Judge Chutkan Agrees To Unseal Evidence Against Trump In October Surprise

Judge Tanya Chutkan, appointed by former President Obama, has agreed to unseal Special Counsel Jack Smith’s evidence in the ongoing January 6 case against President Donald Trump. The unsealed documents are attached to Smith’s 165-page brief, which has already been used to launch attacks against Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Trump’s legal team opposed the release of the evidence, filing a motion to keep the documents sealed. In their filing, Trump’s lawyers argued that Jack Smith’s evidence was “cherry-picked” to interfere with the election, accusing the Special Counsel of timing the release to affect early voting. Trump’s attorneys insisted that no more disclosures should be made during the election period.

Despite these objections, Judge Chutkan denied Trump’s request to keep the evidence sealed, agreeing with Jack Smith’s team. However, she allowed a seven-day delay in her decision, giving Trump’s legal team time to consider their legal options.

Special Counsel Jack Smith has argued that Trump’s actions surrounding the January 6 protests were private and outside the scope of his presidential duties. Smith has rejected Trump’s claims of immunity, arguing that Trump acted as a candidate, not as president, during the events in question — a clear perversion of justice for obvious political purposes.

This ruling comes as part of an October surprise as voters begin casting ballots — with little time to properly evaluate the “evidence” being pushed.