UPDATED, 1:27 PM: Donald Trump on Thursday pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election, with the next court hearing in the case set for August 28.
The ex-POTUS and leading candidate for the 2024 Republican nomination uttered the words personally and with the aid of a microphone, we hear.
The August 28 date, set by both parties, is five days after the first scheduled Republican presidential debate.
Trump walked into the Washington D.C. federal courtroom a little before 1 p.m. PT, just under an hour after arriving at the courthouse, where he was arrested for a third time in four months. He sat at the defense table just in front of Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya’s bench. The former president was less than 20 feet away from special counsel Jack Smith, the man who has brought indictments against Trump in this case and the case about classified documents being stored at Mar-a-Lago.
Upadhyaya entered the courtroom around 1:17 p.m. PT and began the arraignment.
To the end, like any other defendant, Trump was sworn in and informed of his rights, the multiple conspiracy charges he is facing and their maximum sentences of decades in prison. Like at any other arraignment, the magistrate judge can impose numerous conditions for Trump’s release.
Upadhyaya today advised Trump of what he could and could not do in relation to the case and who he is allowed to speak to about the matter. A trio of dates in late August were being debated for the next scheduled hearing — which is tricky between GOP debates and other court appearances.
PREVIOUSLY, 12:23 PM: Amidst the circus and chaos that has become his brand, Donald Trump has arrived in court today in Washington, D.C., to face criminal charges over attempts to overturn the 2020 election. The 45th President of the United States now is in federal custody to be arraigned.
In his third indictment in just over as many months, Trump is charged on multiple counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
With a half-dozen unnamed but not unknown co-conspirators, it all adds up to the horror of a then-sitting POTUS literally and figuratively trying to engineer a siege on American democracy.
Trump is set to appear in front of Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in the next hour in a room in the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse that has seen a number of January 6 insurrectionists face justice during the past two years. With even tighter-than-usual security in the nation’s capital right now, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an Obama appointee, has been selected to oversee the actual trial.
Special Counsel Jack Smith unveiled the charges against Trump on Wednesday (read them here). The indictment was handed down by a grand jury then unsealed at about 2:30 p.m. PT. Much mocked by Trump and his allies, Smith will be in the D.C. courtroom today.
This is the third indictment against the leading contender for the 2024 GOP nomination in four months. Looking at 78 felony charges across the trio of criminal cases, Trump faces a maximum of 35 years in this latest case alone. The next shoe to drop could be charges out of Georgia from Trump’s heavy-handed moves to overturn the ballot results out of the Peach State in his battle with Joe Biden.
But that’s for another day.
Reminiscent of the infamous O.J. Simpson white Bronco freeway chase back in 1994 and Trump’s own trip to Miami in June to face federal charges there stemming from the stockpiling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, today saw cable newsers offering up minute-by-minute coverage of the former president’s movements from his New Jersey golf club to the D.C. courthouse via car and plane. Additionally, the likes of USA Today and other outlets posted live updates on his movements online throughout the day.
Pulling live footage shot from inside the motorcade press van, CNN, MSNBC, the BBC and Fox News all carried Trump heading into court. Ahead of his arrival in downtown D.C., ABC, and NBC had special reports on the historic occasion, while Fox drew from the FNC feed. On the West Coast, CBS stayed on The Young and the Restless until jumping to a Norah O’Donnell-hosted special report just as Trump pulled up to the courthouse
The motorcade entered on the C Street side of the courthouse. Dozens of people were gathered to try to snap pictures with their phones, but they weren’t entirely sure whether it was his vehicle.
Trump being Trump, the ex-Celebrity Apprentice host had to add his own two cents online on the way to court. “I am now going to Washington, D.C., to be arrested for having challenged a corrupt, rigged & stolen election,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform today. “It is a great honor because I am being arrested for you. Make America Great again!!!”
Telling of where Trump truly stands on all this, the ex-president could have appeared in court today via video. Instead, he choose to be there in person.
#celeb #celebrity
