On Tuesday, Donald Trump faced his most serious legal threat yet as he was indicted for his attempts to overturn the 2020 US election results while campaigning for a return to the White House in 2024.

The indictment, the third since March, includes charges of conspiracy and obstruction. The allegations accuse Trump of conspiring to defraud the United States and obstructing an official proceeding, specifically, the joint session of Congress held on January 6, 2021, to certify Joe Biden's election victory.

The indictment also points to false claims made by Trump about winning the election, which were allegedly aimed at disenfranchising American voters.

"Shortly after election day -- which fell on November 3, 2020 -- the Defendant launched his criminal scheme," the indictment, handed down by a grand jury in Washington, said.

"The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud," it said.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges, referred to the January 6 attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters as an "unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy" fueled by lies.

"It was fueled by lies," Smith told reporters in brief remarks.

"Lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the US government -- the nation's process of collecting, counting, and certifying the results of the presidential election," Smith added.

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The case is expected to add further complications to an already divisive presidential campaign in 2024. Trump's defense is expected to include arguments that he followed advice from highly accomplished attorneys, while the White House has not yet commented on the indictment. 

'Reversing America's decline'

At a campaign stop in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Trump claimed, "These are ridiculous indictments, and all they're doing is hoping for massive election interference."

In the past, the leadership PAC is reported to have garnered tens of millions of dollars to cover legal costs for both Trump and his allies. In response, a Trump campaign spokesperson called the payments necessary: "The weaponized Department of Justice has continued to go after innocent Americans because they worked for President Trump and they know they have no legitimate case."

The spokesperson added: "In order to combat these heinous actions by Joe Biden's cronies and to protect these innocent people from financial ruin and prevent their lives from being completely destroyed, the leadership PAC contributed to their legal fees to ensure they have representation against unlawful harassment."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and current Republican rival of Trump called out the spending rack-up.

DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romero said in a statement: "Trump has spent over $60 million this year on two things: falsely attacking Ron DeSantis and paying his own legal fees, not a cent on defeating Joe Biden," adding: "Governor DeSantis' sole focus, by contrast, has been campaigning for this country's future, defeating Biden, and reversing the decline of America."

Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung defended their action by saying: "Only desperate idiots and un-American morons would take the position the DeSantis team has taken."

DeSantis told ABC News in New Hampshire: "If he drained the swamp as he promised, you know, he probably wouldn't be in the mess that he's in right now."

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