Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 13 state criminal charges in relation to alleged election interference in Georgia during the 2020 US presidential election. Trump opted out of his scheduled arraignment on September 6, preferring instead to file his not guilty plea with an Atlanta, Georgia court.
On the day of arraignment, the defendant has a right, under Georgia state law, to be informed of the charges by a judge and to enter a plea. However, Trump waived his right to appear, stating he has already been briefed by his legal counsel on the charges accusing him of interfering in Georgia’s election process.
Earlier in August, Trump, along with 18 others, was indicted by a Georgia grand jury on charges of conspiring to interfere in Georgia’s election process. Trump is confronted with 13 criminal charges and has entered a not guilty plea on all counts.
The Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, aims to get the trial underway as early as March 4, 2024, as per her suggestion. However, due to Trump’s other pending legal proceedings and venue challenges from at least one of Trump’s co-defendants, the trial commencement date may shift.
Besides Georgia, Trump is looking at three other criminal cases and two civil ones. One of the criminal cases is in Washington DC, focusing on alleged election interference during the 2020 national election. Another in Florida alleges that Trump mishandled classified documents. The last one relates to charges in New York, pertaining to the alleged filing of falsified business records during his 2016 presidential campaign. With the recent pleas, Trump has now pleaded not guilty to a total of 91 criminal charges at both the state and federal levels.