Donald Trump due to appear in court over attempts to overturn 2020 US election

Donald Trump is due to appear in court today facing criminal charges over efforts to overturn the 2020 US presidential election.

The former US President and current frontrunner in the Republican candidate race for the presidency is set to appear at a courthouse in Washington DC, not far from the scene of the 2001 Capitol riots. He faces four counts of conspiracy and obstruction, including: conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.

Jack Smith, the special counsel, who oversaw this investigation into Mr Trump said: “The attack on our nation’s capitol on 6 January was an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy.” Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing, and accused the Justice Department of election interference through the indictment.

Mr Trump lashed out against the indictment late on Wednesday, writing on his TruthSocial platform that the “unprecedented indictment … has awoken the world to the corruption, scandal and failure that has taken place”.

Writing in capital letters he said he had “never had so much support on anything before”.

Mr Trump is expected to appear in person, The Washington Post reported, citing sources familiar with the situation. The case is set to begin at 4.00 pm eastern time (9.00 pm BST).

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The Guardian reported magistrate judge Moxila Upadhyaya will set a schedule for pre-trial motions and discovery in the hearing on Thursday. The trial could be many months away.

Mr Trump also hit out at former vice-president Mike Pence, saying he was “attracting no crowds, enthusiasm or loyalty from people who, as a member of the Trump administration, should be loving him.”

Mr Pence, who is running against his former colleague in the GOP primary race, said the indictment served “as an important reminder that anyone who puts himself over the constitution should never be president of the United States”.

It is the third time this year that Trump has been charged with a criminal offence and will also be his third appearance as a criminal defendant. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on charges of illegally retaining top secret documents. In New York, Trump faces criminal charges in a hush money case and a civil trial over his business practices.

Some experts have suggested that federal prosecutors are seeking a quick trial, pointing to the fact the indictment does not name or charge six alleged co-conspirators.

“This keeps it pretty streamlined,” said Christopher Ott, a former federal prosecutor, told the Associated Press.

“All of those motions by defendants affect all of the defendants, including Trump. It would slow things down. If you don’t name and charge them, you don’t have that trouble.”

Mr Trump could face further charges in Georgia, where a county district attorney is investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.