Trump indicted over alleged efforts to overturn 2020 election

(Image credit: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

published 1 August 2023

Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on federal charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The indictment, issued via the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, charged Trump with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. Trump's criminal charges come two weeks after he received a target letter informing him that he was the subject of a Justice Department investigation into his actions following the election.

The indictment, spearheaded by special counsel Jack Smith, alleges that Trump "was determined to remain in power" despite having lost, and "spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election" in order to "create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger." It was also noted that Trump's "efforts to change the outcome in any state through recounts, audits or legal challenges were uniformly unsuccessful."

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This marks the second federal indictment that has been brought against Trump, and the third time overall that he's been criminally charged since leaving office. The prior federal case, also brought by Smith, was handed down this past June, and concerns Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Trump also faces state charges in New York for allegedly falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty in both of these cases and awaits trial in both.

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Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.