Trump indicted in federal election probe on four counts

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was indicted as part of a special counsel Jack Smith's federal grand jury probe into his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results and the former president's role in the subsequent Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Smith charged Trump with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

The indictment states that Trump "for more than two months following election day on November 3, 2020... spread lies that there had been outcome-determinative fraud in the election and that he had actually won."

While it acknowledges Trump had a right to "speak publicly about the election and even to claim, falsely, that there had been outcome-determinative fraud during the election and that he had won," it alleges a conspiracy and multitude of unlawful efforts of "discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results."

The indictment also acknowledges six unnamed co-conspirators with whom Trump allegedly did "conspire, confederate, and agree" to defraud the country.

Trump said Monday that he expected to be indicted "any day," and earlier this month he revealed that the Justice Department informed him that he was a target in Smith's probe.

This is Trump's second federal indictment, and third total. Trump, along with two of his employees, were charged in another probe led by Smith over the alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges in that case, but several more charges were brought against him last week.

Separately, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 state charges in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe of the former president's alleged role in a hush-money scheme.  

Trump faces another possible indictment related to the 2020 race in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' probe of his efforts to challenge the election results in Georgia. That potential indictment would come after several failed attempts to block Willis from prosecuting him.

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Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.