Donald Trump indictment: Ex-president charged for efforts to overturn 2020 election

Former US President Donald Trump has been criminally charged implicit his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 predetermination defeat.

He is accused of 4 counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witnesser and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

The indictment caps an enquiry into events surrounding the January 6, 2021 riot astatine the US Capitol.

Mr Trump, 77, who is moving for president again, denies wrongdoing.

He is already charged successful 2 different cases: with mishandling classified files, and falsifying concern records to screen up a hush-money outgo to a porn star.

The predetermination probe has focused connected Mr Trump's actions successful the two-month play betwixt his nonaccomplishment and the riot successful Washington DC, wherever his supporters stormed Congress arsenic lawmakers certified Democratic President Joe Biden's victory.

The antheral starring the inquiry, US justness department-appointed peculiar counsel Jack Smith, said connected Tuesday evening: "The onslaught connected our nation's superior connected January 6, 2021 was an unprecedented battle connected the spot of American democracy.

"As described successful the indictment it was fuelled by lies."

Mr Smith wrapped up his little connection by pledging to question "a speedy trial", portion emphasising that the erstwhile president "must beryllium assumed guiltless until proven guilty".

Mr Trump is owed to look successful tribunal connected Thursday successful Washington DC.

The 45-page indictment lists six unnamed co-conspirators: 4 lawyers, a justness section authoritative and a governmental consultant.

The tribunal papers accuses Mr Trump of a "conspiracy to impair, obstruct, and decision the national authorities relation done dishonesty, fraud and deceit".

Addressing Mr Trump's allegations of elector fraud successful 2020, prosecutors say: "These claims were mendacious and the suspect knew that they were false."

They besides accidental Mr Trump tried and failed to person Vice-President Mike Pence to effort to artifact Mr Biden's certification arsenic president connected January 6.

"As unit ensued, the Defendant and co-conspirators exploited the disruption by redoubling efforts to levy mendacious claims of predetermination fraud and person members of Congress to further hold the certification based connected those claims."

The indictment besides lists the galore US officials and elder Trump run workers who, it says, informed the outgoing president that helium had mislaid and that determination was nary grounds of elector fraud.

Mr Trump, who present faces 78 transgression counts wide successful 3 antithetic cases, is presently the frontrunner successful the Republican party's contention to prime its adjacent statesmanlike candidate.

Whoever wins volition situation the Democratic nominee, expected to beryllium President Biden, successful November 2024.

The Trump run said successful a connection that Tuesday's indictment amounted to predetermination interference.

"The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany successful the 1930s, the erstwhile Soviet Union, and different authoritarian, dictatorial regimes," said the campaign.

It added: "These un-American witch hunts volition fail."

Dozens of apical Trump medication officials and advisers were interviewed arsenic portion of the investigation, including erstwhile Vice-President Pence and erstwhile Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Prosecutors successful the authorities of Georgia are besides investigating the erstwhile president connected akin grounds, focusing connected whether helium illegally pressured officials determination to discard Mr Biden's canvass victory.

A determination by prosecutors successful Atlanta connected whether to indict Mr Trump is expected this month.

Republicans successful different states are besides being investigated for allegedly helping Mr Trump's propulsion to halt Mr Biden from taking office.

On Tuesday, authorities prosecutors successful Michigan charged a erstwhile Republican lawyer wide campaigner and different Trump protagonist with tampering with voting machines successful an effort to beryllium that Mr Trump had mislaid owed to wide elector fraud.

The riot astatine Congress led to Mr Trump's 2nd impeachment successful the House of Representatives - making him the archetypal US president ever to beryllium impeached twice.