Special Counsel Jack Smith announced Tuesday evening that a grand jury in Washington, D.C., has indicted former President Donald Trump. The charges against Trump are connected to his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The indictment came right after President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, testified before the House Oversight Committee, implicating President Biden in a long-running influence peddling scheme.
The indictment against Trump includes four counts: one for conspiracy to defraud the U.S., one for conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, one for obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and one for conspiracy against rights.
The indictment accuses Trump of spreading false claims about election fraud for over two months following the November 3, 2020, Election Day, despite his victory. The document does not specify how prosecutors determined what Trump believed, but it mentions the involvement of several unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators, including four attorneys, a Department of Justice official, and a political consultant who worked on Trump’s strategy to challenge the election results.
Trump revealed on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he had expected the indictment and alleged that federal prosecutors deliberately delayed it to hinder his chances in the 2024 Presidential Election, where he claims to be the undisputed frontrunner.
Trump’s campaign responded to the indictment, describing it as part of an attempt by the “Biden Crime Family” and the Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election. They questioned the timing of the announcement, linking it to the recent scandal involving President Biden.
This marks the third time Trump has been indicted, with previous charges in Manhattan and Miami on different issues. The judge presiding over the latest indictment will be Tanya S. Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama.
