Former President Donald Trump was indicted on four federal felony charges related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, his second federal indictment in as many months.
Read the full indictment here.
The charges against Trump include 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, according to the document.
The indictment reflects yet another legal obstacle for Trump and an unprecedented moment in American history: Until June, a former U.S. president had never faced federal charges. Now, Trump has been indicted twice on federal charges and once on state charges in New York, and could very well be on trial in multiple states while he jockeys for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.
Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith filed 37 felony charges against the former president in June for his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
The case surrounding Trump’s actions before and during the January 6 insurrection could be more difficult to prosecute, but the event looms large in the minds of many Americans.
Thousands of Trump’s supporters stormed the halls of Congress during the riot, some chanting that then-Vice President Mike Pence should be hanged, in an attempt to overturn the election. Four people in the crowd died and five police officers died in the days and weeks after the attack.
The insurrection resulted in more than 1,000 people being charged with crimes, including the leaders of the far-right Proud Boys, who were found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
Trump also could face multiple state-level cases. He was indicted on 34 charges in New York in March in a case centred on hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. And the district attorney in Georgia’s Fulton County is investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, but has not filed charges.
The former president has lashed out against any effort to investigate him, regularly calling Smith “deranged” and denying any impropriety.
It’s unclear when Trump could face trial for the January 6-related charges. His attorneys have attempted to delay the classified documents case until after the 2024 election, claiming any legal action during the race would lead to a “miscarriage of justice.”