WASHINGTON, DC – Donald Trump has now been indicted for a third time.  Upon the announcement of today’s federal charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy to deprive people of their rights, CAC issued the following reactions.

CAC Vice President Praveen Fernandes stated:

Donald Trump is being charged with breaking federal laws he swore to uphold.  Once again, a grand jury of randomly selected citizens, serving under oath, has carefully assessed the information presented by prosecutors and decided that the evidence supports an indictment.  Today’s charges lie at the heart of our democracy, for they involve an attempt to overthrow the will of the voters in the 2020 election.

Among the charges is conspiracy to deprive people of their rights, a violation of 18 USC § 241, a Reconstruction era statute originally passed primarily to allow the federal government to prosecute those who tried to prevent formerly enslaved Black Americans from voting.  And in the past century, this statute has been used countless times to protect voting rights and help preserve our multiracial, participatory democracy.  The lessons from Reconstruction cannot be forgotten—the threat that some will use fraud, intimidation, violence, and corruption to prevent people from voting or to prevent their votes from being counted remains painfully real today.

A trial schedule should be set without delay, and the trial must go wherever the law and facts lead.  Central to our nation’s rule of law is the principle that no one—not even a former president—is above the law.

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Constitutional Accountability Center is a nonpartisan think tank and public interest law firm dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text, history, and values. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.

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