(NewsNation) — A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has issued a superseding indictment against former President Donald Trump under four charges relating to his trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump again in the federal court in Washington, D.C., on felony charges alleging he worked to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the run-up to the violent riot by his supporters in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The four-count indictment includes the same initial charges that were brought in the original indictment. These include conspiracy to defraud the United States government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, referring to the congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.
The indictment follows a Supreme Court ruling that allows immunity for sitting presidents in certain circumstances.
The indictment accuses Trump of repeatedly telling supporters that he had won the election, despite knowing that was false, and describes how he tried to persuade state officials, then-Vice President Mike Pence and finally Congress to overturn the legitimate results.
Prosecutors say the new indictment “reflects the Government’s efforts to respect and implement the Supreme Court’s holdings and remand instructions in Trump v. United States.”
“This [indictment] raises the stakes even more on the election,” Matt Lewis, a columnist at The Hill, told NewsNation.
“Trump can either go the White House, or he can go to jail or at least have a good chance,” he said, adding that the indictment could motivate him to campaign even harder.