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Federal prosecutors have brought charges against Donald Trump regarding his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, in a desperate bid to retain power. This latest criminal case follows closely after he was charged with retaining national defense information. The indictment, filed in federal district court in Washington, accuses Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
In a detailed 45-page
document, special counsel Jack Smith outlined how Trump and his allies
knowingly disseminated false allegations of election fraud, organized
fraudulent electors, and sought to impede the certification of the election on
January 6. The indictment also identified six co-conspirators, who were central
figures in the plot to keep Trump in office. While unnamed, five of them were
described to match Trump's lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman,
Ken Chesebro, as well as former US justice department official Jeff Clark.
The charges represent the
first time Trump has faced criminal charges for his efforts to overturn the
2020 election, marking an extraordinary moment in American politics – an abrupt
accounting of an attempted coup. It is also the first instance of a US
president facing criminal charges for attempting to overturn an election.
The indictment revealed a
sprawling conspiracy that involved Trump and his co-conspirators creating fake
slates of electors to mislead then Vice-President Mike Pence, falsely
suggesting uncertainty in the 2020 election outcome. To achieve this, Trump
attempted to use the justice department to initiate "sham election fraud
investigations" and repeatedly pressured Pence into rejecting electoral
college votes for Joe Biden, in a desperate effort to prevent the certification
of Biden's election victory.
When these efforts failed,
Trump further obstructed the certification and exploited the January 6 Capitol
attack by intensifying false claims of election fraud and persuading members of
Congress to delay certification.
Strong evidence supporting
Trump's intent to obstruct the congressional certification appears to have come
from Pence himself, with testimony and previously unknown "contemporaneous
notes" submitted to the grand jury during the investigation.
The case will be overseen by
US district court judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee known for imposing
extended criminal sentences on defendants charged in the January 6 attack on
the Capitol, going beyond prosecutors' recommendations.
Speaking at the justice
department headquarters in Washington, Smith encouraged all Americans to read
the full indictment and assured a speedy trial for Trump. He emphasized that
the attack on the Capitol was fueled by lies, specifically targeting the
process of collecting, counting, and certifying the presidential election
results.
Trump, currently leading the
Republican primary field for the 2024 presidential race, responded to the
latest indictment, dismissing it as a corrupt attempt by the "Biden Crime
Family" and weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024
Presidential Election.
On the other hand, Pence,
trailing in polls for the presidential race, stated that Trump deserves the
presumption of innocence until proven guilty. Nonetheless, he underscored why
Trump should not return to office, emphasizing that anyone who prioritizes
themselves over the constitution should never be president.
These latest charges add to
Trump's mounting legal troubles, as he was previously indicted for illegally
retaining classified documents and paying hush money to an adult film star
before the 2016 election. Additionally, he is expected to face state charges in
Georgia for his efforts to reverse his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020
election.
The White House has yet to release a statement addressing the charges. Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, went to see a movie, the Christopher Nolan film Oppenheimer, during their vacation in Delaware shortly after the charges were announced.
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