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Judge in Trump 2020 election case unseals more evidence from special counsel

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The judge overseeing President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case released more evidence collected by special counsel Jack Smith on Friday, unveiling an enormous batch of heavily redacted records.

The 1,889 pages of material, which Trump’s legal team had sought to keep under wraps, constitute four volumes of an appendix that Smith’s prosecutors filed alongside a motion over presidential immunity that was unveiled earlier this month. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is overseeing the case, ordered the unsealing of the redacted appendix last week, but delayed the release to give Trump time to contest her decision.

The new documents include transcripts of court hearings, interviews and speeches related to the case, as well as additional source material. Smith had indicated that much of the appendix contains sensitive information that should stay hidden from the public, and the released version contains hundreds of pages that remain under seal. That evidence, subject to a protective order issued at the start of the case last year, likely includes transcripts of testimony before a grand jury and FBI interviews.

But many of the documents include publicly available information, including voting tabulations and tweets from Trump and others connected to the case. Prosecutors also included Trump’s speech near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, in which he told a crowd of supporters that he won the election and said “we’re going to the Capitol.” 

Chutkan reiterated her decision to release the appendix in an order issued Thursday,  writing that the public is presumed to have access to “all facets of criminal court proceedings.” Trump’s legal team tried to keep the records under seal, arguing their release could influence the 2024 presidential election, but Chutkan said she did not find their arguments persuasive and would not take political considerations into account when steering the case.

Trump was originally indicted last year, with prosecutors alleging he and his allies orchestrated a broad campaign to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The case was paused for months while Trump’s lawyers argued he should be immune from prosecution. 

The Supreme Court decided over the summer that presidents are immune for “official acts” they take while in office. Smith filed a new indictment narrowing the charges to comply with the court’s decision. Chutkan is now tasked with determining whether Trump enjoys immunity under the Supreme Court’s framework. He has pleaded not guilty.

Smith’s team filed a motion urging Chutkan to find Trump is not immune from prosecution, which was unsealed on Oct. 2. Trump’s lawyers have until Nov. 7 — two days after Election Day — to submit their response.

His attorneys argued that Chutkan shouldn’t release any additional information in the case, saying in a filing that the “asymmetric release of charged allegations and related documents during early voting creates a concerning appearance of election interference.” But Chutkan said the court isn’t limiting public access to one side of the case, since Trump and his team can present their own legal arguments and facts.

In a separate order on Wednesday, Chutkan also largely rejected Trump’s demand for prosecutors to search out and turn over more information that he believed would support his defense. Chutkan said prosecutors may have already looked for the information Trump wants, or may not have it within their control. 

Among the evidence Trump unsuccessfully demanded was information about alleged undercover agents at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Chutkan said the former president “does not provide anything more than speculation that there even were any such undercover actors” at the Capitol when Trump’s supporters breached the building.

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A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution forgotten inside a filing cabinet sells for $9 million at auction

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Only 8 of these copies of the U.S. Constitution exist – this one is up for auction


Only 8 of these copies of the U.S. Constitution exist – this one is up for auction

04:35

A rare copy of the U.S. Constitution forgotten inside a filing cabinet sold on Thursday for a $9 million hammer price, Andrew Brunk, the owner of the auction house managing the sale, confirmed to CBS News. 

Originally scheduled to be auctioned on Sept. 28 in Asheville, North Carolina by Brunk Auctions the sale was delayed due to Hurricane Helene. 

It took just seven minutes to clinch the final sale price – with bids coming in at $500,000 intervals. Most bids – roughly 10 – were placed over the phone, two bids were online, and one buyer was at the North Carolina auction in person, said Brunk. 

Brunk said the final price including the buyer’s premium was $11,070,000 – and the buyer remained anonymous.

“To go from a filing cabinet in Edenton, North Carolina to being sold for $11 million is quite a journey,” said Brunk. 

the-filing-cabinet.jpg
A 1787 copy of the U.S. Constitution was found inside this filing cabinet in Edenton, N.C.

Brunk Auctions


The nearly 237-year-old document was found in a nondescript squat metal filing cabinet at Hayes Farm, an 184-acre plantation in Edenton, North Carolina. In 2022, when the property was cleared out after being sold to the state to be converted into a public historic site a copy of the constitution was found in the filing cabinet.

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A closer look at the only known privately held signed ratification copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Brunk Auctions/CBS News Philadelphia


Samuel Johnston, the governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 owned the farm – and oversaw the state convention that ratified the Constitution.

One hundred of the U.S. Constitution were printed after a heated debate at the site of what today is the Federal Hall National Memorial in New York City. Congress resolved to send it to the states for ratification. 

A handful of those copies are known to still be in existence – including the one sold on Thursday. 

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Trump says he’d hire a CEO his age. Only a handful of top chief executives are older.

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Donald Trump, who turned 78 in June, would be the oldest person in U.S. history to be elected president if he wins in November. The question of age and fitness for office has flared repeatedly this political season, including on Tuesday when one interviewer asked Trump whether he would appoint a CEO his own age.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Trump said he would although with some caveats, noting that he wouldn’t hire his former presidential rival, President Joe Biden, 81.

“I know many people in their 80s. I know guys in their 80s that won’t leave the company, like family companies where they don’t want the kids to take over because they’re much more competent than their kids,” Trump told his interviewer, Bloomberg editor-in-chief John Micklethwait, at the Economic Club of Chicago on Tuesday. 

But there are few CEOs of large U.S. companies who are as old or older than Trump. Among Fortune 500 companies — the 500 largest U.S. companies based on their total revenue — there are only six who are older than the former president, according to financial firm Madison Trust. They are:

  • Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, 94
  • Roger Penske, CEO of Penske Automotive, 87
  • Robert Greenberg, CEO of Skechers, about 83
  • Albert Nahmad, CEO of Watsco, 84
  • Seifi Ghasemi, CEO of Air Products, about 80
  • A.J. Teague, CEO of Enterprise Products, about 79

Most CEOs of publicly traded companies are in their 50s, representing about half of all chief executives, according to a January analysis by The Conference Board. Only about 14% of CEOs are over 60 years old, the group found.

“You just say some of our great world leaders are in the 80s,” Trump said. “And if you look throughout history, some of our greatest world leaders were in their 80s. No, that wouldn’t bother me.”

Trump has so far refused to disclose new details about his physical or mental well-being, breaking decades of precedent. His rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, released her records earlier this month, with her physician declaring she is in “excellent health” and “possesses the physical and mental resiliency” required to serve as president.

Although there’s no requirement that candidates release their health data, presidential nominees traditionally disclose medical records voluntarily given the demands of the job, particularly if there are concerns about their age.

Meanwhile, more Americans than ever are working past the age of 75, representing one of the fastest-growing groups of workers. In 2022, about 1 in 12 people older than 75 was still in the workforce, up from 1 in 20 about two decades earlier, according to data from the Labor Department.

Some workers over 75 are staying in the workforce because they enjoy their jobs and can’t envision retiring. But many continue working because they can’t afford to retire, something that’s not an issue for Trump, who is worth an estimated $5.6 billion.

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Harris, Trump trying to win over these valuable Michigan voters

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Harris, Trump trying to win over these valuable Michigan voters – CBS News


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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have their eyes set on Michigan, where both are focused on voters blue counties that could help better chances for either candidate in the general election. CBS News’ Zak Hudak has more.

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