Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who is facing both federal and state charges for allegedly attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden, insists he had “every right” to interfere in that election. In a Fox News interview aired on Sunday, Trump questioned the charges against him, saying, “Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it?”
A federal indictment accuses Trump of defrauding the U.S. by trying to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory, thereby depriving voters of their right to a fair election. Last month, Trump faced a revised federal indictment for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election results.
On January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to stop Congress from certifying the election results, following weeks of Trump’s false claims that he had won the election.
In Fulton County, Georgia, Trump also faces charges of racketeering—a serious charge typically used against organized crime groups, carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence. This case, which is currently on hold pending a state appeals court’s decision, centers around a January 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump urged Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to overturn his loss in the state. Raffensperger refused.
Trump, the current Republican candidate for president, has not stated whether he would unconditionally accept the results of the upcoming November 5 election if his Democratic rival, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, wins.
In a statement on Monday, Harris’ campaign responded to Trump’s remarks, saying that his comments to Fox News and previous statements “make it clear that he believes he is above the law.” A Harris campaign spokesperson added, “Now, Trump is claiming he had ‘every right’ to interfere in the 2020 election. He did not.”
