Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges accusing him of orchestrating a criminal conspiracy to try to derail the transfer of power after the 2020 election. The arraignment took place at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, located across the street from the Capitol, where thousands of his supporters rioted two and a half years ago in what prosecutors say was the culmination of Trump’s effort to subvert the election.
Charges Stemming from Bid to Seize a Second Term
Trump faces four felony charges stemming from his monthslong bid to seize a second term despite losing the election to President Joe Biden. The charges, brought by special counsel Jack Smith and approved by a federal grand jury earlier this week, accuse Trump of a wide-ranging plot to spread disinformation about the election, pressure state officials to undo the results in states that Biden won, undermine the Electoral College, and ultimately try to disrupt Congress’ certification of the results on Jan. 6, 2021.
An Unprecedented Sequence of Arraignments
This is Trump’s third arraignment since April — an extraordinary sequence for a nation in which no other president or former president had ever been indicted until Trump was indicted in three cases this year. As he mounts a bid to return to the White House, those three prosecutions seek to hold him criminally culpable for a variety of actions he undertook both during and after his presidency.
Multiple Criminal Cases and Another on the Horizon
In addition to the newest case accusing him of seeking to overturn the 2020 election, Smith’s team has also charged him in Florida with hoarding classified documents after he left the White House. New York City prosecutors have also charged him with falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. Furthermore, Trump may soon face yet another criminal case in Fulton County, Ga., where District Attorney Fani Willis expects to announce charges this month in her investigation into election interference in that state.
Not Guilty Plea Entered Before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya
Trump’s motorcade arrived at the courthouse around 3:15 p.m. Thursday after he flew to Washington from his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie, Trump was processed as a criminal defendant and then entered his not guilty plea in a wood-paneled courtroom before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. Although Upadhyaya presided over the arraignment, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has been assigned to handle the case and will likely preside over most future court appearances.
Trump’s Criticism of Judge Chutkan
Trump criticized Judge Tanya Chutkan in a social media post a few hours before he came to court on Thursday, calling her “unfair.” Chutkan, an Obama appointee, ruled against Trump in 2021 when she allowed the House Jan. 6 select committee to access Trump’s White House records. Much of the evidence in those records has now resurfaced in the new indictment.
The Charges He Faces
The four charges Trump faces are: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to deprive Americans of the right to a fair election process, conspiracy to obstruct Congress’ proceedings on Jan. 6, 2021, and carrying out that obstruction effort.
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