Trump indicted over efforts to overturn 2020 election

(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury on four charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Trump has been charged with four crimes: one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count each of obstructing an official proceeding and conspiring to do so, and one count of conspiracy against rights.

“For more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020, the Defendant spread lies that there had been an outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won,” the indictment reads. “These claims were false, and the Defendant knew that they were false.

Federal prosecutors say Trump’s “knowingly false claims” created “an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger” that eroded public faith in the election, according to the indictment.

Read the full indictment:

The Trump campaign blasted the new charges in a statement Tuesday evening.

“This is nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election,” the Trump campaign wrote.

Over the past year, Smith’s team has questioned a number of people including former Vice President Mike Pence, Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and local election officials in states including Michigan and New Mexico.

The investigation has focused on the role Trump’s lawyers played during the push to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

In December, the House Jan. 6 Committee wrapped up its own investigation into the riot at the Capitol and recommended criminal charges against the former president.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, using his social media platform Truth Social to denounce Smith. The former president called Smith “deranged” in a post on Monday and blasted the special counsel’s team as a “highly partisan gang of Thugs.”

This is the third criminal indictment against the former president. He was first indicted in April by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for falsifying business records. He faces 34 counts in that case.

The second was delivered in June, related to Trump’s retention of classified documents after his presidency. Trump faces 37 counts of mishandling classified documents.

Trump may also face a possible indictment in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump broke the law as he pressured state election officials to change election results.

The indictments have implications for the 2024 presidential race. Trump is currently leading most national polling for the Republican nomination, which creates the possibility that these legal troubles may continue to dog him in a general election against incumbent President Joe Biden.

This is a developing story that will continue to be updated.