New charges against Donald Trump in 2020 US election interference case | US News

A new charge has been brought against Donald Trump because of his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after his loss to Joe Biden.

The new document removes a section that was accused Mr Trump to try to use the Justice Department's police powers to overturn his election defeat.

This was an area of ​​conduct for which the Supreme Court granted absolute immunity from prosecution.

Last month's ruling said former presidents are generally immune from prosecution for official White House acts.

The new indictment was filed three days before the deadline for Special Counsel Jack Smith's office to inform the presiding judge how it planned to proceed in light of the opinion.

The special counsel's office said the updated indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, was issued by a grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case.

The original indictment included allegations that Mr Trump tried to involve the Justice Department in his failed efforts to overturn his election defeat.

These included sham investigations and the – false – claim to the states that significant fraud had been uncovered.

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It detailed how Jeffrey Clark, a senior official in the Justice Department under Trump, attempted to send a letter to elected officials in certain states falsely claiming that the department had identified “significant concerns that may have affected the outcome of the election,” and asked senior department officials to sign the letter, but they refused.

Clark's support for Trump's allegations of election fraud led the then-president to openly consider appointing him as acting attorney general instead of Jeffrey Rosen.

According to the original indictment, Trump eventually abandoned his plan to replace Rosen with Clark “when he was told it would lead to mass resignations at the Justice Department.”