Trump pleads not guilty on Jan. 6 charges, calls it 'sad day for America’
Trump is accused of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts after being charged in connection with his alleged attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
The new 45-page federal indictment, unsealed Tuesday, accuses Trump of four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
It's the third time that Trump has been indicted on criminal charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges in the two other cases, decrying the investigations as political witch hunts. He continues to insist that the 2020 vote was rigged and, speaking to ABC News on Tuesday, described the latest charges as a "pile-on" and "election interference."
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Trump describes latest indictment as 'pile-on,' 'election interference'
Former President Donald Trump described the latest charges against him as a "pile-on."
"It's election interference," Trump told ABC News in a brief telephone interview on Tuesday, after the sweeping federal indictment was unsealed.
Trump, who is currently the Republican front-runner in the 2024 presidential race, said he is "doing very well in the polls" and that he believes he will "defeat" President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.
Trump also called the recent indictments against him "ridiculous," telling ABC News he will "fight and we will win."
-ABC News' John Santucci
Special counsel speaks out on Trump's 3rd indictment
Shortly after a third indictment was unveiled against former President Donald Trump, special counsel Jack Smith spoke briefly from the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday about the new charges related to Trump's alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
Smith, the independent prosecutor overseeing the federal cases against Trump, said the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was "an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy" that was "fueled by lies" from the former president about the 2020 election.
"The indictment was issued by a grand jury of citizens here in the District of Columbia and it sets forth the crimes charged in detail," Smith told reporters. "I encourage everyone to read it in full."
Click here to read more of Smith's comments.