Trump hits out at 'corruption and scandal' after new charges

Let's take a look at the latest on Donald Trump's third indictment.

• Trump is facing four new criminal counts: conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens
• The former president has reacted angrily to the news, accusing officials of "corruption" and characterising it as a political witch hunt
• Some of his political allies - and some of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination - have spoken out in his defence
• Tomorrow at 1600 EST (2100 BST), Trump is expected at a DC federal courthouse for an arraignment
• While he's been given the option of appearing virtually, it is believed he will attend in person
• In court, Trump may enter a plea, although he will not be arrested

We'll be wrapping up our live coverage shortly but will be back tomorrow for Trump's arraignment.

We've just heard that officials at the US District Court in Washington DC have rescheduled several other court appearances on the docket tomorrow - including those of several people facing charges for their participation in the 6 January riot at the US Capitol.

Those who were scheduled to appear in court included a former Chicago police officer, Karol Chwiesiuk and Jay Johnson, an actor and comedian who was fired from the popular cartoon "Bob's Burgers" after it emerged he participated in the riot.

We don't have many more details, but it's likely that the court appearances are being rescheduled because of restrictions and security procedures being put into place for Donald Trump's arraignment.

We expect to have more details on that appearance by the end of the day today.

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Donald Trump has yet to appear on the charges in this indictment, but we're beginning to get a glimpse at what his legal defence might look like.

One of his lawyers, John Lauro, told NBC earlier today that Trump's efforts to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election were based on legal advice he received at the time.

Lauro specifically laid the blame on a former Trump lawyer, John Eastman, who played a role in encouraging Trump to call on then Vice-President Mike Pence to declare Trump the winner of the election.

Eastman is one of six co-conspirators in the most recent indictment.

“You’re entitled to believe and trust advice of counsel,” Lauro said. “You had one of the leading constitutional scholars in the US, John Eastman, say to President Trump, ‘This is a protocol that you can follow, it’s legal.’”

Lauro added that he believes this "eliminates criminal intent" on Trump's part.

The former president's legal team is also likely to argue that Trump's call on supporters to march "peacefully" on the Capitol absolves him of responsibility for the violence that took place on 6 January.

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While Donald Trump is expected in court on Thursday, the appearance does not mean he is going to be arrested. He's also been given the option to appear virtually.

If he's seen in court, it will be similar to what we've seen before in New York City and Miami after his two previous indictments.

Tomorrow, Trump will appear before Judge Moxila Upadhyaya at 1600 local time (2100 BST). He may be asked to enter a plea - although whether he will do so remains unclear.

Judge Upadhyaya will then set release conditions. In his last court appearance, in Miami, the judge agreed to release him without bail. He did not have to surrender his passport or have to agree to pre-trial travel restrictions or other typical requirements.

Typically, federal defendants are also fingerprinted during processing. It is unlikely that Trump, however, will have to submit his fingerprints or a DNA sample, or have a mugshot taken.

1. Trump is accused of lying to the public over a period of months

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2. Prosecutors allege Trump had co-conspirators assisting him

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3. Key to the case is whether Trump knew the truth that he had lost the election

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4. Investigators say Trump lied on purpose in order to interfere with the election

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The indictment lists six 'co-conspirators' who allegedly helped Donald Trump try to overturn the election. They aren't named in the indictment, nor have any charges been levelled against them.

So why mention them at all?

Essentially, in order to be part of a conspiracy, you have to conspire with others. For prosecutors to back up the claim of a criminal conspiracy to interfere with the election, they have to show evidence others were involved.

There could be a number of reasons why the alleged co-conspirators are nameless, according to Aziz Huq of the University of Chicago Law School, such as the potential that these individuals could be co-operating with investigators.

That means they might testify in court.

And, just because none of the alleged co-conspirators have been charged now, that doesn't mean prosecutors won't seek charges in the future.

• You can read more about this here.

This is the third time Donald Trump has been indicated.

So it's only fair if you find it a challenge to wrap your head around all the charges levelled against the former US president.

Here to clear things up is our North America correspondent Nomia Iqbal with this quick explainer.

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With their man accused of election interference, Donald Trump’s supporters are responding by alleging… election interference.

A broad claim is emerging - that the indictment is a naked political play meant to thwart Trump’s latest presidential campaign and thus affect the outcome of the 2024 election.

The sentiment was captured in a post by Marjorie Taylor Greene, the congresswoman who’s one of Trump’s biggest backers.

“The politicized and weaponized DOJ [Department of Justice] is now committing election interference with this outrageous conspiracy theory,” she wrote on social media.

The supporters are taking their cues from the top. The former president has himself shouted about “election interference” several times in different contexts on his Truth Social network.

It’s a tactic that he's used before to defang his critics.

Remember the phrase “fake news”? That originally referred to a bizarre phenomenon whereby teenagers in the Balkans were pumping out false pro-Trump news stories to make advertising money.

But then, at a press conference shortly before he took office in 2017, Trump railed against the “fake news” media, and journalists scrambled to find other terms for the sea of online rubbish.

Maybe he hopes to similarly muddy the meaning of “election interference”. However, this time the charges will be litigated in a court of law, not just the court of public opinion.

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Joe Biden is keeping his distance both figuratively and literally from the legal storm encircling Donald Trump over the last day or so.

Biden is currently on summer holidays at his beach house in Delaware and spent the morning riding his bike in the sunshine.

Last night, he took wife Jill on a date night.

They went to the cinema to see the blockbuster Oppenheimer followed by a moonlit walk.

This morning, he cycled past a group of reporters keen for a soundbite, offering only a greeting as he cruised by.

It has been a whirlwind day of reaction and speculation and following Trump's indictment on four charges connected to the 6 January riot - you can watch special counsel Jack Smith announce the move above.

The charges are 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

Here's a look at what's happened in the hours since:

• Immediately after the announcement, Trump's team responded by calling the indictment "corrupt" and a "witch hunt" - they also likened it to persecutions in Nazi Germany

• Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he has “never had so much support” as he does now

What happens next:

Trump is meant to appear in court in Washington DC on Thursday, but it is not clear as yet whether he will appear in person or remotely.

Trump remains the frontrunner for the Republican nomination according to pollsters, and is neck-and-neck with President Joe Biden in a general election.

If found guilty on all charges, Trump could face many years in prison – but this would not prevent him from continuing to run for office.

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People in the US are still processing the news. Recent polling, however, shows that American views on the former president's role in the riot are mixed.

One poll, conducted by AP-NORC in April, found that 49% of Americans believe he did something illegal, compared to 19% who said his conduct was legal but unethical, and 20% who said he did nothing wrong.

A separate poll conducted by by Yahoo and YouGov in May found that a majority of Americans - 62% - believe Trump should not be allowed to serve if convicted of a serious crime, while 23% said he should be.

A third poll, published by the New York Times and Siena College this week found that 17% of likely voters in the Republican primaries believe Trump committed a serious offence, compared to 71% who don't.

This is Donald Trump’s third indictment and the most serious one yet.

The Department of Justice says the former president had the right to question the election results, but accuses him of using unlawful methods to stay in power when he - they allege - knew he had lost.

He remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination and he's said if he’s convicted or jailed, it won’t get in the way of him running for the White House.

And constitutionally speaking he’s correct - there is nothing to stop him.