Trump indicted for conspiracy in Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was charged as part of a special counsel Jack Smith's federal grand jury probe concerning his attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his purported role in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.

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

The federal charging sheets accuse Trump, saying that “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 the Justice Department indictments recognize Trump’s First Amendment 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 accuses him of engaging in a conspiracy with six co-conspirators consisting of "discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results."

The indictment says Trump engaged with the six unnamed co-to "conspire, confederate, and agree" to defraud the United States of America.

The former president said Monday he believed he would be indicted “any day,” and earlier this month he suggested the Justice Department told him he was one’s Smith's targets in the January 6 investigation.

The charges are Trump's second round of federal indictments, and third overall. Unfortunately for Trump’s staff, he is not the only one facing federal charges.

Two of the long time business mogul’s employees were also charged in another federal investigation led by Smith over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, a case that led to a raid last year at Trump’s Kar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges in the classified documents case, now being heard in the Southern District of Florida, but several more charges were filed by prosecutors last week.

In an entirely separate New York based matter, the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 state charges in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation of Trump’s purported role in a hush-money scheme with former adult star Stormy Daniels.  

Another indictment related to the 2020 race to Trump’s efforts to challenge the election results in Georgia could be underway in Fulton County.