Trump indicted again in election subversion case brought by Jack Smith

The 36-page indictment, secured Tuesday by the special counsel, is an
attempt to recalibrate the case after the Supreme Court�s immunity
decision.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. has reindicted Donald Trump on
four felony charges related to his effort to subvert the 2020 presidential
election.

The 36-page indictment, secured Tuesday by special counsel Jack Smith, is
an attempt by prosecutors to streamline the case against Trump to address
the Supreme Court�s ruling last month that concluded presidents enjoy
sweeping immunity from prosecution for their official conduct.

The new indictment removes some specific allegations against Trump but
contains the same four criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud
the United States. It�s a signal that Smith believes the high court�s
immunity decision doesn�t pose a major impediment to convicting the former
president.

�The superseding indictment, which was presented to a new grand jury that
had not previously heard evidence in this case, reflects the Government�s
efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court�s holdings and remand
instructions,� Smith�s team wrote in an accompanying court filing.

The development is unlikely to alter the reality that a trial in the case
before the November election looks impossible. In fact, the new indictment
could drag the case out further � defense attorneys often seek delays after
prosecutors revise criminal allegations.

Both sides face a Friday deadline to propose next steps to U.S. District
Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Biden appointee who is overseeing the proceedings
in the trial court. Chutkan has scheduled a Sept. 5 hearing to set a course
for the case.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the initial indictment and has repeatedly
decried the prosecution as a political vendetta. After the new indictment
was unveiled on Tuesday, Trump called it �ridiculous� in a post on his
social media site, Truth Social.

�For them to do this immediately after our Supreme Court Victory on
Immunity and more, is shocking,� Trump wrote.

The new charging document seeks to revive a case that was stalled for
months while the Supreme Court weighed Trump�s immunity arguments. In a
largely 6-3 decision on July 1, the high court announced a robust version
of presidential immunity that made clear that at least some of the special
counsel�s allegations could not proceed � and left the rest of the case in
jeopardy.

The new indictment seeks to rely on a distinction the Supreme Court drew
between a president�s private actions (which can be the subject of criminal
charges) and actions that stem from a president�s official powers (which
now carry a large degree of immunity).

In an apparent bid to downplay any connection between Trump�s official
duties and his bid to overturn Joe Biden�s victory, the new indictment
repeatedly emphasizes the political and personal nature of many of the
actions Trump took during the post-election period and on Jan. 6, 2021.

For instance, the document underscores that Mike Pence was not only vice
president, but also Trump�s �running mate,� when Trump pressured Pence to
block the certification of the election results. It notes that Trump�s
rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, was �privately funded� and �privately
organized.� And it stresses that Trump often used his Twitter account for
�personal purposes.�

The new document also eliminates a long list of top government officials
who had informed Trump that his claims about election fraud and anomalies
were false, including top intelligence, Justice Department, homeland
security officials and White House lawyers.

Smith�s original 45-page indictment, unveiled last August, included claims
that Trump sought to use the Justice Department to advance what prosecutors
contend was an unlawful and fraudulent effort to overturn the election.
Those details, which the Supreme Court put largely beyond the reach of
prosecutors, have been omitted from the new, shorter charging document.

The new indictment adds no new defendants, but deletes all references to
one alleged co-conspirator mentioned in the earlier indictment without
being named or charged: former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark.

Clark held a Senate-confirmed post as head of DOJ�s Environmental and
Natural Resources Division and was serving as the acting head of the
department�s Civil Division at the end of the Trump administration when
Trump considered a plan to install Clark to replace acting Attorney General
Jeffrey Rosen.

Witnesses told a House investigation that, in the weeks after the 2020
election, Rosen and other Trump appointees had refused to send letters to
local election officials claiming fraud in the presidential election
results, but Clark was willing to do so. Trump ultimately abandoned the
plan after nearly all of the senior leaders of the Justice Department said
they would resign in protest.

In addition to the election subversion case, Smith has also charged Trump
in Florida with hoarding classified documents and obstructing justice.
Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, dismissed that case last month � a
decision that Smith is appealing.

Trump also faces criminal charges in Georgia for interfering with the 2020
election results in that state. And in May, he was convicted in New York of
falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn
star.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/08/27/trump-indicted-2020-election-
subversion-00176503

He told officers that her brother then began texting him through Snapchat, pretending to be his sister so he could identify Dirie.

A Minneapolis man was charged on Wednesday with 1st-degree criminal sexual conduct for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl after her big brother set a trap to catch him.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim's sister told officers that on June 5, the victim was playing in their backyard when an unknown man, later identified as Qalinle Ibrahim Dirie, 41, came to the front of the house in a white car.

On June 10, the victim reported her assault to her school counselor, and she was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center. A sexual assault exam was performed on her, and she was sent to the BCA for analysis.

The victim stated that she'd seen Dirie driving past her house often in a later interview with investigators. She had been playing in her back yard when he stopped behind her home and got out to talk to her, asking if her mom was home.

When she said no, he left, returning 10 minutes later, putting his hand over her mouth and forcing her into the car and proceeding to rape her. She was then able to escape and run home, locking herself in the bathroom for a long time.

On July 29, her brother saw Dirie trying to contact the victim on her cell phone. When he answered, Dirie reportedly said: "Hey, beautiful! I miss you! When can I see you again?" before the brother hung up.

The brother then began texting Dirie through Snapchat, pretending to be his sister so he could identify Dirie, he told officers.

Dirie alluded to bringing condoms and coming to see the victim. The brother sent their home address, and Dirie said he was 14 minutes away. When he arrived, he saw the victim's brother and stepfather waiting for him in the living room. He tried to flee, but the brother stood in front of the door while 911 was called.

While Dirie first told officers that he had "never met her." While put in "the squad car, he said: "She told me she is 19 years old. I don't know why."

Dirie appeared in court on Thursday afternoon and remains in custody with a $100,000 bail. His next hearing is set for August 29.

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/charges-brother-sets-a-trap-for-minneapolis-man-who-raped-his-12-year-old-sister