Donald Trump Indicted on Charges Related to Jan. 6 Capitol Riots
Donald Trump has been indicted for a third time this year by a Washington grand jury over his alleged involvement with the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
On Tuesday, the former president was indicted on four counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, conspiracy to obstruct a congressional proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct a congressional proceeding and conspiracy to violate rights.
The obstruction charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, while convictions on the conspiracy to violate rights and defraud the government would carry up to five years each.
The indictment also references six co-conspirators who were not named, including a political consultant, a justice department official and four attorneys.
Ahead of the indictment, Trump received a letter detailing that he was being investigated as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s inspection into the Capitol riots. The letter revealed three potential counts that the former president could be indicted on, including conspiracy to commit an offense or to defraud the United States, deprivation of rights and tampering with a witness, victim or informant, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The news comes as Trump continues his 2024 presidential campaign. The former president still commands a resounding lead in the polls against contending Republicans, tracking far ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.
A New York grand jury first indicted Trump in March over a hush money scheme with adult film star Stormy Daniels, organized before the 2016 election. He was charged with 34 felony counts, to which he pled not guilty; a criminal trial looms in 2024.
His second criminal indictment came following an investigation into confidential documents that the former president took with him to his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2020. Trump was indicted on seven counts, including violating the Espionage Act by willfully retaining national defense secrets, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. It served as the first time a former U.S. president had faced federal charges, to which he entered a plea of not guilty.
Special counsel Smith filed all three of Trump’s individual indictments.
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