Former President Donald Trump Indicted on Charges of Conspiring to Defraud the United States and Attempting to Prevent the Peaceful Transfer of Presidential Power

Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges of conspiring to defraud the United States and attempting to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power to Joe Biden. This marks the first time a former president has faced criminal charges for trying to overturn the results of a free and fair election.

The indictment comes from a New York grand jury investigation into the circumstances surrounding a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree on April 4.

The indictment from special counsel Jack Smith’s office states that the purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the government function by which those results are collected, counted and certified.

The indictment is part of a larger investigation into Trump’s activities, led by two state prosecutors and a federal special counsel. The investigation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen what other charges may be brought against the former president.