Breaking down the charges against Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Geoff Bennett:

Former President Donald Trump it is expected to appear in federal court in Washington, D.C., tomorrow to enter a plea on charges that he illegally tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and remain in power.

Those alleged actions, which resulted in violent riots in the halls of Congress, are the most grave accusations to date against Mr. Trump.

William Brangham starts our coverage with a recap of the historic indictment.

William Brangham:

"Despite having lost, the defendant was determined to remain in power." That is page one of special counsel Jack Smith's indictment, the United States of America v. Donald Trump.

And it alleges the former president and his co-conspirators, unwilling to accept his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 election, conspired and plotted to illegally hold onto power.

Protester:

This is our Capitol!

William Brangham:

The allegations laid out, including the violent riots on January 6, reveal the hallmarks of a coup.

Jack Smith, Special Counsel:

The attack on our nation's Capitol on January 6, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.

William Brangham:

Donald Trump stands accused of four charges, of trying to defraud the country, blocking and obstructing an official proceeding on January 6, and denying people's voting rights.

Over 45 pages, the special counsel lays out the foundation for those charges as based on actions taken, not just words alone.

Donald Trump, Former President of the United States: If you count the legal votes, I easily win. If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.

William Brangham:

It alleges Trump knew his claims of voter fraud and a rigged election were lies and documents repeated cases where Trump's closest allies and advisers told him so.

Donald Trump:

All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes.

William Brangham:

It details a scheme to pressure election officials to further his bogus claims of fraud and disenfranchise millions of voters.

The indictment alleges an effort to use the Department of Justice to falsely claim it had found voting irregularities and a separate effort to encourage so-called fake electors in seven states to create the appearance of a nonexistent controversy around the election.

Mike Pence (R), Presidential Candidate: We condemn the violence that took place here in the strongest possible terms.

William Brangham:

It also details the pressure put on former Vice President Mike Pence to block the formal certification of the election on January 6.

And it alleges that, when Pence resisted, and violent riots broke out in and around the Capitol, the former president and his allies redoubled their efforts to lie about the election.

According to the indictment, Donald Trump was aided by six others. They are referenced as unnamed co-conspirators, but they are widely reported to include three of the president's former attorneys, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell, former high-ranking DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, and pro-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro.

The New York Times today reported Trump campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn is likely the sixth. No charges have yet been brought against any of these six.

Jack Smith:

Since the attack on our Capitol, the Department of Justice has remained committed to ensuring accountability for those criminally responsible for what happened that day. This case is brought consistent with that commitment, and our investigation of other individuals continues.

William Brangham:

Last night, Trump lashed out on social media, accusing the special counsel of trying to interfere with his 2024 campaign.

And, today, Trump's Republican allies on the Hill and even his 2024 opponents largely came to his defense.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Presidential Candidate: The reality is, a Republican — a D.C. jury would indict a ham sandwich and convict a ham sandwich if it was a Republican ham sandwich. I think Americans need to be able to remove cases out of D.C.

William Brangham:

Former Vice President Mike Pence, however, described the allegations as grave.

Mike Pence:

Sadly, the president was surrounded by a group of crackpot lawyers that kept telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear.

President Trump asked me to put him over the Constitution, but I chose the Constitution.

William Brangham:

While vacationing in Delaware, President Biden ignored a shouted question about the indictment.

Tomorrow, the former president will be arraigned and enter his plea in Judge Tanya Chutkan's courtroom. Appointed by Barack Obama, she's heard multiple cases against those who rioted on January 6 and has issued tough sentences against them.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.