10:42, 2 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Former US President Donald Trump has been charged with plotting to overturn his 2020 election defeat, BBC reported.

Trump denies the accusations, calling the case “ridiculous”.

The former US President is charged with 4 counts, among them conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

The law provides up to 20 years in prison in case of two of the charges.

"The attack on our nation's capital on January 6 2021 was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” special counsel Jack Smith said.

This is the third and most serious criminal charge against Trump. The other two cases were mishandling classified files and falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.

Trump is due to appear in court on August 20.

The Trump campaign said in a statement, "The lawlessness of these persecutions of President Trump and his supporters is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, the former Soviet Union, and other authoritarian, dictatorial regimes".