Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C. election subversion trial filed a rebuttal against his request to dismiss charges as “meritless,” writing, “The defendant stands alone in American history for his alleged crimes. No other president has engaged in conspiracy and obstruction to overturn valid election results and illegitimately retain power.” Trump had previously claimed that because his attempt to influence the election failed, he shouldn’t be accused of wrongdoing. But Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team countered, providing the analogy that robbers would still be charged even if they were “captured en route to a bank robbery.” They continued, “A conspiracy can be committed even if the object of the conspiracy is unattainable.” Smith also rejected Trump’s First Amendment defense because he didn’t just lie in saying the 2020 election was stolen, instead launching attacks at the “proper function of the government process” by blaming specific states like Georgia for counting “dead, non-resident, non-citizen, or otherwise ineligible voters.” According to The Messenger, The former president’s lawyers have 10 days to reply before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan makes a ruling on the dismissal motion. His trial is set to begin on March 4.
