Donald Trump was criminally charged for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, more than two years after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to disrupt a certification of the results.
(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump was criminally charged for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, more than two years after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 to disrupt a certification of the results.
The attack was the culmination of an unsuccessful push by Trump allies to undo President Joe Biden’s wins in battleground states.
Congress and the Justice Department investigated, and the case was ultimately assigned to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who brought the latest charges in federal court in Washington.
The indictment marks the third criminal case facing the former president as he barrels ahead with his 2024 presidential campaign. Here are key milestones leading up to the charges:
2020
Nov. 3
The presidential general election takes place. No winner is immediately declared.
Nov. 7
Biden is declared the winner of the 2020 election by multiple news outlets after voter data show him securing more than 270 Electoral College votes. Trump does not concede.
Dec. 11
US Supreme Court tosses out a last-ditch effort by Trump and the Texas attorney general’s office to challenge Biden’s wins in several states. The order follows failed legal efforts by Trump and his allies in dozens of cases.
Dec. 14
The Electoral College meets to cast each state’s electoral votes. So-called fake electors in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, Nevada, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — also meet. Attorney General Bill Barr, who had pushed back on Trump’s voter fraud claims, resigns.
Dec. 18
Trump holds a contentious Oval Office meeting where conservative attorneys and activists spar with White House lawyers who reject voter fraud claims.
Dec. 19
Trump tweets about a “big protest” in Washington set for Jan. 6, urging supporters to attend and adding “Be there, will be wild!”
2021
Jan. 2
Trump participates in a phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. The outgoing president is recorded saying he wants Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” — Biden’s margin of victory. Raffensperger refuses.
Jan. 3
At a tense meeting in the Oval Office, Trump is told that a slew of top Justice Department officials would resign if Trump appoints ally Jeffrey Clark, head of the environmental litigation section, to replace Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. Clark, who was willing to send a letter to the states saying election results were in doubt as Trump wanted, is not appointed.
Jan. 6
Trump supporters gather in Washington for a boisterous rally at which Trump urges Vice President Mike Pence — who was officiating over the electoral vote process as part of his constitutional duty — to reject elector slates from certain states. Pence refuses. Hundreds of enraged Trump supporters storm the Capitol, smashing windows and forcing lawmakers to take cover. Seven people died as a result of the event, including one shot by police, and more than 100 police were injured. The legislators reconvened and finished certifying the 2020 election results early the next morning.
Jan. 13
The US House votes 232-197 to impeach Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 attack.
Jan. 20
Biden is sworn in as president and Trump departs Washington.
Feb. 13
Following an impeachment trial, the US Senate votes 57-43 to convict Trump of the incitement charge — short of the two-thirds needed to remove him from office.
July 27
A special committee appointed to investigate the Jan. 6 attack and events leading up to it holds its first public hearing, featuring emotional testimony from law enforcement officers who battled the mob.
2022
Jan. 19
The Supreme Court rebuffs Trump’s effort to block the Jan. 6 congressional committee from obtaining a collection of his White House papers from the National Archives.
Jan. 26
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco confirms to CNN that federal prosecutors are reviewing the fake Electoral College certificates declaring Trump as the winner in battleground states.
June 9
The Jan. 6 congressional committee kicks off a series of televised hearings featuring testimony from former top White House aides, Justice Department officials, and other witnesses from Trump’s inner circle.
July 26
Marc Short, Pence’s former chief of staff, confirms he appeared before a federal grand jury. Other media outlets report Pence aide Greg Jacob also testified.
Aug. 8
FBI agents execute a search warrant at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and find classified documents haphazardly stored.
Sept. 2
Former White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy Patrick Philbin testify before a grand jury, media outlets report.
Nov. 15
Trump announces his 2024 candidacy and his campaign files his federal paperwork.
Nov. 18
Attorney General Merrick Garland announces the hiring of Smith, a former federal prosecutor and war crimes prosecutor, as special counsel to take over the 2020 election probe and the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified information.
Nov. 29
A federal jury in Washington finds Stewart Rhodes, leader of the right-wing Oath Keepers group, guilty of seditious conspiracy for his role in conspiring to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 election.
Dec. 2
Cipollone and Philbin appear again before a grand jury following Trump’s unsuccessful effort to invoke executive privilege, media outlets report.
Dec. 19
The Jan. 6 congressional committee concludes its investigation and unanimously votes to recommend the Justice Department charge Trump with conspiracy to defraud the US, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to make a false statement and aiding or inciting an insurrection. Charges were also recommended against John Eastman, a Trump attorney.
2023
Jan. 9
A special state grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, finishes its investigation into efforts by Trump and others to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results. Much of the grand jury’s final report, which includes indictment recommendations, is kept under seal. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis presses ahead with a criminal investigation.
March 30
A state grand jury in New York indicts Trump on charges that he falsified business records in connection with hush money payments to a porn star before the 2016 election. He pleads not guilty.
April 4
A federal appeals court denies Trump’s bid to block grand jury subpoenas for testimony from multiple former administration officials, including his chief of staff, Mark Meadows.
April 26
Trump loses a court fight to block a grand jury subpoena for Pence’s testimony.
April 27
Pence appears at the federal courthouse in Washington to go before the grand jury.
June 8
A federal grand jury in Florida indicts Trump on charges that he mishandled national defense information and tried to obstruct government efforts to retrieve classified documents he took to Mar-a-Lago. He pleads not guilty.
July 18
Trump announces that he has received a letter from the Justice Department that he’s a target in the 2020 election investigation, a sign charges may be imminent.
July 27
Trump attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche meet with prosecutors at Smith’s office to discuss the 2020 election probe. A federal grand jury in Florida returns a superseding indictment against Trump in the classified documents case, adding more felony charges.
Aug. 1
Federal indictment of Trump announced on 2020 election charges, including conspiracy to obstructing an official proceeding — an offense alleged in numerous prosecutions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Other charges are conspiring to commit an offense or defraud the US, obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiring to interfere with someone’s exercise of their rights under the US Constitution and other laws.
–With assistance from Billy House.
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