Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to four criminal charges connected with alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election. On Thursday, he appeared with his private counsel before Federal Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in a federal courthouse in Washington D.C. to declare his plea. The charges against the former president were unveiled in an indictment that had been unsealed the preceding Tuesday.
The charges levelled against Trump include conspiracy to defraud the US government, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against US voters’ civil rights. Each of these charges carries a maximum sentence varying from five to 20 years in prison.
In the courtroom with Trump were Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution against him, and several Capitol Police officers who defended the US Capitol during the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. However, neither Smith nor the officers made appearances or addressed the court.
At the end of the arraignment, Judge Upadhyaya scheduled the next hearing in the case for August 28. Unlike the arraignment, the upcoming hearing will take place before Federal District Judge Tanya Chutkan.
This case marks the third time that Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty in a criminal case. The first instance was in April when Manhattan New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged him with 34 counts of falsifying business records pertaining to the 2016 presidential election. Trump pleaded not guilty in this case. He also pleaded not guilty in June, in a Florida federal court, to 40 federal criminal charges surrounding the wrongful retention of classified documents.
More information on this case can be found on the Jurist – News website.