With Mike Pence testifying, Jack Smith’s January 6 investigation into Donald Trump is nearing its end

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Special counsel Jack Smith. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury convened by special counsel Jack Smith to investigate former President Donald Trump’s efforts to seize power by overturning election results. in 2020.

Pence’s appearance comes as Smith is believed to be wrapping up his investigation and possibly preparing to indict Trump on charges that could include obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and sedition.

Before the unrest in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump forced Pence to abruptly deny certification of the Electoral College vote tally showing that Joe Biden had won the election. Pence refused to comply, leading Trump to denounce him at a rally in Washington before the riot. Trump supporters descended on the Capitol in an effort to disrupt the certification of the election, chanting Hang Mike Pence! as they ransacked the building and delayed the proceedings.

On Thursday, Pence testified under oath before a grand jury for nearly seven hours about his dealings with Trump following the 2020 election.

In a video statement posted the same day, Trump repeated himself in describing the man who might indict him as “a Trump-hating prosecutor, Jack Smith, hes a Trump-hater. His wifes a Trump-hater. His family is a Trump-hater. They all hate Trump. They hate him with a passion and will do anything to hurt Trump.

[Who is Jack Smith, the special counsel Garland appointed to investigate Trump?]

The former president, who has a solid lead over his Republican challengers for the 2024 GOP primary, also erred in speaking about which election cycle he said Smith was trying to influence in his investigation.

But he is a harasser and an abuser of our people to obstruct and disrupt the 2020 presidential election, that’s why they are doing it. Leading many in the polls. Otherwise, I believe everything will stop.”

The story continues

Here’s a rundown of where the Smith investigation stands and why Trump has good reason to be concerned.

All eyes on Pence

Former Vice President Mike Pence after speaking at a conference on Tuesday. (Alex Brandon/AP)

The former vice president’s appearance Thursday before a Washington grand jury was a significant event in Smith’s investigation. On Wednesday, an appeals court rejected a last-ditch appeal by Trump’s lawyers to block Pence from testifying. Hours later, Pence swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth about his dealings with Trump and the plan attorney John Eastman devised to have Pence deny the Electoral College tally. While the testimony already provided by Trumps former staff members will undoubtedly factor into Smith’s decision on whether to charge Trump with crimes, Pence is the central character in the former president’s plan to destroy American democracy .

Obey the law, tell the truth, Pence said in an interview with CBS on Sunday.

A second company confirmed that Trump accepted the absence of fraud in the 2020 election

Dominion ballot-counting machines in Estancia, NM (Andres Leighton/AP)

While Trump spent months leading up to the 2020 election declaring the country would be plagued by fraud due to the use of mail-in ballots, those claims have been repeatedly proven false. In order for him to be charged with conspiracy and obstruction, however, Smith would need to prove that Trump was not only wrong that fraud cost him the election victory, but that he carried out a strategy to overturn the results even though he knew his statements are false. .

To that end, Smith subpoenaed employees of two companies that Trumps campaign paid hundreds of thousands of dollars after the election to show evidence of voter fraud.

There was no significant voter fraud found in my investigations looking for it, nor was I able to confirm any of the external claims of voter fraud that I was asked to look into, Ken Block, founder of the company Simpatico Software Systems, one of the companies subpoenaed Smith, told the Washington Post. Every fraud claim I am asked to investigate is false.

[Pence Just Testified About Trumps Election Theft Plot for Over Seven Hours: Rolling Stone]

The Berkeley Research Group, a second firm contracted by the Trump campaign and subpoenaed by Smith, reached the same conclusion: Voter fraud significant enough to influence the results of the 2020 election just didn’t happen.

Whether Trump was aware of the findings by Simpatico Software Systems and Berkeley Research Group is unclear, but his campaign certainly received it.

Trump fundraising under the microscope

In the two months following the 2020 election, Trump and his associates may have used his false election claims to raise millions of dollars from his supporters. Smith is investigating that fundraising, the Washington Post reported, which may have violated federal wire fraud laws that prohibit using false email information to raise money. According to the Post, Smith has sent subpoenas in recent weeks to Trump advisers and former campaign aides, Republican operatives and other consultants involved in the 2020 presidential campaign in connection with possible fundraising .

Fox News producer Abby Grossberg will provide the recordings to Smith

Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at a Senate committee hearing in March. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP)

Smith’s case may not only implicate Trump. On Tuesday, former Fox News producer Abby Grossberg released a recording she made of a conversation between Fox News host Maria Bartiromo and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, describing a plan to challenge the 2020 election results.

Grossberg, who worked with recently fired Fox News host Tucker Carlson, is suing the network for alleged gender and religious discrimination. Earlier this month, Fox News reached a $787 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems over false claims of voter fraud promoted by the network’s hosts.

MSNBC reported Tuesday that Smith has contacted the Grossbergs’ lawyers and is in the process of securing access to a recording of the conversation between Bartiromo and Cruz, as well as others.

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