On Wednesday, new evidence was filed in the federal case against former President Donald Trump over his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss. In a massive brief, special counsel Jack Smith offered a blow-by-blow of Trump’s many calls, tweets, and meetings with key figures like Rudy Giuliani and attorney John Eastman.
The 165-page document is a page-turner, but it can be hard to follow. Many names are redacted and replaced with pseudonyms like “CC1,” short for “Co-Conspirator 1,” and “P76,” short for “Person 76.”
We’re here to help. Below is the core cast of characters, plus some bit players who have received little attention until now.
CC1 — Rudy Giuliani
The brief introduces Giuliani as a “private attorney” who was “willing to falsely claim victory and spread knowingly false claims of election fraud.” Giuliani, who has since been disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C., is also notably bad at dialing phone numbers, the brief notes, including a misdial to one Michigan lawmaker and two U.S. senators. The brief also cites one of Trump’s tweets naming Giuliani.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s filing in U.S. v. Donald J. Trump, Oct. 2, 2024.CC2 — John Eastman
The brief describes Eastman as a “professor and lawyer” who represented Trump in various capacities. Earlier this year, a California judge ruled Eastman should be disbarred, which he is currently appealing. Eastman is identifiable through references to certain cases in which he represented Trump, plus references to his appearance on Steve Bannon’s podcast.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s filing in U.S. v. Donald J. Trump, Oct. 2, 2024.CC3 — Sidney Powell
The brief describes in detail Powell’s obsession with bogus theories about voting machines, plus Trump’s private views about her, including that Powell appeared “unhinged” at a........