Trump stands firm on 'election interference' in face of legal disputes

Former US President Donald Trump, who faces federal and state charges accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democratic President Joe Biden, has said he had "every right" to interfere in that 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.

Some far-right protestors stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results after weeks of claims by Trump that he had won.

"Find" enough votes

Trump faces similar charges in Fulton County, Georgia, where he was also charged with racketeering, and carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

That case, which is on hold while a state appeals court weighs 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.

In a statement on Monday, Harris' campaign said Trump's latest comments to Fox News "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.

Conferring broad immunity

Last week Special counsel Jack Smith filed a new indictment against Trump over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election that keeps the same criminal charges but narrows the allegations against the former US president following a Supreme Court opinion conferring broad immunity on former presidents.

The latest indictment removes a section of the indictment that dealt with Trump's interactions with the Justice Department, an area of conduct for which the Supreme Court in a 6-3 opinion last month said Trump was entitled to immunity from prosecution.

Special counsel's original indictment, revealed last August, accused Trump of attempting to use the Justice Department to further what prosecutors alleged was an illegal and fraudulent effort to overturn Joe Biden's victory.