2025-01-15
22 分钟The Department of Justice's long-awaited election interference report against Donald Trump, released early Tuesday, said the evidence against the president-elect would have led to his conviction at trial — if not for his election victory that led to charges being dropped. Then, confirmation hearings for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump's pick to run the Department of Defense, took place on Capitol Hill. Hegseth defended himself against accusations of sexual misconduct & alcohol abuse. This episode: senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, senior political editor & correspondent Domenico Montanaro, congressional correspondent Deirdre Walsh, and defense correspondent Tom Bowman. The podcast is produced by Bria Suggs & Kelli Wessinger, and edited by Casey Morell. Our executive producer is Muthoni Muturi. Listen to every episode of the NPR Politics Podcast sponsor-free, unlock access to bonus episodes with more from the NPR Politics team, and support public media when you sign up for The NPR Politics Podcast+ at plus.npr.org/politics. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
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Hey there.
It's the NPR Politics Podcast.
I'm Tamara Keith.
I cover the White House.
I'm Carrie Johnson.
I cover the Justice Department.
And I'm Domenico Montanaro, senior political editor and correspondent.
And part of the special counsel report into Donald Trump's actions trying to overturn the 2020 election, which he lost, has been released.
Carrie, you got this overnight, and I want to get you to describe what is in it.
What did special Counsel Jack Smith find?
The special counsel Jack Smith found that President elect Donald Trump engaged in or led a criminal conspiracy to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, and that he advanced that conspiracy allegedly by a pervasive pattern of deceit.
This involved things like advancing slates of fake electors, leaning on then Vice President Mike Pence and all those other allegations that now seem familiar but are fairly chilling when you put them all in one piece, as Jack Smith did.
Smith said that the evidence existed to convict Trump, but of course, there was never a TR because Trump won the last election.
And the Justice Department has a longstanding policy against prosecuting sitting presidents.
Trump returns to office on Monday.