Watch moment third Trump indictment announced by Special Counsel Jack Smith

The Independent

Special Counsel Jack Smith announced a third indictment against Donald Trump on Tuesday 1 August.  The former president faces four charges, three of which are counts of conspiracy, relating to the investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election.  The charges are:  Conspiracy to defraud the United States  Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding  Obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding  Conspiracy against rights  Mr Trump has been summoned to appear before a federal magistrate judge in Washington DC on Thursday.  He already faces criminal charges in two other cases as he campaigns to regain the presidency next year.

Transcript

00:00 Good evening. Today, an indictment was unsealed, charging Donald J. Trump with conspiring to defraud the United States,

00:10 conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding.

00:17 The indictment was issued by a grand jury of citizens here in the District of Columbia,

00:23 and it sets forth the crimes charged in detail. I encourage everyone to read it in full.

00:30 The attack on our nation's capital on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault

00:39 on the seat of American democracy. As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies.

00:45 Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government,

00:53 the nation's process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election.

00:59 The men and women of law enforcement who defended the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are heroes.

01:07 They are patriots and they are the very best of us. They did not just defend a building or the

01:15 people sheltering in it. They put their lives on the line to defend who we are as a country and as

01:21 a people. They defended the very institutions and principles that define the United States.

01:28 Since the attack on our Capitol, the Department of Justice has remained committed

01:34 to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for what happened that day.

01:38 This case is brought consistent with that commitment, and our investigation of other

01:45 individuals continues. In this case, my office will seek a speedy trial so that our evidence

01:52 can be tested in court and judged by a jury of citizens. In the meantime, I must emphasize

01:59 that the indictment is only an allegation and that the defendant must be presumed innocent

02:04 until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. I would like to thank the

02:13 members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation who are working on this investigation with my office,

02:18 as well as the many career prosecutors and law enforcement agents from around the country who

02:25 have worked on previous January 6 investigations. These women and men are public servants of the

02:31 very highest order, and it is a privilege to work alongside them. Thank you.

02:37 Thank you.

02:38 MR PALLADINO: Thank you.

02:39 Thank you.

02:40 Thank you.

Category

Transcript

Recommended