Donald Trump faces revised US indictment in 2020 election subversion case

Revised indictment focuses on Donald Trump’s role as a political candidate seeking re-election, rather than as the president at the time

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Then-President Donald Trump rallies supporters on January 6, 2021, in Washington. File photo: TNS

Published: 5:03am, 28 Aug 2024Updated: 8:22am, 28 Aug 2024

Donald Trump was hit by a new federal indictment on Tuesday in his bid to overturn his 2020 election defeat, with prosecutors narrowing their approach after a US Supreme Court ruling that former presidents have broad immunity form criminal prosecution.

US Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team obtained a new indictment in the Washington case, though it was highly unlikely to proceed to trial ahead of the November 5 election when the Republican Trump faces Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris.

The revised indictment lays out the same four charges it brought against the Republican former president last year focusing on Trump’s role as a political candidate seeking re-election, rather than as the president at the time.

The Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that Trump is at least presumptively immune from criminal prosecution for actions that were within his constitutional powers as president.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington has been expected to decide in coming weeks which aspects of the case must be tossed out based on the Supreme Court’s immunity decision.