WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump, who is facing federal and state charges for allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, insists he had “every right” to interfere in the election.
“Who ever heard of you being accused of interfering in a presidential election when you have every right to do so?” Trump said in a message. Fox News Interview that aired on Sunday.
A federal indictment accuses Trump of defrauding the United States by preventing Congress from certifying Biden’s victory and depriving voters of their right to a fair election. He faced a revised federal indictment last month accusing him of trying to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss.
Trump faces similar charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he also has been charged with racketeering, a crime used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
That case, which is on hold while a state appeals court weighs the district attorney’s role, stems from a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump urged Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to overturn his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger refused to do so.
Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee, has not said whether he will unconditionally accept the results of the Nov. 5 election if his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, wins.
