AG Merrick Garland addresses latest Trump indictment in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Former President Donald Trump was hit with criminal charges for the third time in four months on Tuesday.
This time, according to the indictment, for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The indictment says Trump was determined to stay in power after he lost.
RELATED: Read the Trump indictment text charging him with 4 counts related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6
Attorney General Merrick Garland was in Philadelphia and addressed the indictment but didn't give much detail.
"Immediately after the Jan. 6 attack on our democracy, the men and women of the Justice Department engaged in what had become the largest investigation in our history," Garland said.
Garland was in the city for National Night Out on 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue in North Philadelphia. The former president was charged with four felony counts Tuesday night.
The indictment is related to Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Special Council Jack Smith says that Trump knowingly spread lies about fraud surrounding the election in order to destabilize the country and spread mistrust.
"As described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies. Lies by the defendant, targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government, the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election," Smith said.
Garland only answered one question during his visit and didn't elaborate on much.
"In November last, I appointed Jack Smith special counsel to take on the ongoing investigation and in order to underline the department's commitment to accountability and independence. Mr. Smith and his team of experienced, principled, career agents and prosecutors and have followed the facts and law wherever they lead," Garland said.
Trump is scheduled to appear in court in Washington D.C. on Thursday as the former president continues his campaign for re-election in the 2024 Presidential Race.
Trump is already due to go to trial next May over his handling of classified documents. That case was also part of the special's counsel's investigation.
