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On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was indicted on four felony counts, alleging that he actively worked to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election, leading to the violent riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The charges, which include conspiring to defraud the U.S. government, are among the most serious threats to American democracy in modern history.
“Today, an indictment was unsealed, charging Donald J. Trump with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding. The indictment was issued by a grand jury of citizens here in the District of Columbia. And it sets forth the crimes charged in detail,” said Special Counsel Jack Smith, who leads the investigation of Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Donald Trump Indicted on Four Felony Counts
Count 1: Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.
Count 2: Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding.
Count 3: Obstruction of and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding.
Count 4: Conspiracy Against Rights.
The indictment accuses Trump of repeatedly lying about the election results and conspiring with others to improperly change vote totals in his favor. It also alleges that on the day of the January 6, 2021, riot, he attempted to “exploit” the chaos by pushing to delay the certification of the election results even after the building was cleared of violent protesters.
Targeting the Core of Democracy
Federal prosecutors assert that Trump was “determined to remain in power” and engaged in conspiracies that targeted a fundamental function of the U.S. government – the process of collecting, counting, and certifying presidential election results.
“On January 6, starting in the early morning hours, the Defendant again turned knowingly false statements aimed at pressuring the Vice President to fraudulently alter the election outcome and raised publicly the false expectation that the Vice President might do so,” an excerpt from the document reads.
Donald Trump’s indictment centers on the turbulent two months after the November 2020 election, during which Trump refused to accept his loss, spread false claims of election theft and urged local officials to undo voting results in their states.
Mounting Legal Troubles Encircling the Former President
This is the third criminal case brought against the former president, who is also a leading contender for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination in the 2024 race. Trump’s mounting criminal cases are unfolding amid a heated political climate.
Not only is Donald Trump indicted, but he also confronts charges in New York for falsifying business records and in Florida for illegal possession of classified documents subsequent to his departure from the White House.
Prosecutors in Georgia are investigating Trump’s efforts to reverse his election loss in that state.
Nevertheless, Trump has been using his mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, claiming without evidence that the cases are politically motivated to hurt his 2024 election campaign – raising millions of dollars from supporters.
While a conviction, in this case, would not prevent Trump from pursuing the White House again, the charges underscore the gravity of the allegations against a former president. Trump is due in court on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan a Black woman.
Former President Donald Trump indicted on four felony counts over the 2020 Election comes alongside the broader investigation into the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, which has resulted in over 1,000 people being charged, some with seditious conspiracy.