Former U.S. President Donald Trump made a court appearance in Washington to address charges against him, alleging that he spearheaded a conspiracy based on falsehoods aimed at overturning the 2020 presidential election.
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss in what U.S. prosecutors call an unprecedented effort by the then-president to undermine the pillars of American democracy.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has overseen the federal investigation, looked on from the courtroom’s front row as Trump entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya.
The conspiracy culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump, currently a frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, arrived at the courthouse for his arraignment, where he was expected to enter a plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. He was dressed in a blue suit and red tie, briefly handling the papers in front of him before the proceedings began.
The courthouse, situated about half a mile from the U.S. Capitol, was the site of the January 6, 2021, breach by Trump supporters in an unsuccessful attempt to halt the certification of his loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Special Counsel Jack Smith had issued a 45-page indictment earlier in the week, accusing Trump and his allies of promoting false claims about election rigging, pressuring officials to alter the results, and assembling fake elector slates to steal electoral votes from Biden.
Trump faced four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., deprive citizens of their voting rights, and obstruct an official proceeding, with the most severe charge carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Trump responded to the indictment on his social media platform, portraying it as an orchestrated effort to sabotage his campaign. His campaign also released a statement comparing the Biden administration to fascist regimes.
This was Trump’s third indictment in four months. He had previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges of retaining classified documents after leaving office and New York state charges of falsifying documents related to hush money payments to a porn star.
Additional charges in Georgia may await Trump, as a state prosecutor there was investigating his attempts to overturn the election. The prosecutor, Fani Willis, had previously announced her intention to file indictments by mid-August.
What voters think
A Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that approximately half of Republicans surveyed said they would not vote for Trump if he were convicted of a felony, indicating the potential risks posed by his legal entanglements to his candidacy. However, the same poll also showed Trump’s resilient support in the Republican primary race, with 47% of Republicans endorsing him, ahead of his closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, at 13%.
Three-quarters of Republicans in the poll believed that the charges against Trump were politically motivated, resonating with his base. Most Republican leaders either defended him or refrained from direct criticism, instead accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department against a political opponent.
Security measures were heightened at the courthouse, with additional fencing and police presence due to the anticipated protests. Demonstrators gathered outside, expressing a range of views on the matter.
New details
The indictment contained some previously undisclosed details, including references to grand jury testimony and contemporaneous notes from former Vice President Mike Pence. The indictment described a phone call where Pence told Trump there was no legal basis to block certification of the election, to which Trump responded that Pence was “too honest.”
Despite the violence at the Capitol, Trump and an unnamed co-conspirator, revealed to be Rudy Giuliani, continued contacting Republican members of Congress after the riot in an effort to obstruct the certification process.
Pence was one of the few prominent Republicans to criticize Trump’s actions, stating that anyone putting themselves above the Constitution should never be president.
