Donald's hemorrhoids flaring today.
BREAKING: Donald Trump Indicted By Grand Jury In Jan. 6 Case
Law360 (August 1, 2023, 5:13 PM EDT) -- Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday by a Washington, D.C., federal grand jury for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and allegedly inciting the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The indictment comes roughly two weeks after Trump
announced on his social media site Truth Social that he had been contacted by special counsel John L. "Jack" Smith and advised that he was a target in the Jan. 6-related grand jury investigation. The probe has been underway in the nation's capital since at least May 2022 and has pulled in several witnesses who were once in Trump's innermost circle.
Minutes prior to his indictment, Trump said on Truth Social that the charges are a result of prosecutorial misconduct. "Why didn't they do this 2.5 years ago? Why did they wait so long? Because they wanted to put it right in the middle of my campaign."
This newest indictment deepens Trump's legal perils as he seeks to win a second term in the White House. The former president is also facing separate indictments in New York state court and Florida federal court, and potential Georgia state court charges as well. He has pled not guilty in the New York and Florida cases.
During the D.C. grand jury's investigation, led at the end by Smith, the U.S. Department of Justice called former Vice President Mike Pence, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, former Trump political adviser Stephen Miller and others to testify. The department also issued subpoenas to and interviewed state and county officials in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin key battleground states President Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election.
Trump's charges also come roughly seven months after the U.S. House of Representatives' select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack
unanimously voted in December 2022 to refer the former president to the Justice Department for criminal charges of obstructing Congress, conspiring to defraud the U.S., making false material statements and aiding and abetting an insurrection.
The committee's decision was the culmination of an 18-month investigation that included private depositions and public testimony by former Trump administration and campaign officials about his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and stay in power. The committee presented some of its findings during a series of 10 public hearings between June and December 2022, and released its final report online at the end of the year.
It is unclear to what extent, if any, the panel's criminal recommendation influenced the grand jury investigations.
An obstruction charge, 18 U.S.C. Section 1512(c), seeks to hold those who corruptly obstruct, influence or impede any official proceeding, or attempt to, and is punishable by 20 years imprisonment. The Justice Department has pursued obstruction charges against hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters, and a D.C. Circuit panel in April held the statute
can be applied to congressional proceedings, including the certification of electors. The court's reading of the statute will
likely be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Defrauding the U.S. and making false material statements are both punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.
Trump has been the subject of
several lawsuits by former U.S. Capitol Police officers and lawmakers seeking to hold him liable for the 2021 insurrection lawsuits the D.C. Circuit hasn't yet ruled on, but
seemed doubtful the former president would be immune from.
The
latest lawsuit filed on the eve of the attack's two-year anniversary aims to hold the former president accountable for the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died after pro-Trump rioters sprayed him in the face with bear spray.
Trump has also been indicted in New York state court for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. He
pled not guilty to the charges in April.
In June, a Florida federal grand jury returned a
37-count indictment accusing the former president of hoarding national defense documents detailing other countries' military operations and nuclear secrets. He and former aide Walt Nauta are also charged with obstruction for allegedly trying to hide the documents from prosecutors.
BREAKING: Donald Trump Indicted By Grand Jury In Jan. 6 Case - Law360 
