The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case has dismissed a motion to have it thrown out. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan stated that Trump’s legal team provided “no meaningful evidence” that the prosecution was driven by “vindictive and political purposes.”
Trump is accused of leading a broad effort to overturn the presidential election results he lost to Joe Biden. He has denied any wrongdoing and previously suggested that the Biden administration is behind the prosecution.
The case returned to federal court in Washington, DC, on Friday following a significant Supreme Court ruling that determined Trump had partial immunity from prosecution.
In their motion to dismiss the case, Trump’s lawyers argued that he had been unfairly singled out for prosecution while others who questioned the election results had not faced similar charges. They also claimed that his political opponents initiated the prosecution to hinder his chances of re-election.
Both arguments were rejected by Judge Chutkan, who noted in her ruling that Trump was not charged simply for challenging the results but for “knowingly making false statements in furtherance of criminal conspiracies and for obstruction of election certification proceedings.
” She criticized his lawyers for misinterpreting the news articles they cited in their motion, asserting that they incorrectly suggested these articles demonstrated a political motive behind the prosecution.
Federal prosecutors allege that Trump pressured officials to reverse the election results, knowingly spread falsehoods about election fraud, and attempted to exploit the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, to delay the certification of Biden’s victory and remain in power. He faces four criminal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the US and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
Judge Chutkan has scheduled a new hearing for August 16 to discuss the next steps in the case.
