Former President Donald Trump charged in probe over efforts to overturn 2020 election

The comprehensive 45-page indictment, consisting of four counts, implicates Trump in three distinct conspiracies. He is accused of conspiring to defraud the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring against people's rights.

Former President Donald Trump charged in probe over efforts to overturn 2020 election
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
Remove Ads

Former President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury on late Tuesday for a series of alleged crimes related to his efforts to reverse the outcome of the 2020 election. This indictment is the most recent legal repercussion following the Capitol riot that occurred two and a half years ago.

The comprehensive 45-page indictment, consisting of four counts, implicates Trump in three distinct conspiracies. He is accused of conspiring to defraud the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding and conspiring against people's rights. The indictment asserts, "Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power."

Steven Cheung, Trump's spokesman, retaliated by accusing the current administration of seeking to influence the 2024 election by targeting the current GOP front-runner.

Late Tuesday afternoon, a prosecutor from special counsel Jack Smith’s office was seen delivering the indictment to a federal court magistrate judge in Washington, D.C., alongside the grand jury foreperson. This grand jury has been intensely investigating the events leading up to the Jan. 6 riot for several months.

The indictment marks the first publicly known charge resulting from the special counsel probe investigating the Capitol riot and its aftermath. U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya acknowledged receipt of the indictment.

This indictment could symbolize a significant development in Smith’s investigation of Trump and his affiliates, following a previous indictment against Trump and his long-term valet for alleged mishandling of classified documents.

In spite of his not guilty plea in the documents case and his denial of any wrongdoing in the 2020 election, Trump disclosed on social media in mid-July that he was a target of the election-centered investigation.

Smith was appointed in November to head both high-profile investigations. Meanwhile, a state grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, is contemplating broad charges against Trump and his team over their attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Other states, including Michigan and Arizona, are conducting similar investigations.

As the first former president indicted for a crime, Trump faces an unparalleled challenge. The leading candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Trump could spend the next several months navigating a maze of campaign events, court hearings, and criminal trials, the Washington Post reported.

In addition to the federal and Fulton County investigations, Trump is scheduled for trial in March over New York state charges for allegedly falsifying business records connected to hush-money payments during the 2016 election.

Smith's election-related investigation has followed multiple paths, focusing on claims of election fraud as well as plans for "fake electors" who could have tipped the election in Trump's favor. The core objective of this investigation is to ascertain whether Republican operatives, activists, and elected officials, including Trump, were aware that their claims of widespread voter fraud were baseless at the time.

Remove Ads
Remove Ads

Rebel News LIVE!

Rebel News Live is coming to Toronto on May 11. Get tickets now to the most provocative, most interesting, and most freedom-oriented conference in Canada!

Buy tickets

Don't Get Censored

Big Tech is censoring us. Sign up so we can always stay in touch.

Remove Ads