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

WASHINGTON: Former U.S. President Donald Trump, who faces federal and state charges for allegedly trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, insists he had “every right” to interfere in the election.

“Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it?” Trump said in a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday. A federal indictment accuses Trump of defrauding the United States by preventing Congress from certifying Biden’s victory and depriving voters of their right to a fair election. He faced a revised federal indictment last month accusing him of illegally trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Trump faces similar charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he was also charged with racketeering, which is used to target members of organized crime groups and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

That case, which is on hold while a state appeals court weights the district attorney’s role, stems from a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call in which Trump urged Georgia’s top election official, Brad Raffensperger, to “find” enough votes to reverse his narrow loss in the state. Raffensperger declined to do so.

Trump, who is the current Republican nominee for president, has not said whether he would unconditionally accept the results of the Nov. 5 election if his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, wins.