Special counsel Jack Smith levies four charges, including ‘conspiracy to defraud the United States’
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia approved felony charges on Aug. 1 against former President Donald Trump in connection with his efforts to dispute the results of the 2020 election and with the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
According to the indictment, Mr. Trump faces four federal charges arising out of a probe by special counsel Jack Smith: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy to deprive citizens of the “free exercise” of constitutional rights.
This is the second indictment arising from Mr. Smith’s investigation. The former president is separately facing 40 counts relating to the alleged retention of classified documents at his home at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla.
The Trump campaign described the new indictment as a politically motivated attack.
“This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, in which President Trump is the undisputed frontrunner and leading by substantial margins,” a Trump campaign spokesperson said in an email.
“But why did they wait 2 1/2 years to bring these fake charges, right in the middle of President Trump’s winning campaign for 2024? Why was it announced the day after the big crooked Joe Biden scandal broke out from the halls of Congress?”
Indictment
The 45-page indictment (pdf) charges Mr. Trump with an alleged “conspiracy” involving his efforts to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
“The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud,” the indictment reads.
It also lists six alleged co-conspirators. Four of them are attorneys. One was a Department of Justice official, and another was a political consultant. None are named.
By Janice Hisle
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