When the 165-page immunity brief from Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped, it wasn't just a legal document. It felt more like a redacted thriller. Amidst the dense legalese and the arguments about what counts as an "official act," everyone started hunting for the people behind the codes. You’ve probably seen the labels: P1, P2, CC1, CC6. But one name—or rather, one code—kept popping up in the most aggressive contexts.
Who is P5 in Jack Smith filing?
If you’ve been following the play-by-play, you know that P5 isn't just some random staffer. This person is described as a Trump campaign operative, an "agent," and importantly, a "co-conspirator." While the filing itself uses the P5 moniker to keep things technically under wraps for the court, investigative reporting and cross-referencing of the details have pointed directly to one man: Michael Roman.
Roman was the Trump campaign’s director of strategic initiatives in 2020. But in the eyes of the Special Counsel, he was much more than a strategist. He was a "boots-on-the-ground" guy during some of the most chaotic moments of the post-election scramble.
Why P5 Matters So Much in the Immunity Case
The reason P5 stands out among the dozens of "Persons" (the 'P' in P5) listed is that he’s the bridge between the campaign's rhetoric and the actual attempts to stop the vote count. Most of the other "P" entries are witnesses or secondary figures. P5, however, is explicitly grouped with the co-conspirators.
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Basically, Jack Smith is trying to prove that Donald Trump wasn't just acting as a President worried about "election integrity." He's arguing Trump was acting as a candidate using a private campaign machine. P5—Michael Roman—is the evidence of that machine in action.
Take the TCF Center in Detroit, for example. It’s a moment that sounds like it’s straight out of a political drama. According to the filing, an official at the center told a Trump operative (P5) that a batch of votes heavily favoring Joe Biden was actually accurate. The response from P5 wasn't to double-check or ask for an audit. Instead, he allegedly said: "find a reason it isn't." He then instructed the official to "give me options to file litigation."
The "Make Them Riot" Moment
Perhaps the most jarring detail involving P5—and why the Who is P5 in Jack Smith filing question became such a hot topic—is the alleged instruction to create chaos.
When a campaign staffer suggested that a crowd at the vote-counting site was getting rowdy and starting to look like a "riot," P5 didn't try to calm the waters. The filing alleges he responded with something along the lines of "make them riot" or "let them riot."
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It’s this specific kind of testimony that Jack Smith is using to pierce the veil of presidential immunity. The logic is simple: Inciting a riot at a local polling place or pressuring a campaign worker to find "reasons" to disqualify votes isn't an official duty of the President of the United States. It's the work of a candidate's agent.
How We Know P5 is Michael Roman
Honestly, it didn't take long for the puzzle pieces to fit. Legal experts at Just Security and reporters at The Washington Post cross-referenced the dates, locations, and specific quotes in the Smith filing with other public records.
- The Georgia Connection: Michael Roman was already a co-defendant in the Georgia racketeering (RICO) case brought by Fani Willis.
- The "Fake Electors" Scheme: Roman has been heavily linked to the logistics of organizing those "alternate" slates of electors in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan.
- The Timeline: The specific communications mentioned in the Jack Smith filing perfectly align with Roman’s known activities and travel during the 2020 post-election period.
While Roman hasn't been federally charged in this specific case (he remains an "unindicted co-conspirator" here), his actions are being used as a primary tool to keep the case against Trump alive. By showing that P5 was a campaign employee—not a government official—Smith is trying to show that the whole "stop the steal" effort was a private enterprise.
The Bigger Picture: P-Codes vs. CC-Codes
It gets a little confusing because Smith uses two different coding systems. You have the "CC" (Co-Conspirators) and the "P" (Persons).
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- CC1 through CC6: These are the heavy hitters like Rudy Giuliani (CC1) and John Eastman (CC2). They are mostly lawyers who crafted the legal theories.
- P1 through P20+: These are usually witnesses, staffers, or officials.
P5 is the outlier. He’s a "P" who is treated like a "CC." He represents the logistical side of the operation—the guy actually sending the emails and making the calls to the people on the floor of the counting centers.
What This Means for the Case Moving Forward
Now that we're into 2026, the dust has settled on some of these legal battles, but the Jack Smith filing remains the definitive map of the prosecution's strategy. Identifying who is P5 in Jack Smith filing wasn't just about curiosity; it was about understanding the "unofficial" nature of the acts.
If Judge Tanya Chutkan ultimately rules that Trump’s interactions with people like Michael Roman were strictly campaign-related, that evidence stays in the trial. It can't be tossed out under the Supreme Court's immunity ruling. That makes P5 one of the most dangerous figures for the Trump legal team, because his fingerprints are all over the most "ground-level" efforts to interfere with the 2020 results.
If you’re trying to keep track of the key players as the legal process continues, keep an eye on the "campaign operatives." While the headlines focus on the big-name lawyers, it's the actions of people like P5 that often provide the most direct evidence of intent.
Actionable Insights for Following the Case:
- Watch the "Private vs. Official" Rulings: The court's decision on whether P5's actions are admissible will signal which way the broader immunity needle is swinging.
- Reference the Georgia Case: Many details about Michael Roman (P5) are being litigated in Georgia, which often provides "spillover" information for the federal case.
- Ignore the Code Names: When reading future updates, mentally swap out "P5" for "Michael Roman" to get a much clearer picture of the campaign's logistical movements.
The P5 designation served its purpose for a time, but in the world of high-stakes federal investigations, the truth usually finds a way to lose its redaction bars.