Trump charged in US special counsel probe in efforts to overturn 2020 election
The Hindu
The four-count indictment alleges Mr. Trump conspired to defraud the U.S. by preventing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory and to deprive voters of their right to a fair election.
Former U.S president Donald Trump on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 was hit with criminal charges for a third time in four months - this time arising from efforts to overturn his 2020 U.S. election defeat - as he campaigns to regain the presidency next year.
The four-count indictment alleges Mr. Trump conspired to defraud the U.S. by preventing Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's victory and to deprive voters of their right to a fair election.
Mr. Trump was ordered to make an initial appearance in federal court on Thursday, August 3.
The charges stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation into allegations Mr. Trump - the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination - sought to reverse his loss to Biden, his Democratic rival.
The indictment alleges Mr. Trump conspired with six other unnamed individuals to overturn the results. Prosecutors wrote that Mr. Trump knew his claims that the election was fraudulent were false, but repeated them anyway to "create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger and erode public faith in the administration of the election."
In a statement, the Trump campaign said he has always followed the law and characterised the indictment as a political "persecution" reminiscent of Nazi Germany.
Officials have testified that Mr. Trump pressured them based on false claims of widespread voting fraud. His supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in a bid to stop Congress from certifying Biden's victory.
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