- Former President Donald Trump charged with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and witness tampering.
- Investigation concludes events surrounding January 6, 2021, Capitol disturbance.
- Trump denies wrongdoing and faces multiple criminal trials within 12 to 18 months.
Former President of the United States Donald Trump has been charged with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Four counts of conspiracy to defraud the US, witness manipulation, and citizen rights violations have been filed against him.
The indictment concludes the investigation into the events surrounding the US Capitol disturbance on January 6, 2021.
Mr. Trump, 77, who is vying for president once again, denies any wrongdoing. He described the matter as “ridiculous” on social media.
The Republican lawmaker was accused of mishandling classified documents and fabricating company records to conceal a pornstar hush-money payment.
The election investigation has centered on Mr. Trump’s conduct during the two months between his defeat to Joe Biden and the riot in Washington, D.C., where his supporters stormed Congress as lawmakers certified the Democrat’s victory.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation, did not accuse the former president of inciting the rioters on that day, but he told reporters: “The attack on our nation’s capital on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.”
According to the indictment, the conspiracy was fueled by falsehoods.
Mr. Smith concluded his brief statement by promising to pursue “a speedy trial” and reiterating that the former president “must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.”
Mr. Trump is scheduled to appear in court in Washington, DC on Thursday.
The 45-page indictment names six anonymous co-conspirators, including four solicitors, a justice department employee, and a political consultant.
Trump is charged with “conspiracy to impair, obstruct, and defeat the federal government function using dishonesty, fraud, and deceit.”
Prosecutors said, “These claims were false, and the defendant knew that they were false.”
They also claim that Mr. Trump attempted to persuade Vice President Mike Pence to block Mr. Biden’s certification as president on January 6, 2021, but was unsuccessful.
“As violence ensued, the defendant and co-conspirators took advantage of the disruption by redoubling their efforts to make false claims of election fraud and persuade members of Congress to further delay certification based on these claims,” the indictment states.
According to the indictment, numerous US officials and senior Trump campaign staffers informed the outgoing president that he had lost and that no evidence of voter fraud existed.
Trump leads the Republican presidential nomination despite 78 criminal charges in three cases.
In November 2024, the winner will challenge the Democratic nominee, who is anticipated to be President Biden.
These additional indictments will compel Mr. Trump to face three criminal trials in 12–18 months, jeopardising his second presidential bid.
In a statement, however, the Trump campaign claimed that Tuesday’s indictment constituted election interference.
“The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes,” the Trump campaign stated.
The statement continued, “These un-American witch hunts will fail.”
His 2024 Republican opponents responded swiftly. While Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated that the allegations demonstrated the “weaponization of the federal government.” Mr. Pence stated that no one should ever be elected president if they place themselves above the Constitution.
Democratic congressional leaders also issued a joint statement stating, “This indictment is the most serious and consequential to date and will serve as a stark reminder to future generations of Americans that no one is above the law, including the president of the United States.”
The probe interviewed dozens of senior Trump administration officials and advisors, including Vice President Pence and Rudy Giuliani.
Prosecutors in the state of Georgia are also investigating the former president on similar grounds. Concentrating on whether he illegally pressured Georgian officials to disregard Mr. Biden’s poll victory.
This month, prosecutors in Atlanta are expected to decide whether to indict Mr. Trump.
Republicans in other states are allegedly assisting Mr. Trump’s campaign to prevent Mr. Biden from becoming president.
State prosecutors in Michigan charged a former Republican candidate for attorney general and another Trump supporter with tampering with voting machines in an attempt to demonstrate that Mr. Trump lost the election due to pervasive voter fraud.
Mr. Trump became the first US president to be impeached twice by the House of Representatives after the congressional ruckus.
