Former United States President Donald Trump was on Tuesday charged with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential elections, reported Reuters.
Democrat leader Joe Biden was declared the winner of the elections in November 2020. But Trump claimed that the polls were not fair and that there was a conspiracy to stop him from winning another term.
Trump’s assertion led to his supporters storming the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, to prevent Biden being certified as the next president.
The violence at the US Capitol building occurred hours after Trump addressed a gathering in which he reiterated his claims of vote fraud. His supporters, including the Proud Boys militia, stormed into the US Capitol building in an attempt to disrupt the certification process.
Trump had also referred to the rioters as “great patriots” in a tweet, reported the BBC.
On Tuesday, the indictment filed in Washington federal district court charged Trump with one count of conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy against rights and two other counts of obstruction of an official proceeding, reported CNN.
The maximum sentence for obstructing official proceedings is 20 years.
According to the prosecutors, the politician pushed fraudulent claims he knew to be untrue and pressured state and federal officials, including Mike Pence, who was the vice president at the time, to alter the election results, reported Reuters. He is also accused of inciting the Capitol violence in a “desperate attempt” to undermine US democracy and cling to power.
This is the third time in four months that Trump has been charged in a criminal case. In June, the Republican leader was charged with mishandling classified documents. He faces seven charges, including unauthorised retention of classified materials under the Espionage Act.
In March, Trump was charged by a Manhattan jury in a criminal case related to making payments during his 2016 presidential campaign bid to silence adult film actor Stormy Daniels.
Despite the mounting charges against him, Trump is leading the Republican’s choice for presidential candidate for 2024 elections.
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