2-8-2023 (WASHINGTON) Former US President Donald Trump is facing his most serious legal challenge yet as he campaigns to return to the White House, after being indicted on Tuesday (Aug 1) over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Special counsel Jack Smith has brought a 45-page indictment against Trump, charging him with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction.
The former president is accused of conspiring to defraud the United States and obstructing an official proceeding, specifically the Jan 6, 2021 meeting of a joint session of Congress held to certify Joe Biden’s election victory. The indictment alleges that Trump knowingly spread false claims of election fraud with the aim of overturning the legitimate results of the election.
The indictment mentions six co-conspirators, but none are identified and Trump is the only named defendant. Smith has previously filed charges against Trump for mishandling classified government documents, and the former president also faces a trial in New York for allegedly paying hush money to a porn star on the eve of the election.
Despite losing the election, the indictment alleges that Trump was determined to remain in power. “So for more than two months following election day on Nov 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false,” the indictment states.
US media reports suggest that Trump is to be arraigned in court on Aug 3. Trump, who is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has lashed out at Smith, calling him “deranged” and accusing him of issuing a “fake indictment” to “interfere with the presidential election.” Trump has repeatedly attacked the investigation as a political “witch hunt” by the Department of Justice.
