Former US president Donald Trump, facing multiple federal and state charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results against Democratic President Joe Biden, has asserted that he had “every right” to challenge the outcome.
During an interview on Fox News that aired on Sunday, Mr Trump questioned the legitimacy of his indictments. “Whoever heard of being indicted for interfering in a presidential election when you have every right to do it?” he said.
A federal indictment accuses Mr Trump of attempting to defraud the United States by obstructing Congress from certifying President Biden’s victory and thereby denying voters their right to a fair election.
In addition, Mr Trump was hit with a revised federal indictment last month, further accusing him of unlawfully attempting to reverse his 2020 election defeat.
The charges against Mr Trump stem from the events of 6 January 2021, when his supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the election results. This followed weeks of false claims by Mr Trump that he had won the election.
In Georgia, Mr Trump faces related charges, including racketeering—a charge typically used against organised crime groups, which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
This case, currently on hold while a state appeals court reviews the district attorney’s role, arises from a 2 January 2021 phone call in which Mr Trump pressured Georgia’s chief election official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to overturn his narrow loss in the state. Mr Raffensperger refused.
As the current Republican candidate for president, Mr Trump has yet to confirm whether he will unconditionally accept the results of the upcoming 5 November election, particularly if his Democratic opponent, US Vice President Kamala Harris, wins.
In response to Mr Trump’s latest remarks, a spokesperson for Ms Harris’ campaign stated this evening that his comments to Fox News and previous statements demonstrate that “he believes he is above the law.” The spokesperson added, “Trump is now claiming he had ‘every right’ to interfere in the 2020 election. He did not.”
