WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – Former President Donald Trump is facing a third indictment for charges related to the 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.
Trump was already facing charges for the illegal retention of classified documents and charges for the hush money case in New York, but with this indictment, Trump is charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
Special Counsel Jack Smith announced that a federal grand jury indicted trump on four counts related to the January 6 riots “charging Donald J. Trump with conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding.”
Smith said the attack was “fueled by lies, lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government.”
The indictment states Trump had six co-conspirators assist him in his criminal efforts to overturn the election and retain power, though they were not named and haven’t been charged.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the special counsel and justice department employees who’ve investigated the case and stressed its importance, calling the case “the largest investigation in our history.”
Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said that anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.
However, Trump is pushing back against the charges and slammed the Justice Department on social media – claiming this latest indictment is politically motivated and an attempt to stop his re-election bid.
The indictment indicates that prosecutors believe Trump knew he had lost and knew his allegations about election fraud were untrue but continued to spread them anyway.
Trump has been ordered to appear in a D.C. federal court on Thursday.
