Trump now faces 78 criminal counts in three different cases
Donald Trump has been indicted on four criminal charges related to the deadly January 6 Capitol riot and trying to overturn the 2020 election.
In an extraordinary moment in the history of America, the former US president is accused of conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
Trump is now set to be arrested by the FBI as part of their investigation into the insurrection on January 6, 2021, and is due to appear in court on Thursday in Washington DC
The 77-year-old, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, denies any wrongdoing and has branded the charges “ridiculous.”
He had already been charged in two other cases: with mishandling classified files and falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.
The election investigation focused on Trump’s actions in the two-month period between his loss to Joe Biden and the riot, which saw his supporters storm Congress.
The man leading the inquiry, special counsel Jack Smith, said: “The attack on our nation’s capital on January 6 2021 was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy. “As described in the indictment it was fuelled by lies.”
The indictment also says Trump tried and failed to convince Vice-President Mike Pence to attempt to block Biden’s certification as president on January 6, 2021.
Trump now faces 78 criminal counts overall, in three different cases, the BBC noted.
Responding to the new charges, Trump issued a statement, comparing his treatment to Nazi Germany.
It reads: “The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes.
“President Trump has always followed the law and the Constitution, with advice from many highly accomplished attorneys.”
Pence also released a statement, slamming his former boss: “Our country is more important than one man. Our constitution is more important than any one man’s career.”
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