Trump was charged on Thursday with four serious federal offenses: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy to violate rights protected by the Constitution. These charges stem from his alleged involvement in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. The indictment lays out a detailed account of actions prosecutors argue were part of a coordinated attempt to undermine the legitimacy of the electoral process and interfere with the certification of the Electoral College vote.
According to the indictment, prosecutors allege that Trump and several unnamed co-conspirators pursued a strategy designed to mislead the public, pressure state officials, and manipulate key government processes in order to cling to power despite losing the election. The case hinges on a series of events that unfolded between November 2020 and January 2021, including repeated claims of widespread voter fraud that investigators say were presented without evidence and persisted even after Trump had been informed by advisers, state authorities, and federal agencies that no such fraud had occurred. These claims, according to the government, were used to justify a broader campaign to disrupt the constitutional process.
