EA grand jury on Tuesday indicted former US President Donald Trump for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. According to a court document, Trump faces charges of conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to obstruct Congress, obstruction of Congress and deprivation of constitutional rights. The indictment also lists six unnamed co-conspirators: four attorneys, a Justice Department official, and a political adviser.
Special Counsel Jack Smith had been in charge of the investigation since last November. They were not solely referring to the events of January 6, 2021, when an angry mob stormed the halls of the Capitol in Washington. It was about the far-reaching attempts by Trump and his team to reverse Biden’s election victory. For example, they are said to have set up false voters who falsely reported Trump’s victory in seven key states. In addition, Trump is said to have collected donations with the story of election fraud despite knowing better.”
“Encourage everyone to read the indictment in full”
Special Counsel Smith said in a brief address Tuesday night that he “encourages everyone” to read the entire indictment. The crimes would be set out in detail there. The storming of the Capitol was an “unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy” fueled by “lies by the accused.” These were aimed at obstructing the basic processes after a presidential election. The Justice Department has committed to investigating this attack. The charges against Trump are consistent with this; Investigations against other participants were still ongoing. Smith is therefore aiming for a “speedy process”. Until then, however, the presumption of innocence applies, emphasized the special investigator.
It is the former president’s third indictment in four months and the second at the federal level. In June, Trump was charged with improperly handling classified documents and trying to hide them from investigators. In March, New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump for paying hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels. According to the court filing, District Judge Tanya Chutkan will preside over the latest case involving the storming of the Capitol. The judge appointed by Barack Obama has already sentenced participants in the January 6, 2021 mob.
Trump had described an indictment related to the storming of the Capitol as likely two weeks ago and said shortly before publication on Tuesday that it was imminent. He wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that the “mentally deranged” special counsel Smith would announce “another fake charge” against “your favorite president”. He then accused the public prosecutor’s office of having waited two and a half years with the allegations because of planned manipulation of the election before the 2024 presidential election.
In fact, so far more than 500 people have been prosecuted in connection with the storming of the Capitol; The Justice Department had long avoided indicting Trump because of the impression of political tinge. Finally, in November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Special Counsel Smith to emphasize the independence of the investigation. The Congressional Committee on January 6, 2021 recommended indicting Trump last December after months of gathering evidence, reviewing documents and interviewing witnesses.
It is likely that Trump will have to appear in court in Washington in the next few weeks and, as in the two previous cases, will plead not guilty. In another response to the indictment, Trump compared his “unlawful persecution” to “Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes.”
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