Trump says he had ‘every right’ to interfere in 2020 election

A federal indictment accuses Donald Trump of defrauding the United States by trying to prevent Congress from certifying Joe Biden’s victory. (AP photo)

WASHINGTON: Former Republican US President Donald Trump, who is facing federal and state charges over attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat to Democratic President Joe Biden, insists he had “every right” to interfere in that election.

“Who heard that you were indicted for interference in a presidential election when you had every right to do so?” Trump said in an interview with Fox News that aired Sunday.

A federal indictment accuses Trump of defrauding the United States by trying to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory and depriving voters of their right to a fair election.

Last month, he faced an amended federal indictment accusing him of illegally attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

On January 6, 2021, Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a futile attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results, after Trump had spent weeks falsely claiming he had won.

Trump faces similar charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he was also indicted on racketeering charges, a crime that targets members of organized crime gangs and carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

That case, which is on hold while a state appeals court weighs the role of the district attorney, 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 candidate, has not yet said whether he will unconditionally accept the results of the November 5 election if his Democratic rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris, wins.

In a statement Monday, Harris’ campaign said Trump’s latest comments to Fox News and his previous statements “make it clear that he believes he is above the law.”

“Now Trump is claiming he had ‘every right’ to interfere in the 2020 election. He did not,” a Harris campaign spokesperson said in the statement.