Hunter Biden Gun Background Check Form To Senate, Probe Any Crimes\">pursue criminal charges<\/a>,&rdquo; Karon said.<\/p>\n<p>Also this week, Smith filed his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3134520\/jack-smith-quest-revive-trump-documents-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first argumentative brief<\/a> over U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon&rsquo;s decision to toss out the separate classified documents case in Florida, attempting to convince a federal appeals court to overturn the decision that the special counsel was improperly appointed.<\/p>\n<p>Due to appeals and delays, both the 2020 election case and the classified documents case have not been expected to have jury trials this fall even before Smith filed his superseding indictment on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>Smith, who was once insistent on holding trials before the election, is now forced to pivot to a prosecutorial strategy, which considers the outcome of the Nov. 5 election, including if Trump fails to win back the White House.<\/p>\n<p>The change in strategy became even more clear when the <em>New York Times <\/em>reported last week that prosecutors won&rsquo;t seek to hold a &ldquo;mini-trial&rdquo; in Trump&rsquo;s Washington case. In essence, some legal experts suggested earlier this summer that presiding U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan may invite witnesses to testify on certain aggravated offenses in the indictment before the actual trial, but sources familiar with Smith&rsquo;s plans shut down those speculations.<\/p>\n<p>Chutkan has a status conference currently set for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MacFarlaneNews\/status\/1821956699344756995\">Sept. 5<\/a>&nbsp;to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-important-that-osha-mandate-not-be-allowed-to-stand-massive-expansion-of-federal-power\/\" title=\"DeSantis: \u2018Important\u2019 That \u2018OSHA Mandate Not Be Allowed To Stand,\u2019 \u2018Massive Expansion Of Federal Power\u2019\">discuss issues related<\/a> to the case, but it&rsquo;s unclear how this new indictment will affect what&rsquo;s discussed during the conference.<\/p>\n<p>But what is clear for now is that Smith is focused on taking court proceedings at an even pace, in part because of the futility of trying to start a trial before the election and perhaps due to the entire DOJ&rsquo;s effort to create a unified and consistent approach to the new immunity precedent.<\/p>\n<p>Kevin McMunigal, a former assistant U.S. attorney in California, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> if there was ever a precedent-setting and important court decision while he was at the Golden State office, &ldquo;the people at &lsquo;Main Justice&rsquo; were very much in touch with the trial lawyers to want to keep them from taking positions that would be at odds.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the DOJ is interested &ldquo;in keeping all the troops lined up and the ducks lined up in order&rdquo; when it comes to interpreting new precedent, McMunigal said. After all, prosecutors want their charges to stand up to a judge&rsquo;s muster and lead to an eventual conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the next big test of Smith&rsquo;s strategy could occur as Smith continues to fight Cannon&rsquo;s decision to rule he was improperly appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland under the Appointments Clause.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has yet to file a motion to remove Smith in the Washington case, and depending on the outcome of Smith&rsquo;s appeal of Cannon&rsquo;s decision, he could tee up a circuit split over the constitutionality of Smith&rsquo;s appointment. However, experts like McMunigal said he would be surprised if the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit upheld Cannon&rsquo;s decision.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the former president has kept up his public hostility toward the special counsel for keeping the case on a steady pace as Election Day approaches, while <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/official-polls\/fox-news-poll-harris-closes-gap-trump-sun-belt-states\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">polls show<\/a> his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris is closing the gap in key states like Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This is merely an attempt to INTERFERE WITH THE ELECTION, and distract the American People from the catastrophes Kamala Harris has inflicted on our Nation, like the Border Invasion, Migrant Crime, Rampant Inflation, the threat of World War III, and more,&rdquo; Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/posts\/113036149410776181\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>posted<\/a> to Truth Social Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1739145\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1739145\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Special counsel Jack Smith is adjusting his approach in the criminal cases against Donald Trump, particularly after encountering challenges in both cases. He seems to be banking on the possibility that Trump may lose the 2024 election, which could aid in achieving a future conviction. On Tuesday, Smith submitted a revised 36-page indictment related to the 2020 election case in Washington, D.C., focusing on a narrower range of alleged criminal activities following a Supreme Court ruling this summer that granted Trump immunity for some actions included in his initial 45-page indictment.<\/p>\n<p>Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani commented to the Washington Examiner that Smith&#8217;s updated indictment reflects a series of errors made during his pursuit of Trump&#8217;s conviction and described it as a &#8220;last-ditch effort&#8221; to prevent defense attorneys from filing for dismissal of the case. Rahmani noted that Smith&#8217;s decision to file the classified documents case in Florida instead of Washington was ultimately misguided since it led to a more favorable judge for Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Ohio attorney Danny Karon compared this new indictment to &#8220;halftime adjustments,&#8221; emphasizing that with Election Day approaching, its impact will largely depend on voter sentiment. He pointed out that it&#8217;s unlikely for any trial to occur before the election; if Trump wins, he would have control over the Justice Department and could potentially halt proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Smith has retained four charges against Trump, including conspiracy to defraud the United States but has streamlined evidence and removed one unnamed co-conspirator from consideration. Karon explained that Smith had to navigate carefully while seeking this new indictment so as not to overstep following recent court rulings while still pursuing charges.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, this week saw Smith filing an argumentative brief regarding U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon\u2019s decision dismissing part of another classified documents case\u2014an attempt aimed at persuading an appeals court about his appointment&#8217;s legitimacy.<\/p>\n<p>Due to ongoing appeals and delays, neither case is expected to reach jury trials soon; thus far from earlier expectations set by Smith himself about holding trials before elections. His strategy now appears more focused on pacing legal proceedings thoughtfully given potential outcomes from November\u2019s elections.<\/p>\n<p>Legal experts have suggested there might be significant implications depending on how courts respond regarding Cannon\u2019s ruling about Smith\u2019s appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland under constitutional guidelines. While no motion has been filed yet by Trump against Smith concerning these cases, experts like McMunigal express skepticism about Cannon&#8217;s ruling being upheld by higher courts.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, as Election Day nears and polls indicate tightening races with Vice President Kamala Harris gaining ground in key states like Arizona and Georgia, Trump continues publicly criticizing special counsel efforts as politically motivated distractions from pressing national issues such as immigration crises and inflation challenges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2333269,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Trump-Smith-DC.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[39631,32463,38518,3634,32076],"class_list":["post-2333268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-criminal-cases","tag-jack-smith","tag-legal-strategy","tag-trump","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Trump-Smith-DC.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2333268","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\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2333268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2333268\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2333269"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2333268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2333268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2333268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}