Jack Smith files new charges in Trump's election fraud case

Special Counsel Jack Smith filed new charges against Donald Trump on Tuesday in the federal case filed on January 6. The new charges contain the same four counts against the former president, but in a shorter version.

Smith said in an accompanying brief that the new indictment was presented to a new grand jury that had not previously heard evidence in the case and reflects “the government's efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court's decisions and instructions in Trump v. United States,” citing the July 1 immunity ruling.

In that ruling, the Republican-appointed majority declared that Trump was absolutely immune for “central” constitutional acts, presumptively immune for all official acts but not immune for unofficial ones. The Supreme Court has remanded the case to the trial court to determine what in the indictment is beyond the immunity judgment, a process that has yet to be set in motion. The latest indictment seeks to preempt that process by stripping details of the indictment that the government argues might have been objectionable under the immunity judgment. A joint status report to the trial judge, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, is scheduled to be submitted Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.