Former US President Donald Trump To Be Formally Charged In Election Case
Former US President Donald Trump is set to face formal charges in a court hearing concerning allegations of plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
The hearing, scheduled for Thursday, has prompted heightened security measures in Washington DC.
Trump, who is campaigning for the White House next year, already faces two other criminal cases, but the election case is considered the most serious.
In a strongly worded post on his Truth Social platform, Trump condemned the case as evidence of “corruption, scandal, & failure” under Joe Biden’s presidency.
Also Read: Former US President Trump Charged with Plotting to Overturn 2020 Election
The indictment unsealed on Tuesday includes four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
Notably, the charge of conspiracy against citizens’ rights, enacted after the US Civil War to protect freed slaves, is central to the case, as Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the vote reportedly targeted areas with large African-American populations.
Expected to plead not guilty, Trump will appear in person at a federal courthouse in Washington DC.
His legal team plans to argue that his actions are protected by the right to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Security agencies have been stepping up measures ahead of Trump’s appearance, with the Secret Service warning of “short-term traffic implications” in central Washington DC.
An apparent hoax 911 call triggered a lockdown in Senate office buildings on Wednesday, heightening concerns.
Trump remains the leading contender in the Republican party’s race for the 2024 presidential candidacy. Congressional Republicans have rallied around him, claiming the indictments amount to election interference and portraying the US as a “banana republic.”
Notably, the election-related indictment is partly based on contemporaneous notes kept by Trump’s former Vice-President Mike Pence, who has maintained that he “did his duty” during the January 6, 2021 US Capitol riot.
Trump has also faced charges related to mishandling classified files and falsifying business records.
Furthermore, prosecutors in Georgia may bring additional criminal charges against him this month for alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 election results in that state.
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