Trump is the first former president in US history to face federal criminal charges
Former President Donald Trump is set to make an appearance in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday afternoon. This comes after he was indicted on charges linked to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
As the 2024 GOP front-runner, Trump is confronted with four federal charges, which include conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.
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The former president is expected to travel from Bedminster, New Jersey, to Washington, D.C., on Thursday. A 4 p.m. arraignment in federal court has been ordered for him.
This marks the second federal indictment that the former president is confronting in connection to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation. As the leading candidate in the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, Trump has already entered a not-guilty plea to 37 counts related to alleged improper retention of classified records from his time in the presidency.
Among the charges are willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements. In a superseding indictment issued last week as part of the same investigation, Trump was additionally charged with three more counts.
With these developments, Trump becomes the first former president in the history of the United States to face federal criminal charges. The indictment states that Donald J. Trump, the forty-fifth President of the United States and a candidate for re-election in 2020, lost the 2020 presidential election but remained determined to hold onto power.
According to Smith’s allegations, for more than two months following the November 3, 2020, election day, Trump disseminated false information that there was outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were made during post-election state challenges in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Smith asserts that these claims were knowingly false, and Trump was well aware of their falsehood. Nevertheless, Trump repeated and widely spread them to lend an appearance of legitimacy to his baseless claims, creating a widespread atmosphere of mistrust and anger while eroding public confidence in the election process.
Between November 14, 2020, and January 20, 2021, Trump allegedly engaged in a conspiracy with co-conspirators, known and unknown to the Grand Jury, with the intent to defraud the United States. The alleged conspiracy aimed to use dishonesty, fraud, and deceit to obstruct and undermine the lawful federal government functions responsible for collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.
There are six unnamed co-conspirators in the indictment.
In response to the charges, a spokesperson from the Trump campaign issued a statement to Fox News Digital, characterizing the indictment as a corrupt attempt by the Biden administration and the Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election, where President Trump is depicted as the clear front-runner, leading by significant margins.
The spokesperson questioned the timing of the charges, asking why they were brought forward two and a half years after the alleged events and coinciding with President Trump’s active campaign for the 2024 election. They also pointed out that the announcement followed closely after a scandal involving President Biden, implying that it might be an attempt to distract from that issue.
The spokesperson suggested that the motive behind these charges is to interfere with the election process and accused the prosecution of being reminiscent of lawless actions seen in authoritarian regimes like Nazi Germany and the former Soviet Union.
The spokesperson reiterated that President Trump has always abided by the law and the Constitution, seeking advice from a team of highly accomplished attorneys.
The indictment follows Trump’s announcement that he received a target letter from the Justice Department, which also required him to appear before the federal grand jury. Trump expressed anticipation of an arrest and indictment.
Special Counsel Smith’s investigation focused on potential interference by Trump or other officials and entities in the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.
On that fateful day, January 6, 2021, pro-Trump rioters breached the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress, where the Electoral College results were being certified in favor of President Biden.
In response to the Capitol riot, the House of Representatives drafted articles of impeachment against Trump once again, leading to him becoming the first and only president in history to be impeached twice. However, he was ultimately acquitted by the Senate on the charge of inciting an insurrection.
Had Trump been convicted, the Senate would have proceeded to bar him from holding federal office in the future, thereby preventing a potential 2024 White House run.
In addition to the federal charges from Special Counsel Smith’s investigation, Trump has also entered a not-guilty plea to 34 counts in New York. These charges are a result of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation and pertain to allegations of falsifying business records connected to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.
Furthermore, in Fulton County, Georgia, prosecutors are actively pursuing a criminal investigation concerning Trump’s alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in that state.