Breaking down the 91 charges Trump faces in his four indictments
13 charges in the Georgia election interference case
The Fulton County, Ga., district attorney charged Trump and 18 others in connection with efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss in the state.
The indictment says Trump and 18 others were part of a criminal enterprise that refused to accept his election loss and conspired to change the outcome.
Four charges in the federal Jan. 6 election case
In this case, Trump and a group of alleged co-conspirators — unnamed but many identifiable through prosecutors’ descriptions — are accused of scheming to reverse the election results and keep Trump in power. The three conspiracy counts relate to the myriad ways they allegedly tried to accomplish that goal. The fourth count, attempting to obstruct an official proceeding, arises from Trump’s attempt to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s win.
40 charges in classified documnts case
32 counts willfull retention of national defense info.
6 counts counts related to obstruction or altering documents
2 counts False statements
34 charges in the falsifying business records case
What do the charges mean?
These are essentially bookkeeping charges. Each involves a separate instance in which prosecutors allege that Trump misclassified campaign expenses as legal expenses. Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor in New York but can be charged as a felony when prosecutors believe there is an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal” a crime.
Here's a summary of the charges Trump is facing in Washington, D.C., for attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election:
- one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States applies to Trump's repeated and widespread efforts to spread false claims about the November 2020 election while knowing they were not true and for allegedly attempting to illegally discount legitimate votes all with the goal of overturning the 2020 election, prosecutors claim in the indictment.
- one count of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding was brought due to the alleged organized planning by Trump and his allies to disrupt the electoral vote's certification in January 2021.
- one count of obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding is tied to Trump and his co-conspirators' alleged efforts after the November 2020 election until Jan. 7, 2021, to block the official certification proceeding in Congress.
- one count of conspiracy against rights refers to Trump and his co-conspirators alleged attempts to "oppress, threaten and intimidate" people in their right to vote in an election.