President-elect Donald Trump engaged in an unprecedented criminal effort to overturn his 2020 election defeat, according to a report by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Prosecutor Mr Smith said Mr Trump “inspired his supporters to commit acts of physical violence” in the January 6 riots and knowingly spread a false narrative about fraud in the 2020 election.

However, efforts to bring Mr Trump to trial over his attempt to hold on to power were thwarted by his re-election in November, the special prosecutor said in his report, which was released by the Department of Justice on Tuesday.

He also found charges could be justified against Mr Trump’s co-conspirators but reached no final conclusions.

Mr Smith resigned in the wake of Mr Trump’s election victory in November.

“Indeed, but for Mr Trump’s election and imminent return to the Presidency, the Office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial,” Mr Smith’s report said.

The release of the report comes a few days after Mr Trump was sentenced following his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

President-elect Mr Trump has consistently criticised Mr Smith and allies have suggested the special counsel should now face criminal charges for pursuing the case against him.

In the wake of the release of the report, Mr Trump called Mr Smith “deranged” and criticised the report’s “fake findings”.

Released alongside the report was a letter from lawyers for Mr Trump to the justice department, dated 6 January 2025.

In it, they called for Mr Smith to “terminate all efforts toward the preparation and release” of the report, which they said was “consistent with the bad-faith crusade” that they said Mr Smith conducted on behalf of the Biden-Harris administration.

The special prosecutor defended his investigation, saying: “The claim from Mr Trump that my decisions as a prosecutor were influenced or directed by the Biden administration or other political actors is, in a word, laughable.”

Read more:
January 6: The case against Donald Trump
January 6: How four hours of mayhem unfolded

Mr Smith’s case had faced legal hurdles even before it was clear that Mr Trump would be returning to the White House.

It was paused for months as the former president pursued a legal claim that he could not be prosecuted for official actions taken during his time as commander-in-chief.

The Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, largely agreed with him, granting former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

Other allegations in the report released today include:

• Mr Trump contacted legislators and executives at state level and “urged them to take action to ignore the vote counts and change the results”

• Mr Trump and co-conspirators launched a plan to use fraudulent electors in seven states that he had lost in the 2020 election to send false certifications to Washington DC

• Frustrated with the justice department because it had identified no evidence of substantial fraud in the 2020 election, Mr Trump “attempted to wield federal power to perpetuate his fraud claims and retain office”

• Mr Trump repeatedly pressed then vice president Mike Pence to use his ministerial position as president of the Senate to change the election outcome – something Mr Pence repeatedly refused to do.

Police are reportedly focusing on a possible human cause in early investigations into what caused the deadly Palisades fire in Los Angeles.

Several law enforcement sources told Sky’s partner site NBC News potential lines of inquiry involve fireworks or unauthorised individuals camping in the area.

Stressing no conclusions have been reached, they said other possibilities include accidental equipment-related ignition, and said arson is not being ruled out.

Fires latest – at least 24 people killed

At least 24 people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed in the wildfires that have raged across Los Angeles.

Most of the destruction has been wrought by the Palisades fire, which has torched nearly 24,000 acres and is just 14% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Officials have not yet identified the cause of any of the Los Angeles fires.

A lawsuit has been filed against utility company Southern California Edison claiming its equipment sparked the Eaton fire.

The blaze in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains east of the city has burned through 14,000 acres and was 33% contained, according to Cal Fire.

Edison has acknowledged fire agencies are investigating whether its equipment may have started a smaller fire in the LA area that broke out on the same day.

Read more:
Santa Ana winds that fuelled wildfires are back – here’s what it could mean

It comes as additional firefighters and water tankers have deployed ahead of the forecast return of fierce Santa Ana winds which threaten to whip up the two massive wildfires.

Planes have been working to douse homes and hillsides with pink fire-retardant chemicals, while dozens of water trucks have worked to replenish supplies after hydrants ran dry last week.

“We’re absolutely better prepared,” LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said when he was asked what will be different from a week ago.

But he warned high winds could ground firefighting aircraft and said if they reach 70mph “it’s going to be very difficult to contain that fire”.

A third fire that has burned nearly 800 acres is 95% contained, while three other fires in California have been fully brought under control in recent days.

A Gaza deal is “on the brink”, President Joe Biden has said in his final foreign policy address.

The outgoing US president said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians.

“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve
peace,” he said.

“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge
humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”

The US president also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.

Read more:
Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden
Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0

“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” he said.

Mr Biden was delivering his final foreign policy address before he leaves office next week.

Monday’s address will be the penultimate time he speaks to the country before the end of his presidency. He is due to give a farewell address on Wednesday.

US and Arab mediators made significant progress overnight toward brokering a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and the release of scores of hostages held in the Gaza Strip – but a deal has not been reached yet, officials said.

A round of ceasefire talks will be held in Doha on Tuesday to finalise remaining details related to a ceasefire deal in Gaza – including over the release of up to 33 hostages – officials added.

Mr Biden went on to claim America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.

“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker.

“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”