Donald Trump condemns ‘Marxist lies’ after committee claims ex-President 'engaged in criminal activity'

Donald Trump has hit back at “lies and Marxist tactics” after an investigation alleged that he “engaged in criminal activity” during the January 6 riots.

The investigation, carried out by the congressional committee, claims Mr Trump conspired to defraud the US as he fought to overturn the 2020 results.

Lawyers for the committee put forward a 61-page record on the case to court on Wednesday, suggesting that Mr Trump may have also committed fraud by repeatedly lying that the election was stolen and illegally attempted to obstruct Congress by delaying Joe Biden’s electoral victory.

The committee also said that when his legal action against the election decision was rejected, Mr Trump “and his associates began to plan extrajudicial efforts to overturn the results of the election and prevent the president-elect from assuming office".

But the former President’s team has since back at the claims, saying the accusers were “destroying democracy as we know it".

The statement continued: “The actual conspiracy to defraud the United States was the Democrats rigging the election, and the fake news media and the Unselect Committee covering it up.

“The committee’s sole goal is to try to prevent President Trump, who is leading by large margins in every poll, from running again for President, if I so choose.”

The violence off the back of the election culminated with an armed siege in the lower house of the US Congress, where one woman died and hundreds of police officers were injured.