Politics

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Former President Donald Trump has been charged in connection with his alleged attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.

A 45-page federal indictment, unsealed Tuesday, accuses Trump of four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The former president, who is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2024 race, has been summoned to appear in court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

It’s the third time that Trump has been indicted on criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the two other cases, decrying the investigations as political witch hunts. He continues to insist that the 2020 vote was rigged and, speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, described the latest charges as a “pile-on” and “election interference.”

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Aug 03, 4:49 PM EDT
Special prosecutor asks for a speedy trial while Trump legal team objects

Special prosecutor Tom Windom approached the bench and requested a speedy trial.

“This case will benefit from normal order including a speedy trial,” Windom said.

But the defense said it needs ample opportunity to review a massive amount of evidence to be entered by the government.

The judge responded to Windom by saying the court would ensure a “fair trial” without elaborating.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim

Aug 03, 4:45 PM EDT
Trump has left the courtroom

The arraignment hearing has ended. Former President Donald Trump and his team have left the courtroom.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

Aug 03, 4:40 PM EDT
Hearing set for Aug. 28

A hearing before Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge assigned to preside over the trial, is scheduled for Aug. 28 at 10 a.m., the latest of three dates offered as options.

Prosecutors wanted the hearing to be earlier.

This hearing is just five days after the first GOP primary debate.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

Aug 03, 4:33 PM EDT
Prosecution, defense agree to conditions of Trump’s release

The prosecution and defense have agreed to conditions of former President Donald Trump’s release: He must not violate federal or state laws; he must appear in court as required; he must sign an appearance bond; and he must not communicate about the facts of the case with anyone Trump knows to be a witness, except through counsel or in presence of counsel.

Trump signed a form with those conditions of release.

Aug 03, 4:27 PM EDT
Trump pleads not guilty

Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.

The judge advised Trump of the penalties he could face if convicted: up to five years in prison on count 1; up to 20 years in prison on count 2; up to 20 years in prison on count 3 and up to 10 years in prison on count 4.

Trump was leaning forward in his chair, listening intently.

The judge also read Trump his rights in connection to this case, and he said he understands them.

Aug 03, 4:24 PM EDT
Charges read in court

At the judge’s request, former President Donald Trump offered his full name, saying, “Yes, your honor, Donald J. Trump, John.”

Trump also gave his age, saying “Seven seven.”

The judge then read Trump the charges against him.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

Aug 03, 4:16 PM EDT
Magistrate judge enters courtroom

U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya has entered the courtroom for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

Aug 03, 4:10 PM EDT
Trump stares toward Smith

Former President Donald Trump knocked his clasped hands on the table and stared toward special counsel Jack Smith as he waited for U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya to enter the courtroom.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

 

Aug 03, 4:05 PM EDT
Trump has been processed

Former President Donald Trump has been processed, meaning his fingerprints were taken and he gave over personal information, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Trump will not be placed in handcuffs or have a mugshot taken.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

 

Aug 03, 3:55 PM EDT

Trump enters courtroom

 

Former President Donald Trump and his legal team have entered the courtroom with many U.S. Marshals standing nearby.

It has been 51 days since June 13, when Trump was last in a courtroom for his arraignment in Florida in the classified documents case.

Trump is sitting at the defense table in between his attorneys Todd Blanche and John Lauro.

Special counsel Jack Smith can be seen looking at Trump, while Trump whispers with Blanche. Trump’s hands are clasped on the table.

-ABC News’ Alex Mallin and Mike Levine

 

Aug 03, 3:49 PM EDT

Special counsel Jack Smith enters courtroom

 

Special counsel Jack Smith and his team have entered the courtroom ahead of former President Donald Trump’s initial appearance and arraignment.

Smith is not sitting at the prosecutors’ table, but sitting nearby. Special counsel prosecutors Molly Gaston and Tom Windom are sitting at the table, along with another female prosecutor.

Smith also attended Trump’s arraignment in the classified documents case he brought in Florida.

-ABC News’ Mike Levine

 

Aug 03, 3:24 PM EDT

Trump, allies filed over 60 suits challenging outcome of election

 

Former President Donald Trump and his allies filed over 60 lawsuits challenging the outcome of the 2020 election based on allegations of fraud, despite no evidence of widespread fraud that could have impacted the results. Nearly every single lawsuit was rejected, thrown out or withdrawn — including two denials from the United States Supreme Court.

 

Aug 03, 3:08 PM EDT

Trump in motorcade alone on way to courthouse

 

Former President Donald Trump’s motorcade is now en route from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington, D.C.

Trump is in the motorcade alone with just his Secret Service detail.

No family is traveling with him.

This marks only the second time Trump has returned to D.C. since leaving office.

 

Aug 03, 2:49 PM EDT

Trump touches down in DC

 

Former President Donald Trump’s plane has touched down in Washington, D.C., ahead of his federal court appearance.

 

Aug 03, 2:17 PM EDT

Who is Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya?

 

Former President Donald Trump has been summoned to appear before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya for Thursday’s arraignment on his third indictment.

Upadhyaya was appointed as a U.S. magistrate judge on Sept. 7, 2022, according to her D.C. District Court biography.

Upadhyaya was born in Gujarat, India, and raised near Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Missouri and went on to receive her law degree from American University, Washington College of Law.

Click here to read more.

 

Aug 03, 2:11 PM EDT

Trump en route to DC

 

Former President Donald Trump’s plane is wheels-up at Newark Liberty International Airport and en route to Washington, D.C., for his Thursday afternoon court appearance.

The former president walked alone up the steps to his plane and boarded without speaking.

 

Aug 03, 1:40 PM EDT

Christie says he was questioned regarding Trump’s knowledge of 2020 election results

 

Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie told New York Magazine’s “On With Kara Swisher” podcast that he was questioned six to eight weeks ago regarding former President Donald Trump’s “knowledge of the reality of the election results.”

“They were trying to get a handle on what I knew about his knowledge of the reality of the election results,” Christie said.

The former New Jersey governor refused to say which specific inquiry he was called in for questioning on, but said he “was honest” with investigators and hopes it was helpful.

-ABC News’ Nicholas Kerr

 

Aug 03, 1:09 PM EDT

Trump leaves Bedminster club

 

Former President Donald Trump has left his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club to travel to his court appearance in Washington, D.C.

Trump’s motorcade will take him to the Newark Liberty International Airport where the former president will board his own plane to fly to D.C.

 

Aug 03, 12:58 PM EDT

Trump plays golf hours before court appearance

 

Former President Donald Trump played golf in New Jersey on Thursday, hours before heading to court in Washington, D.C., sources told ABC News.

The former president also had several conversations with his staff about his 2024 campaign, sources said.

 

Aug 03, 12:41 PM EDT

Supporters, protesters display signs outside court

 

A handful of supporters and protesters, law enforcement from multiple agencies and dozens of press cameras and satellite trucks are waiting outside the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., for former President Donald Trump.

In the mix of the officers and dozens of cameras is a small group of Trump supporters carrying campaign flags saying “Trump for President 2024” and “Finish The Wall.”

Some protesters were seen holding signs reading “clear and present danger” and “lock him up.”

No large protests have formed outside, but officials have been passing out emergency number cards to contracted security guards to report anything suspicious.

 

Aug 03, 9:26 AM EDT

Campaign staff to travel with Trump to DC

 

Former President Donald Trump is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., Thursday on his personal plane, accompanied by campaign staff and a handful of attorneys including John Lauro, Todd Blanche, Boris Epshteyn and Alina Habba, sources told ABC News.

At court, Trump will sit at the defense table with Lauro and Blanche. A plea of not guilty is expected to be entered, ABC News has learned.

Aug 02, 5:41 PM EDT
Capitol Police Chief: ‘We’re prepared for tomorrow’
 

The U.S. Capitol Police force is prepared for former President Donald Trump’s arraignment on Thursday, Chief Thomas Manger told reporters.

“We’re prepared for tomorrow,” Manger said during a press briefing on Wednesday. “We’re prepared for whatever might happen.”

Manger said USCP has been in talks with its partner agencies, including the Metropolitan Police Department, Park Service and Secret Service.

There are no plans to put up fencing around the Capitol complex, Manger said.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller

Aug 02, 3:09 PM EDT
Trump’s fingerprints will be taken digitally, no mugshot
 

Former President Donald Trump won’t be placed in handcuffs when he arrives at court on Thursday, according to a U.S. Marshals spokesperson.

Trump will have his fingerprints taken digitally and he will be required to give his social security number, date of birth and address, the spokesperson said.

Trump’s mugshot won’t be taken because the former president’s picture is publicly available, according to the spokesperson.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr
 

Aug 02, 2:36 PM EDT
Pence: ‘I wish it didn’t come to this’
 

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said of the indictment, “I wish it didn’t come to this.”

“It will be up to the government to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this actually represented criminal conduct,” Pence told reporters while campaigning at the Indiana State Fair.

Pence, asked what he had learned after reading through the indictment, responded that he “didn’t know anything about the effort to secure fake electors” at the time.

-ABC News’ Libby Cathey
 

Aug 02, 2:25 PM EDT
Security preparations underway at DC courthouse

Security preparations are underway at Washington, D.C., District Court ahead of former President Donald Trump’s Thursday afternoon appearance.

Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies on Wednesday conducted a walkthrough of the courthouse, including the courtroom where Trump will be appearing.

Trump is expected to appear in person before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement, “While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners.”

“We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Protective Service to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for the former president, while minimizing disruptions to the normal court process,” Guglielmi said.
 

Aug 02, 10:17 AM EDT
Who is the judge assigned to the case

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, has been assigned to oversee former President Donald Trump’s case involving his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, according to the court docket.

Click here to read more about Chutkan.

Aug 02, 10:03 AM EDT
How Trump could challenge the indictment

As former President Donald Trump prepares to fight a sweeping federal indictment charging him with unlawfully attempting to overturn the 2020 election, legal experts weigh in on what to expect as the case moves forward.

Click here for their take on what’s next and how Trump could challenge the indictment.

Aug 02, 9:11 AM EDT
Special counsel speaks out on Trump’s 3rd indictment

Shortly after a third indictment was unveiled against former President Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith spoke briefly from the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday about the new charges related to Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Smith, the independent prosecutor overseeing the federal cases against Trump, said the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was “an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy” that was “fueled by lies” from the former president about the 2020 election.

“The indictment was issued by a grand jury of citizens here in the District of Columbia and it sets forth the crimes charged in detail,” Smith told reporters. “I encourage everyone to read it in full.”

Click here to read more of Smith’s comments.

Aug 02, 8:50 AM EDT
2024 GOP candidates react to Trump’s 3rd indictment

The latest indictment against former President Donald Trump quickly divided the GOP primary field that is running against him in the 2024 presidential election, with some of his fellow White House contenders opting to defend him and others lambasting him on Tuesday.

Click here to read their reactions.

Aug 02, 8:26 AM EDT
Lawmakers react to Trump’s 3rd indictment

After a third indictment was filed against former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, the reaction on Capitol Hill was swift.

Republican leaders again came to Trump’s defense as they did after he was charged in a New York state indictment and a federal indictment in Florida. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats called the indictment a serious development and said the former president must be held responsible if found guilty.

Click here to read the reactions from lawmakers.

Aug 02, 7:34 AM EDT
Who are the ‘co-conspirators’ in the indictment

The latest indictment against former President Donald Trump references — but does not name — six other “co-conspirators” who took actions alongside him.

ABC News has identified five of the co-conspirators based on details in Tuesday’s federal indictment as well as publicly available information. Click here to read more.

Aug 02, 7:05 AM EDT
What’s in the indictment

A federal indictment unsealed Tuesday charges former President Donald Trump with four counts in connection with his alleged plot to overthrow the result of the 2020 presidential election.

Click here to read the full 45-page indictment as well as a breakdown of some of the major details.

Aug 02, 6:32 AM EDT
Trump describes latest indictment as ‘pile-on,’ ‘election interference’

Former President Donald Trump described the latest charges against him as a “pile-on.”

“It’s election interference,” Trump told ABC News in a brief telephone interview on Tuesday, after the sweeping federal indictment was unsealed.

Trump, who is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, said he is “doing very well in the polls” and that he believes he will “defeat” President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.

Trump also called the recent indictments against him “ridiculous,” telling ABC News he will “fight and we will win.”

-ABC News’ John Santucci

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(ORLANDO, FL) — The NBA’s Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis’ presidential bid, according to financial records filed by this week by the political action committee.

A spokesman for the team, which is owned by the DeVos family, who have supported many conservative causes and politicians, tried to nix suggestions that the Magic supported DeSantis’ White House ambitions, telling ABC News in a statement that “the gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race.”

“It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida,” the spokesman, Joel Glass, said.

According to Glass, the donation check was dated May 19, five days before DeSantis announced his presidential campaign.

The PAC’s filing with the Federal Election Commission indicates the donation was registered on June 26.

The DeVos family sought Wednesday to distance itself from DeSantis’ run for the GOP presidential nomination next year.

Nick Wasmiller, a spokesman for the family, told ABC News in a statement: “No member of the DeVos family has endorsed or offered financial support to any 2024 Presidential candidate at this point. They are undecided.”

An aide to Betsy DeVos, the secretary of education under former President Donald Trump, told ABC News, “The team made a corporate donation as a Florida business to the Florida governor. You should not read anything into [the donation] vis a vis the presidential race or the DeVos family.”

In a statement on Thursday, the National Basketball Players Association called the donation “alarming.”

“NBA governors, players and personnel have the right to express their personal political views, including through donations and statements,” the players’ association said. “However, if contributions are made on behalf of an entire team, using money earned through the labor of its employees, it is incumbent upon the team governors to consider the diverse values and perspectives of staff and players. The Magic’s donation does not represent player support for the recipient.”

 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Police, protesters and supporters of Donald Trump are all part of the scene outside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., where the former president is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.

But overall, for such a historic and controversial event, the atmosphere was calm and the numbers relatively few. As Trump’s appearance approaches, more protesters and supporters have gathered outside the courthouse and additional measures are being put in place.

Court staff placed a big curtain in front of a door in the hallway leading to the courtroom where Trump is expected to appear. They also put screen protectors on the windows of the same door.

One of the main entrances to the court was closed around 12:30 p.m.

Earlier, a handful of Trump supporters carried large campaign flags that said, “Trump for President ’24” and “Finish The Wall.” Another held a sign that said, “Trump won.”

At one point, a fake presidential limousine drove near the courthouse with a passenger inside wearing a Trump mask.

Anti-Trump protesters have shown up as well — one of whom wore a black-and-white striped jail uniform while another protester screamed expletives from a megaphone.

Meanwhile, curious tourists are passing by, taking photos and videos of the media and protesters.

There are no reported threats — but several large dump trucks have been parked nearby protectively.

Hip-high metal barriers with yellow tape warning “US Marshal Do Not Cross” ring the courthouse, keeping the news media and the public back from the building’s entrances. There are dozens of media tents and hundreds of journalists awaiting Trump’s arrival.

Metropolitan Police Department officers are patrolling the area on foot and on bikes, and have stationed themselves at major intersections, but the streets nearby remain clear. Police are walking the perimeter of the courthouse, some with dogs searching the surrounding bushes.

Department of Homeland Security officials have been passing out emergency number cards to contracted security guards to report anything suspicious.

The courthouse is quiet inside ahead of Trump’s arrival, with most reporters stationed in media rooms while police roam around. Most areas remain accessible to the public and the media, including the second floor where Trump is expected to appear. As of now, only a small strip of hallway on the second floor leading to the courtroom where the arraignment is scheduled later today is blocked off and guarded by security.

Trump is scheduled to appear before a federal judge at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon to be arraigned on his latest indictment — on charges related to his push to overturn the 2020 election results before and during Jan. 6. The courthouse is located a little more than a mile away from the U.S. Capitol where the Jan. 6 attacks took place.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is seeking the Democratic presidential nomination over President Joe Biden — but much of his backing so far, including financial, appears to be coming from supporters of the opposing party.

Filings released on Monday by the Kennedy-aligned American Values 2024 super PAC shed new light on the candidate’s popularity with people with conservative leanings.

The super PAC, which can support Kennedy with outside advertising and other spending but cannot directly coordinate with him, raised a total of $9.7 million through the end of June.

Almost all of that sum, 96%, came from two megadonors, one of them with a history of donating to Republicans: $5 million, more than 50% of the group’s total receipts for the first half of the year, was given by Timothy Mellon, heir to the Mellon banking fortune, who previously gave more than $20 million to a super PAC supporting former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election cycle.

In a statement provided by the pro-Kennedy super PAC, Mellon said that he believes Kennedy is “the one candidate who can unite the country and root out corruption and that he’s the one Democrat who can win in the general election.”

Another $4.5 million of the donations to the super PAC came from author and security specialist Gavin De Becker, who has regularly donated to both Republican and Democratic causes, federal filings show.

De Becker most recently drew media attention for his work as a security consultant for Jeff Bezos.

In his own statement circulated by the super PAC, De Becker said, in part: “We Democrats sorely need a candidate people can be enthusiastic about, someone brave enough to tell the truth.”

De Becker also swiped at Biden’s lack of early campaign events, compared to Kennedy — and former President Donald Trump.

A statement from American Values 2024 reported that it earned an additional $6.5 million in July for a grand total of more than $16 million since launching, though the details of that $6.5 have not been released in filings yet.

Kennedy’s official campaign committee has likewise received a notable amount of its money from Republicans.

Of 104 donors who gave more than $6,000 since Kennedy launched his bid, only one in four had given exclusively to Democrats in the past, according to the campaign’s Federal Election Commission filing covering April-June. And 39% of those donors had histories of donating to Republicans while 30% had only ever donated to Republican causes.

Kennedy’s platform broadly aligns with many Democratic policies, and — as a scion of one of America’s most famous Democratic families — he has deep ties in the party. But polls show he is a long shot rival to Biden, who maintains a more than 60-point lead in national polls so far, according to FiveThirtyEight.

The Democratic National Committee has reiterated its support for Biden as the 2024 nominee and no debates are expected, despite the primary being nominally contested by Kennedy and author Marianne Williamson.

Kennedy has reached beyond Democratic voters, appearing before numerous conservative audiences, including on the far-right conspiracy podcast InfoWars, in regular interviews on Fox News and at the “ReAwaken America” tour hosted by former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn.

“What I’m trying to do in this race is bring people together, is to try to bridge the divide between Americans,” he said during a NewsNation town hall last month.

Trump has praised Kennedy in recent interviews, calling him “a smart guy and well-intentioned,” while Kennedy has rebuffed the former president.

In a July interview with The New Yorker, Kennedy said that he was “not a friend” of Trump’s “but I think we should criticize people on policy.”

Last month, Kennedy was invited by congressional Republicans to testify before a House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the topic of censorship. His appearance came after controversial comments he was recorded making where he cited a false conspiracy theory that COVID-19 was “targeted to” certain ethnicities while Chinese people and Jews of European descent were more immune.

Democrats in Congress widely condemned those remarks and pushed unsuccessfully for Republicans to disinvite Kennedy from Capitol Hill.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy defended Kennedy’s perspective at the hearing while criticizing what Kennedy said about COVID-19. “I disagree with everything he said,” McCarthy said last month. “The hearing that we have this week is about censorship. I don’t think censoring somebody is actually the answer here.”

In his testimony, Kennedy said he had “never uttered a phrase that was either racist or antisemitic.” He previously insisted to ABC News that he was misunderstood.

Kennedy’s campaign argues that his popularity among Republicans is a strength of his candidacy.

In an interview with ABC News last month, American Values Co-Chairman Mark Gorton said that he believes Kennedy can appeal to a broad swath of Americans.

“Bobby, I think he’s basically, you know, drawing from people who are … outside the system, or at the very least want to see the system seriously reformed,” Gorton said then.

American Values maintained at the time that it had received donations from an even split of Republican and Democratic donors.

According to recent New York Times/Siena College polling, Kennedy received net positive favorability ratings among Republicans, with 55% saying they had either a somewhat or very favorable impression of him compared to 21% with either a somewhat or very unfavorable impression.

The same Times/Siena poll finds that while 23% of Democrats felt somewhat or very favorable of Kennedy, 50% felt somewhat or very unfavorable.

While Kennedy’s economic and environmental platforms include many standard Democratic values and policies, his history of spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation on public health issues — particularly around vaccines, even as he insists that he isn’t anti-vaccination — has put him at odds with others in his party and a majority of the scientific and medical community.

Richard Bensel, a political science professor at Cornell University, believes that, much like Trump, some of Kennedy’s support may come from voters who feel “alienated” from the political mainstream.

Research suggests that these voters often “identify with a leader, more than with policies,” Bensel said. “They’re not partisan in the traditional sense.”

Kennedy has defended his chances.

“I’m up against a very, very formidable force: the Democratic Party. But I also think that I have a lot of paths to victory,” he said at a forum in New York City last week. “I think all of us wonder what’s going to happen between now and the first primary … I would only say that, you know, when Moses started out for the Red Sea, he didn’t know how he was going to get across it.”

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(INDIANA)– Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday weighed in more extensively on the indictment of former President Donald Trump over Jan. 6, saying, “I wish it didn’t come to this.”

“It will be up to the government to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this actually represented criminal conduct,” Pence said.

Pence, speaking to reporters while campaigning at the Indiana State Fair, was asked what he had learned after reading through the indictment.

“I didn’t know anything about the effort to secure fake electors” at the time, Pence added.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The indictment against former President Donald Trump references, but does not name, six other “co-conspirators” who took actions alongside Trump.

Based on information in the indictment and publicly available information, five of the co-conspirators have been identified by ABC News to likely be the following individuals:

Co-Conspirator 1: Rudy Giuliani

The indictment describes this conspirator as “an attorney who was willing to spread knowingly false claims and pursue strategies that the Defendant’s 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not.”

Specifically, the indictment says it was Trump and this Co-Conspirator who called Speaker of the House Rusty Bowers to ask him to “use the legislature to circumvent the process” regarding fake electors. In the conversation, this conspirator said something to the effect of, “We don’t have the evidence, but we have lots of theories.” [Page 10]

Bowers has publicly recounted this conversation in his testimony to the January 6 committee and named Rudy Giuliani as the individual who said this.

Co-Conspirator 2: John Eastman

The indictment describes this conspirator as “an attorney who devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the Vice President’s ceremonial role overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election.”

In one specific instance, the indictment alleges Trump and this co-conspirator called the Chairwoman of the RNC to “ensure that the plan was in motion,” and that during the call this co-conspirator told her that it was “important for the RNC to help the Defendant’s Campaign gather electors in targeted states, and falsely represented to her that such electors’ votes would be used only if ongoing litigation in one of the states changed the results in the Defendant’s favor.” [Page 23]

In her testimony before the January 6th committee, according to a clip that was played at the hearings, RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel said that Trump had called her and, “He turned the call over to Mr. Eastman, who then proceeded to talk about the importance of helping the campaign gather these contingent electors in case any of the legal challenges that were ongoing changed the results of any states.”

Co-Conspirator 3: Sidney Powell

The indictment describes this co-conspirator as “an attorney whose unfounded claims of election fraud the Defendant privately acknowledged to others sounded “crazy.” It continues: “Nonetheless, the Defendant embraced and publicly amplified Co-Conspirator 3’s disinformation,” the indictment continues.

According to the January 6th committee’s final report, Hope Hicks testified that Trump and Powell spoke by phone after a press conference, during which she “repeated the same claims of foreign interference in the election she had made at the press conference.” During that call, according to the report, “Trump muted his speakerphone and laughed at Powell,” and told people in the room “This does sound crazy, doesn’t it?”

Co-Conspirator 4: Jeffrey Clark

The indictment describes this co-conspirator as “a Justice Department official who worked on civil matters and who, with the Defendant, attempted to use the Justice Department to open sham election crime investigations and influence state legislatures with knowingly false claims of election fraud.”

This is likely Jeffrey Clark, a Trump appointee with the Justice Department who, just weeks before the 2020 election, was named acting head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

According to the indictment, “Co-Conspirator 4″ secretly met with Trump several times in the run-up to Jan. 6, he “tried to coerce” the acting attorney general and acting deputy attorney general to sign a draft letter to George and other states falsely claiming that the Justice Department “had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the outcome of the election in multiple States,” and he even accepted an offer from Trump to take over the Justice Department as acting attorney general – a move that Trump ultimately abandoned.

While the indictment only says “Co-Conspirator 4,” the Jan. 6 committee report includes some of the same quotes from the draft letter (Page 28 of the indictment) and notes by name that Clark is the one who drafted it.

Co-Conspirator 5: Kenneth Chesebro

The indictment describes this co-conspirator as “an attorney who assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding.”

Cross-referencing quotes in the indictment with quotes in the Jan. 6 committee report (and media reports) makes clear that Kenneth Chesebro is Co-Conspirator 5. For example, the indictment says on page 24 that “Co-Conspirator 5” wrote in an email on Dec. 11, 2020, that “it could appear treasonous for the AZ electors to vote on Monday if there is no pending court proceeding.” The Jan. 6 committee’s report cites a New York Times article quoting Chesebro as writing that email with that same quote.

According to the indictment, this co-conspirator was helping the Trump campaign’s legal efforts for a recount in Wisconsin when he drafted a series of memos that eventually turned into “a corrupt plan to subvert the federal government function by stopping Biden’s electors votes from being counted and certified.”

An attorney in Arizona recounted in an email on Dec. 8, 2020, what Co-Conspirator 5 told him: “His idea is basically that all of us (GA, WI, AZ, PA, etc.) have our electors send in their votes (even though the votes aren’t legal under federal law – because they’re not signed by the Governor); so that members of Congress can fight about whether they should be counted on January 6th. … Kind of wild/creative.”

Co-Conspirator 6: Unknown

The indictment identifies Co-Conspirator 6 as “a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding.”

ABC News has not yet confirmed this individual’s identity.

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(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in the special counsel’s investigation into his alleged plot to overthrow the 2020 election.

Trump has been charged with four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.

“Despite having lost, the defendant was determined to remain in power. So for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won. These claims were false, and the defendant knew that they were false,” the indictment said.

Read the full indictment here:

US vs Donald J. Trump by ABC News Politics on Scribd

The indictment identifies six co-conspirators, four attorneys, a political consultant, and “a Justice Department official who worked on civil matters.”

Trump’s campaign put out a statement decrying the investigation and called the counts “fake charges.” The former president has repeatedly criticized Jack Smith, the special counsel for the Dept. of Justice, who is investigating Trump for several cases.

Here are some of the major details on the four criminal counts from the 45-page indictment.

Key states targeted by Trump
Prosecutors contend that Trump allegedly launched his scheme shortly after election day, Nov. 3, 2020. Ten days later, his campaign attorneys told Trump that he lost the vote count in Arizona and thus lost the election.

Trump allegedly appointed one of the co-conspirators to “spearheaded his efforts going forward to challenge the election results,” according to the indictment.

“From that point on, the defendant and his co-conspirators executed a strategy to use knowing deceit in the targeted states to impair, obstruct, and defeat the federal government function,” the indictment said.

Trump and the co-conspirators allegedly targeted Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and organized fake electors, prosecutors contend.

Some fraudulent electors were tricked into participating, prosecutors alleged.

The indictment lays out specific examples where Trump and his co-conspirators tried to induce the results in the states.

In Michigan, for example, the indictment claims that Trump met with elected officials from the state, in which he “raised his false claim” of illegitimate votes dumps, but he was rebuffed.

One of Trump’s co-conspirators would continue to message Michigan officials with the false claims well into December, according to the indictment.

The indictment also cited the Jan. 2 phone call with Georgia Secretary of State where Trump “induced him to alter the Georgia’s popular vote.”

Trump allegedly tries to leverage Justice Department
The indictment contends that Trump and his co-conspirators “attempted to use the power and authority of the Justice Department to conduct sham election crime investigations and to send a letter to the targeted states that falsely claimed that the Justice Department had identified significant concerns that may have impacted the election outcome [and] that sought to advance the Defendant’s fraudulent elector plan by using the Justice Department’s authority to falsely present the fraudulent electors as a valid alternative to the legitimate electors.”

On December 31, 2020, Trump “repeatedly raised” his claims that there had been 205,000 more votes than voters in Pennsylvania with acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, the indictment said.

“Each time, the Justice Department officials informed the defendant that his claim was false,” the indictment claimed.

Trump still “publicly repeated his knowingly false claim,” prosecutors allege.

Trump allegedly pressures Pence
The indictment specifies repeated instances by Trump and the co-conspirators to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to use “his ceremonial role at the certification to fraudulently alter the election results.”

Between Christmas and Jan. 3, 2021, the former president allegedly talked to Pence and repeated his false claims about the vice president’s role at the certification, according to the indictment. Pence pushed back against those claims, prosecutors allege.

In a Jan. 1, 2021, conversation, Trump allegedly berated Pence for refusing to go along with his proposal, the indictment said.

“In response, the Defendant told the Vice President, ‘You’re too honest.'” Within hours of the conversation, the Defendant reminded his supporters to meet in Washington before the certification proceeding, tweeting, “The BIG Protest Rally in Washington, D.C., will take place at 11.00 A.M. on January 6th. Locational details to follow. StopTheSteal!”

On Jan. 4, 2021, Trump met with Pence, one of the co-conspirators, the vice president’s Chief of Staff and the vice president’s counsel to convince Pence that he should reject Joe Biden’s electoral votes or resend them back to the states.

“During the meeting, as reflected in the Vice President’s contemporaneous notes, the Defendant made knowingly false claims of election fraud, including, ‘Bottom line-won every state by 100,000s of votes’ and ‘We won every state,'” the indictment said.

Trump met with Pence again on Jan. 5, 2021, to convince him to overturn the election, but the vice president refused, the indictment said. Trump allegedly “grew frustrated and told the Vice President that the Defendant would have to publicly criticize him,” according to prosecutors.

“Upon learning of this, the Vice President’s Chief of Staff was concerned for the Vice President’s safety and alerted the head of the Vice President’s Secret Service detail,” the indictment said.

Trump’s speech before the riot
The special counsel cited Trump’s own words at the rally before his supporters raided the Capitol, specifically what he said about Mike Pence’s role as evidence in furtherance of the scheme.

“The Defendant repeated false claims of election fraud, gave false hope that the Vice President might change the election outcome, and directed the crowd in front of him to go to the Capitol as a means to obstruct the certification and pressure the Vice President to fraudulently obstruct the certification,” prosecutors wrote.

“I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so,” Trump said speaking to a group of supporters outside the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. “Because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.”

The indictment noted that Trump “directed the people in front of him to head to the Capitol, suggested he was going with them, and told them to give Members of Congress ‘the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.'”

The president did not join in the march and returned to the White House where he observed the riot on TV, prosecutors allege.

“A mass of people-including individuals who had traveled to Washington and to the Capitol at the Defendant’s direction-broke through barriers cordoning off the Capitol grounds and advanced on the building, including by violently attacking law enforcement officers trying to secure it,” the indictment said.

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(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — Former President Donald Trump has been charged in connection with his alleged attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.

A 45-page federal indictment, unsealed Tuesday, accuses Trump of four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The former president, who is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2024 race, has been summoned to appear in court in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

It’s the third time that Trump has been indicted on criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the two other cases, decrying the investigations as political witch hunts. He continues to insist that the 2020 vote was rigged and, speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, described the latest charges as a “pile-on” and “election interference.”

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Aug 02, 6:32 AM EDT
Trump describes latest indictment as ‘pile-on,’ ‘election interference’

Former President Donald Trump described the latest charges against him as a “pile-on.”

“It’s election interference,” Trump told ABC News in a brief telephone interview on Tuesday, after the sweeping federal indictment was unsealed.

Trump, who is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, said he is “doing very well in the polls” and that he believes he will “defeat” President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.

Trump also called the recent indictments against him “ridiculous,” telling ABC News he will “fight and we will win.”

-ABC News’ John Santucci

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(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump’s latest indictment — his third — charges him in connection with his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. The new counts, which Trump denies, quickly divided the GOP primary field that is running against him, with some of his fellow White House contenders opting to defend him and others lambasting him on Tuesday.

Among those reacting was former Vice President Mike Pence, a key figure in the Jan. 6 investigation who has repeatedly rebuked Trump for pushing to have him, in his ceremonial role as president of the Senate while he was in office, try and stop the certification of their 2020 defeat.

“Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States,” Pence said in a statement, adding that he would “have more to say about the government’s case after reviewing the indictment.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he had not immediately read the indictment but wrote in a statement on social media that he believes the case is further evidence for the need to “reform” America’s justice system.

“As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans,” DeSantis wrote. “While I’ve seen reports, I have not read the indictment. I do, though, believe we need to enact reforms so that Americans have the right to remove cases from Washington, DC to their home districts.”

Biotech entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, who has embraced Trump during his campaign, doubled down on his vow to pardon Trump if elected.

“This is un-American & I commit to pardoning Trump for this indictment. Donald Trump isn’t responsible for what happened on Jan 6,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a long shot candidate polling in the low single digits, again called on Trump to “step away from the campaign for the good of the country.”

“This is another sad day for America with a former President being charged criminally for obstructing the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next. January 6 is a day that calls for accountability for those responsible. I have always said that Donald Trump is morally responsible for the attack on our democracy. Now, our system of Justice will determine whether he is criminally responsible,” he said in a statement.

President Joe Biden was mum immediately after the indictment, with the White House referring questions to the Justice Department, but Democratic presidential candidate and bestselling author Marianne Williamson wrote on X, the platform formally known as Twitter: “He was indicted again. Just shocking.”

The reactions came after a federal grand jury in Washington returned an indictment that accuses Trump of waging a “criminal scheme” to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Prosecutors, led by special counsel Jack Smith, said in the indictment that the alleged campaign involved six unnamed co-conspirators and included tapping a slate of so-called “fake electors” targeting several states; pressuring the Justice Department to launch “sham election crime investigations”; leaning on Pence to “alter the election results”; and repeating claims of voter fraud that Trump had already been told were unfounded.

“These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false,” the indictment states. “But the Defendant repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.”

The indictment includes four counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

Trump’s campaign on Tuesday criticized the “disgraceful” new charges, just as he has two other indictments he faces, in New York state and in federal court in Florida. (He has pleaded not guilty to both.)

In a statement, his campaign likened the charges to a “witch hunt” that “will fail.”

“President Trump will not be deterred by disgraceful and unprecedented political targeting!” his campaign said.

In a brief phone interview, with ABC News, Trump called the charges a “pile on” and called all of the recent indictments against him “ridiculous.”

He said he will “fight and we will win.”

Federal officials have defended their work. In remarks from the Department of Justice on Tuesday after the indictment was unveiled, Smith denounced the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and praised the law enforcement officers who defended the Capitol that day.

“In this case, my office will seek a speedy trial so that our evidence can be tested in court and judged by a jury of citizens. In the meantime, I must emphasize that the indictment is only an allegation and that the defendant must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” Smith said.

“Mr. Smith and his team of experienced and principled career agents and prosecutors have followed the facts and the law wherever they lead. Any questions about this matter will have to be answered by the filings made in the courtroom,” Attorney General Merrick Garland reiterated in separate comments on Tuesday.

ABC News’ Libby Cathey, Hannah Demissie, Fritz Farrow, Ben Gittleson, Rick Klein, Will McDuffie, Kendall Ross and John Santucci contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — A new four-count indictment handed down Tuesday against former President Donald Trump included details about six unnamed co-conspirators who prosecutors allege were involved in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

“The Defendant and co-conspirators used knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendant’s opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant,” according to the filing from Special Counsel Jack Smith,

The six co-conspirators have not been named (they are referred to as co-conspirator 1, co-conspirator 2, etc.), but the 45-page indictment lists the six as: four attorneys, a Justice Department official and a political consultant.

Here is what we know about the co-conspirators, according to the indictment:

Co-Conspirator 1

Co-Conspirator 1 is an attorney who was “willing to spread knowingly false claims,” according to the indictment. This Co-Conspirator was willing to pursue strategies that Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign attorneys would not, the indictment detailed.

Co-Conspirator 2

Co-Conspirator 2 is an attorney who “devised and attempted to implement a strategy to leverage the Vice President’s ceremonial role overseeing the certification proceeding to obstruct the certification of the presidential election,” the indictment read.

Co-Conspirator 3

Co-Conspirator 3 is an attorney who made “unfounded claims of election fraud,” according to the indictment. Trump privately acknowledged to others that Co-Conspirator 3’s claims made him sound “crazy,” according to the indictment. Still, Trump “embraced and publicly amplified the disinformation,” the indictment says.

Co-Conspirator 4

Co-Conspirator 4 is a Justice Department official who worked with Trump in an attempt to “use the Justice Department to open sham election crime investigations and influence state legislatures with knowingly false claims of election fraud,” the indictment says,

Co-Conspirator 5

Co-Conspirator 5 is an attorney who “assisted in devising and attempting to implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding,” the indictment reads.

Co-Conspirator 6

Co-Conspirator 6 is a political consultant who helped implement a plan to submit fraudulent slates of presidential electors to obstruct the certification proceeding, according to the indictment.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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