Former US President Donald Trump has now been indicted in a third case, the latest over the deadly riot at the Capitol building over two years ago following the results of the 2020 presidential elections which announced current President Joe Biden as the winner.
As per media reports, the sheriff of Fulton Country in Georgia said that if the former President is indicted for his role in overturning the 2020 election, he will not receive any 'special treatment' from the police and will be booked and photographed like any other defendant. Sheriff Patrick Labat said that his office will follow "normal practices, and so it doesn't matter your status. We'll have mug shots ready for you."
Trump faces charges for allegedly trying to overturn the election results and inciting the attacks on the US Capitol in an apparent bid to remain in the position. The devastating riots at the Capitol came after weeks of unsubstantiated claims made by Trump about election fraud.
It is the first time in the history of US politics that any President is facing legal consequences for his frantic but failed attempts to remain in power. Since the riots, Trump was banned from the microblogging site Twitter and was impeached at the US House of Representatives, but was ultimately acquitted.
In his defense, Trump has denied any case of wrongdoing and called the indictments against him as part of being targeted by Democrats to keep him from reclaiming the Presidency. Trump is a major frontrunner for the Republican party for the next presidential election in 2024.
Here's a look at major criminal probes launched against Trump that are said to have broad implications for US democracy.
Inciting the Capitol riots in 2021
In the latest indictment against Trump, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith accused him of "obtructing official proceedings", making unsubstantiated claims about electoral fraud, and using "dishonesty, fraud and deceit" in their attempts to overturn the election results.
He was also accused of forcing his federal colleagues including Vice President Mike Pence to alter the results and inciting the violent attacks on theb US Capitol. The special counsel named Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani, among others, as a co-conspirator in the attack.
"The attack on our nation’s Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy," Smith said. "It was fueled by lies, lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government: the nation’s process of collecting counting and certifying the results of the presidential election," he added.
Illegal retention of classified documents
Apart from the 2021 Capitol attacks, Smith also charged Trump for illegally retaining classified documents and conspiring with a top aide to hide them from the government and his own attorneys. At least 40 felony counts have been registered against the former President, including for obstruction of justice and false statements.
This marked the first federal case against a former President and carries a prison sentence of 20 years. Trump's valet Walt Nauta and property manager of his Florida estate Carlos De Oliveira were also charged for concealing surveillance footage from federal investigators and lying about it.
Trump and Nauta have denied the charges, while De Oliveira made a court appearance on Monday. A trial date has been set on May 20, 2024.
Hush money scheme ahead of 2016 election
Trump was first indicted in March this year by the district attorney of Manhattan over charges pertaining to paying hush money to an adult film star in 2016, during his presidential campaign. He has so far pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business information, including the $130,000 payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels by his personal attorney Michael Cohen.
Daniels had publicly alleged that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006 and was paid to keep silent about it, not long after Melania Trump gave birth to their son, Barron. Trump is set to appear in state court in December over the case.
Meddling in 2020 presidential election in Georgia
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has been investigating Trump's role in interfering with the 2020 presidential elections in Georgia, has hinted that indictments against the former President are likely to be announced this month.
Her investigation started after a recording of a January 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger was released, in which he was heard suggesting to Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes”, just enough to overtake Biden.
Willis had convened a special grand jury to hear testimony from witnesses including Trump's high-profile allies like Giuliani and Senator Lindsey Graham. Some Georgia Republicans had posed as fake electors had allegedly signed a certificate asserting Trump had won the election and declaring themselves the state's rightful electors, even though Biden had won.
The foreperson on the special grand jury indicated publicly that the panel had recommended multiple indictments. Trump had attempted to quash the jury report and disqualify Willis.
(with AP inputs)
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