Donald Trump has been formally charged with a crime against the state and citizens

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been formally charged with a crime against the United States and its citizens – attempting to fraudulently overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Trump is ordered to appear in court in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Nonpartisan special prosecutor Jack Smith, who oversaw the investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, has indicted Trump on four counts:

– conspiracy to defraud the United States;
– conspiracy to obstruct official proceedings;
– obstructing and attempting to obstruct official procedures;
– conspiracy to violate the rights of citizens.

This is the third and most serious of the criminal charges brought against Trump, who so far intends to run for president again next year.

Two of those charges carry a statutory penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

The text of the indictment, handed to a grand jury in a Washington, D.C., court, says Donald Trump was determined to stay in power after the 2020 election and “spread lies” claiming he had won it.

“These statements were false and defendant knew them to be false,” the document says.

The 45-page indictment lists six unnamed co-conspirators: four lawyers, a Justice Department official and a political consultant.

Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud, obstructing the federal government through fraud and deception.

Prosecutors also allege that Trump tried to convince Vice President Mike Pence to try to block Joe Biden’s confirmation as president on Jan. 6, 2021, but failed.

“As violence developed, Defendant and his co-conspirators capitalized on this by redoubling their efforts to make false allegations of election fraud and to persuade members of Congress to further delay certification based on those allegations,” the indictment says.

It also lists numerous US officials and high-ranking members of Trump’s campaign staff who, the indictment alleges, told the outgoing president that he had lost and that there was no evidence of election fraud.

Trump, who currently faces 78 criminal charges in three different cases, is leading in the race for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.

The latest charges mean Trump will have to face three criminal trials in the next year and a half, making it more difficult for him to compete for the White House.

Trump’s team, which he assembled for his campaign, called the indictment in a statement another attempt to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.

Trump’s associates claim that this criminal case against him is a “witch hunt” and reminds them of Nazi Germany.

Trump himself, minutes before the new charge was officially announced, wrote on his own social media Truth: “I hear the lunatic Jack Smith is making another false accusation against your favorite President, me, to interfere in the 2024 presidential election.”

Jack Smith, in a brief statement to reporters after handing over the indictment to a Washington grand jury, said that the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, was instigated by “lies by the defendant, the purpose of which was to undermine the basic functioning of government in the United States.”

Jack Smith promised that he would push for a speedy trial in the case, and concluded his statement with a reminder that Donald Trump should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

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