tonight, histonight, historic indictment. >> it was fueled by lies. lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock is now even softer, but it's so absorbent, you can use less. so it's always worth it. now, what did we learned about using less? you've got to, roll it back everybody! enjoy the go with charmin. how do i do it all? with a little help. and to support my family's immune health, i choose airborne. it has an unbeatable amount of vitamin c, plus a unique blend of immune focused ingredients to turn up our immune support. airborne the frontrunner in the republican 2024 field. so what will the political fallout be with these new felony charges against him? let's bring in abc news function of the u.s. government. contributor sarah isgur and former wisconsin governor scott >> byron: former president trump walker. thank you both for joining us. sarah, we'll start charged with four felony counts with you for what you read in the indictment. what stood out to you the most in these alleging a criminal scheme to charges? >> this plus juniors tees 12.99 and up and up to 50% off kids looks to overturn the 2020 election and own your style at macy's disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. >> this is the most serious case against donald trump thus far. >> byron: accused of knowingly lying about election results, pushing officials in several states to ignore the popular

vote. >> smith lays out multiple examples and people who were specifically telling the former own your style at macy's friskies world, the always keep it real... (cat 1) and do whatever floats your boat - president that he could not just like we do. (vo) feed their fantasy. ♪friskies♪ perfect reminder that life's more fun in the deep end. >> yeah so never stop exploring overturn the election, that he . >> always keep it real and do whatever floats your boat. >> just like we do. lost, that he would have to >> feed their fantasy friskies. you got me tag. leave office. >> you're it. imagine a world with no drama where the >> byron: berating vice guarantee of high quality promotional items delivered on president mike pence for being time go to for imprint.com. too honest. >> for imprint for certain deals, for you feel is for you and directing supporters to the capitol. home kitchen feels for you. exploiting the violence of the attack. >> the attack on our nation's >> you feel like capitol on january 6th, 2021, was an unprecedented assault on the seat of american democracy. political fallout. polls showing him as the clear front-runner in the republican field -- >> these are ridiculous indictments and all they're doing is hoping for massive election interference, that's all they want to do. >> what the new charges could mean for trump's re-election campaign. now in a dead heat in a possible rematch against president biden. how do i do it all? with a little help. and to support my family's immune health, i choose airborne.

it has an unbeatable amount of vitamin c, plus a unique blend of immune focused ingredients to turn up our immune support. airborne try killing bugs the worry-free way. not the other way. zevo traps use light to attract and trap flying insects with no odor and no mess. they work continuously, so you don't have to. zevo. people-friendly. bug-deadly. my brain. so i choose neuriva plus.

unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. indictment, it was fueled by lies. >> lies by the defendant targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the us government. former president trump, charged with four felony counts, alleging a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. >> this is the most severe case against donald trump thus far. >> trump, accused of knowingly r joining us. we begin tonight with an unprecedented moment in american history for felony charges against a former us president for allegedly trying to undermine democracy and disrupt the transfer of power may not be. former president trump's first brush with the law, but the accusations this time are the most yet. here's ah! ah! ah! trouble booking the family vacay? come on. comfort has free hot breakfast for the whole fam. they have waffles! and splendid pools. cannonball! book direct at choicehotels.com. ♪ i'm here for- your annual eye exam. because i'm having trouble- reading? exactly. they sort of make me feel... like i'm the most fabulous thing you've ever seen? exactly. i'll take 'em. ♪ ♪ [children playing outside] reynolds wrap makes it easy to cook and clean up meals in no time. ♪ [food sizzle] so i don't miss all the fun stuff. [whoosh] [splash] easy prep, cook and clean. with reynolds wrap. ♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for adults with hr+/her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. how do i do it all? with a little help. and to support my family's immune health, i choose airborne. it has an unbeatable amount of vitamin c, plus a unique blend of immune focused ingredients to turn up our immune support. airborne at starlight, we provide enter of soy. >> you

abc's jonathan karl. >> today, an indictment was unsealed, charging donald j. trump another criminal indictment for donald trump. we'll have much more of the >> and the most serious trump indictment and the political fallout with complete allegation yet against the former president and current coverage overnight and on "good morning america." frontrunner for the republican that's "nightline" for this evening. nomination. this one alleging thanks for the company, america. good night. , you. that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election and disrupt the peaceful transition of power through a series of events that we'll have much more on the culminated on january sixth, the trump indictment and the political fallout with complete coverage overnight and on. >> good morning america, that's attack on our nation's capitol nightline for this evening. thanks for the company, america. good night. from america's number one news source comes the all new abc news app. on january 6th, 2021, was an >> breaking news, incredible video. faster smarter and it can customize to you and your interests. >> if you love being in the know unprecedented assault on the you're gonna love this experience what all the buzz is seat of american democracy. about experience the all new abc >> it's described in the indictment, and it was fueled by lies. >> a grand jury today handing up four felony counts against the former president after a year and a half long investigation by the department of justice. six other unnamed coconut rioters also in the indictment. >> this is the most serious case

against donald trump. thus far. the special counsel is basically alleging that donald trump led an effort to overturn the election and that he was directly involved in it. he was making phone calls. he was helping to organize it. he was leading it. that's the critical legal point here. >> it's clear that jack smith has left no stone unturned here. we know that he's spoken to the former vice president, mike pence, for example. trump's former chief of staff, mark meadows. so high level officials . but it's not just those high level officials, those people who were around him the day of january 6th. it's all sorts of witnesses. trump telling abc news tonight that the charges brought on by special counsel jack smith are a, quote, pile on and ridiculous. >> abc news has learned that the other coconspirators mentioned in the report likely include rudy giuliani, former trump lawyer john eastman, attorney sidney powell, former justice

department official jeffrey clark, and attorney kenneth cheeseboro. the indictment alleges trump and his coconspirators made false claims about the 2020 election and that they knew they were false telling. pervasive and destabilizing lies about election fraud. >> smith lays out multiple examples in people who were specifically telling the former president that he could not overturn the election, that he lost that in fact, he would have to leave office. people who smith says that trump viewed as people that he relied on for counsel and for advice. and in this case, he just ignored as part of the alleged conspiracy. >> see, the indictment alleges trump not only hosted and pressured officials in the oval office, but also pushed officials in certain states to ignore the popular vote. disenfranchized millions of voters and dismiss legitimate electors and ultimately cause the ascertainment of and voting by illegitimate electors in favor of the defendant. arizona

was one of those states where the special counsel says local officials were pressured by the president. >> and i said, you're asking me to do something that's never been done in history, in the history of the united states. and i'm going to put my state through that. but without sufficient proof. and that's going to be good enough with me that i would i would put us through that my state that i swore to uphold both in constitution and in law. no, sir . >> the indictment also details trump's pressure campaign to get vice president mike pence to alter the election results on january sixth, including a phone call on january 1st, where pence said he didn't have the authority to do what trump was asking him to do. trump responding. you're too honest

for one on one. trump's efforts came to a head on january sixth, 2021. >> we're going to walk down to the capitol. because you'll never take back our country with weakness. you have to show strength and you have to be strong. >> the then president rallying thousands of diehard supporters just two miles from where congress was preparing to certify joe biden's victory. trump pressuring pence to block the move if mike pence does the right thing, we win the election . within minutes of the speech, thousands of trump supporters stormed the capitol building, forcing vice president pence, lawmakers and staffers to flee and hide. mike pence. the indictment highlighting trump's alleged exploitation of the violence and chaos at the capitol, saying he did not ask the rioters to leave the capitol , but instead falsely suggested the crowd at the capitol was

being peaceful. officer michael fanone, a father of four, suffered a traumatic brain injury and minor heart attack on the scene. >> some of the people in the crowd, while i was getting tased, they were stripping my gear off of, you know, off my vest, stripped my badge off my radio. individuals in the crowd that tried to get my gun at one point, people started chanting, kill him with his own gun. and at that point, you know, self-preservation kicked in. >> special counsel jack smith paying tribute to officers like fanone in his remarks today. the men and women of law enforcement who defended the us capitol on january sixth are heroes. >> they are patriots and they are the very best of us. they put their lives on the line to defend who we are as a country and as a people. >> the justice department has already charged more than 1000 of those january 6th rioters. donald trump is the first former president ever to be criminally charged, indicted now three

times over the past five months. and he's facing another potential indictment in georgia for allegedly trying to overturn the election results there, although it doesn't seem to have had any impact on his popularity , at least among republicans. he leads the republican primary field with 54% of the vote, 37 points ahead of ron desantis. chris, his closest challenger in the latest polls so far, these indictments don't seem to be hurting him. >> we've seen this on the fundraising front where he's doubled his fundraising numbers from quarter one to quarter two. but we're also seeing this in the polls where he is so far out ahead, although about half of all voters say the former president has committed serious federal crimes. >> i expect donald trump's defense will be he believed it. he believed the election had been stolen. and the question is going to be, was that remotely reasonable? and that's going to be for a jury to decide all of these cases have a hefty price tag. >> so his superpac has

essentially been fronting the bill for a lot of these lawyers who they have hired. this is just in the first half of the year. they've spent nearly $20 million on legal fees so far. now, whether they can afford it, whether the pac has the money to do that, is still to be determined. but a lot of these donations from people who support trump are going directly to his legal bills. >> for his part, trump has claimed he is innocent of all chargesce he now fas. >> these are ridiculous indictments and all they're doing is hoping for massive election interference. that's all they want to do. they want to damage the leading candidate, by the way, leading by far, i have to say, he is scheduled to appear in court on thursday. >> if he was convicted by a jury in washington, dc, with this judge presiding, you would be very nervous to be donald trump because there could be a real possibility of many years in prison. >> our thanks to john. and for more, i want to bring in abc news executive editorial producer john santucci, who is

covering trump for years. and john, you had the phone conversation and phone conversations today. you actually spoke to the president, former president on the phone not long after these indictments were made public. what did he say? >> you know, byron, just minutes after he called news of now, another indictment pile on by special counsel jack smith. and, you know, i said to him at one point, mr. president, how do you look at all of these charges, the totality of them between manhattan, the two now from special counsel jack smith, and potentially another one coming in, fulton county, georgia. he said to me, it's all ridiculous, said the charges are election interference. and, byron, what's fascinating to me is that he maintains that not only is he going to fight, he's going to win and win, not just these cases in donald trump's mind, but also the 2024 election. >> now, you know him as well as anyone who i know. you heard his words. yeah what do you think is going on inside, though? where do you think it's hard? is it also where is his inner circle? >> you know, i've spoken to many people that have been around former president trump for the

last couple of weeks, and especially after news of the target letter. so let's go back two weeks ago when he first learned that the special counsel was looking to charge him on january 6th, stupefied was a word that many people used with me. he could not believe that this was happening because his attorneys and others have been saying to him, byron, that, you know, we know documents, charges are coming. we know the manhattan da is coming. we know that the grand jury down in fulton county, georgia, produced a report. they're coming january sixth. wasn't on their list. they didn't expect it. so that has just weighed on donald trump, wondering if he has the best people advising him. i will say that talking to people in real time today that read that indictment along with you and i, they all said donald trump did this to himself. and the indictment reads that way. byron a lot of it is donald trump's own words. >> and final question, we'll get you out on this. so he's due in court on thursday. yeah. what should we expect to see that day ? what do you think will be his mind as he walks into court yet

again? >> i mean, you just said it yet again. we don't really have to wonder at this point. we have now seen donald trump enter a courthouse twice. i guess third time is a charm. no cameras in court. so that image that we saw out of the manhattan case when the da first charged donald trump earlier this year, that's the guy. and we know from our team that was down in court in miami with him, our own olivia rubin said that he was reserved, he was quiet, didn't look around in that courtroom that is the donald trump that we're going to see on thursday. >> byron, john santucci, always a pleasure to have you on nightline. and i'm sure this conversation will continue. >> thank you, byron. >> up next, the political fallout. the first two indictments didn't stop trump from pulling away from the republican field. so what will today's charges mean for his chances in 2024. chances in 2024. to severe when i wanted to see results fast, rinvoq delivered rapid symptom relief

and helped leave bathroom urgency behind. check. when uc tried to slow me down... i got lasting, steroid-free remission with rinvoq. check. and when uc caused damage rinvoq came through by visibly repairing my colon lining. check. rapid symptom relief... lasting steroid-free remission... ...and the chance to visibly repair the colon lining. check, check, and check. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections and blood clots, some fatal; cancers, including lymphoma and skin cancer; death, heart attack, stroke, and tears in the stomach or intestines occurred. people 50 and older with at least 1 heart disease risk factor have higher risks. don't take if allergic to rinvoq as serious reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you are or may become pregnant. put uc in check and keep it there with rinvoq. ask your gastroenterologist about rinvoq and learn how abbvie can help you save. you know that feeling of having to rewash dishes that didn't get clean? i don't. new cascade platinum plus... with double the dawn grease fighting power and double the scrubbing power. for a no rewash clean... and a cabinet ready shine.

upgrade to new cascade platinum plus. dare to dish differently. (owner) purina one... we switched and wow! from day 1, its proven natural nutritionlatinum plus. supports charlie's strong immune system... and ginger's healthy heart. (vo) healthy differences today and for a lifetime. purina one. a difference from day one. my most important kitchen tool? my brain. so i choose neuriva plus. unlike some others, neuriva plus is a multitasker supporting 6 key indicators of brain health. to help keep me sharp. neuriva: think bigger. want luxury hair repair that doesn't cost $50? pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene. ulcerative colitis takes you off course, put it in check with rinvoq a once daily pill when i wanted to see

results fast rinvoq delivered rapid symptom relief and helped leave bathroom urgency behind and check when you see tried to slow me down, i got lasting steroid free remission with rinvoq check and when you see cause damage rinvoq came through by visibly repairing i'm here for- your annual eye exam. because i'm having trouble- reading? exactly. they sort of make me feel... like i'm the most fabulous thing you've ever seen? exactly. i'll take 'em. ♪ trelegy for copd. ♪birds flyin' high, you know how i feel.♪ ♪breeze driftin' on by...♪ ♪...you know how i feel.♪ you don't have to take... [coughing] ...copd sitting down. ♪it's a new dawn,...♪ ♪...it's a new day,♪ it's time to make a stand. ♪and i'm feelin' good.♪ start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd... ...medicine has the power to treat copd... ...in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler,... ...trelegy makes breathing easier for a full 24 hours, improves lung function, and helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler... ...for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it.

do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating,... ...vision changes, or eye pain occur. take a stand, and start a new day with trelegy. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy... ...and save at trelegy.com. viruses and bacteria float all around us. unlike air fresheners, only new lysol air sanitizer kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in the air. because scent can't sanitize. lysol can. sarah,

you've got this, okay? >> you can be amazing. >> you can turn a phrase into my wardrobe. you can be the outcast or be the backlash of somebody's lack of love. but i wonder what would happen if you say what you want to say and let the words fall out? honestly i want to see you. be brave. and strong. say see grace, see what they lost. >> not really. not where it counts. former president trump remains politic fallout be with these new felony charges against him? let's bring in abc news contributor sarah isge former governor scott walker. what stood out the most in these charges? >> this is really going to be quite different than the florida indictment that we'd seen earlier or the new york indictment. this is going to be all about donald trump's state of mind. his defense is going to be really simple. "yep, all of these people told me that the election fraud allegations weren't true, but i

didn't believe them, i believe still to this day the election is stolen, and therefore i could not have had corrupt intent," which is something all these charges are going to require the department of justice to prove. >> byron: quick follow-up. my family's from the south. as they say in the south, will that dog hunt? that kind of defense? >> that's going to be up to the jury, largely. the department of justice certainly laid out all the times that donald trump was told that these allegations weren't true, from the attorney general to his white house lawyers to individual state officials in each of these states. the problem was that you have his coconspirators, unindicted at this point, telling him that they are true. so he certainly is about going to be able to point to people who he said he relied on to do that. >> byron: governor walker, we're grateful to have you on "nightline." what did you think when you read the indictment? >> for voters in wisconsin and other battleground states, they're going to have a similar feeling as i do.

republican voters, even if they're not 100% sold on donald trump, they're going to feel the timeliness of this is questionable. i think you're going to see republicans rally as they have with indictments out there. also general election voters who start to question, what's going on here? they want to talk about the future, they want to talk about going forward. there's a feeling like, maybe some of this is politicized to go back in time and deal with issues that are 2, 2 1/2, 3 years past. >> byron: sarah, what do we know about the unindicted six coconspirators? >> we have some clues based on evidence the department of justice has laid out. at this point, i this it's fair to assume we're talking about rudy giuliani, sidney powell, john eastman, an attorney we know was advising the president, and department of justice official jeff clark who features prominently in this indictment trying to basically become acting attorney general, launch a department of justice investigation into this.

i would say that section in large part is the most damning. >> byron: governor, the latest polling shows trump with an overwhelming lead over the other republican challengers. do you think these new charges today are going to change any of that? >> i think he probably gets stronger. right or wrong, i think there's a sense, almost like a family. if a family member's under attack, you don't always agree with them, the family tends to circle around that person. i think you'll see more of that, even for those like desantis, pence, nicky daly, there's going to be a sense of holding rank to support someone they feel is being attacked by the left. the bigger issue is what is the impact with general election voters? i think there is going to be a sense going forward, if he doesn't harp on it but those on the left, those involved as his prosecution keep talking about the 2020 election as opposed to what comes next -- i think that could have a reverse impact and

could actually help president trump, if he ends up being the nominee. >> byron: a follow-up to that. in talking about the former president's base, could anything, could any indictment shake that support? >> the problem with each of these is people in the time and place that we're at with the highly politicized, polarized environment, i think unfortunately, there's a feeling that you look at manhattan, you look elsewhere, that somehow these were tied to a cons concentrated political effort. if this was done out of the blue for different issues, maybe. i think right now at least half of america -- not just hard-core trump supporters but republicans and some discerning democrats question just the timing of this, why is it taking this far? the last few weeks have been filled with hunter biden and what his actions have to do with the president, joe biden. a lot of us question the timing. >> byron: sarah, your thoughts

on this same topic. do you see this indictment shaking up support for former president trump in any way? does it shake the numbers up? or we are where we are? >> i think we are where we are. i think certainly around the primary, what we've seen is donald trump with a nearly insurmountable lead at this point. more importantly, when you ask gop primary voters which candidate do you think is most likely to beat joe biden? donald trump is winning against everyone in the field by 20-plus points. until and unless gop voters don't think that donald trump is their best candidate against joe biden, i don't think you're going to see any of these numbers move. >> byron: we are great to feel you both. this is a story we'll follow in the weeks and months to come, thawing. the weeks and months to come, thawing. we'll be right back. charmin ultra soft has so much cushiony softness, it's hard for your family to remember they can use less. sweet pillows of softness! this is soft! holy charmin! oh! excuse me! roll it back, everybody!

- sorry! - sorry! - sorry! charmin ultra soft