Donald Trump has vehemently dismissed the latest set of indictments against him, labeling them as “fake.”
The former United States President is now facing his third criminal indictment in the span of four months. These new charges stem from a federal investigation into his alleged efforts to interfere with the 2020 election results.
The 45-page indictment was filed in Washington, DC, by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has been leading investigations into Trump on behalf of the US Department of Justice. According to the indictment, Trump is accused of persistently spreading false information about outcome-determinative fraud in the 2020 election and claiming that he had won, even after his clear defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
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“Despite having lost, the Defendant was determined to remain in power,” the indictment reads.
“So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won.”
While the indictment acknowledges Trump’s right to free speech, it asserts that the former president went beyond the bounds of acceptable discourse, pursuing unlawful means to undermine the legitimacy of the election and discount legitimate votes. These alleged efforts included pressuring swing states and election officials to overturn Biden’s victory.
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The charges in the indictment include conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy against rights, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, and obstructing an official proceeding. Trump has been summoned to appear before a federal district court on August 3. The indictment also names six unnamed co-conspirators, with one of them speculated to be Rudy Giuliani, who was part of Trump’s legal team.
Furthermore, Trump believes that this latest move is a political tactic aimed at disrupting his potential involvement in the 2024 presidential race. He expressed his frustration on his Truth Social platform, questioning why the indictment was not issued earlier and accusing the prosecutors of misconduct.
“I hear that Deranged Jack Smith, in order to interfere with the Presidential Election of 2024, will be putting out yet another Fake Indictment of your favorite President,” he wrote.
“Why didn’t they do this 2.5 years ago? Why did they wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign. Prosecutorial Misconduct!”
This new indictment adds to Trump’s growing list of legal challenges, including previous criminal charges filed in April by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for falsifying business records related to a hush-money payment during the 2016 presidential campaign.
In June, Special Counsel Smith filed 37 federal charges against Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, over their alleged attempt to retain and conceal classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, despite requests from law enforcement agencies.
Despite these mounting legal troubles, Trump remains undeterred and maintains his position as a Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race. He seems intent on continuing to address the allegations against him while asserting that they are part of a coordinated effort to impede his political ambitions.
