Former US President Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty in a Washington DC court, where he faces charges of conspiring to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election.
In a brief arraignment, he spoke softly to confirm his not-guilty plea, his name and age, and that he was not under the influence of any substances.
Speaking to reporters later, he characterized the case as a “persecution of a political opponent”.
This appearance marks the third time in four months that the former president has appeared as a criminal defendant.
On Thursday afternoon, Mr. Trump arrived at the courthouse through a rear entrance in the heart of the nation’s capital, situated just steps away from the location of the US Capitol riot, a pivotal event in the prosecution’s case.
Approximately 1,000 defendants charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 storming of Congress have also appeared in the same courthouse building.
The former president seemed to exchange glances across the court with Jack Smith, the special counsel leading the investigation.
Mr Trump was seen twiddling his thumbs as he sat waiting for the hearing to begin, and he shook his head as the clerk read out the case number.
His not-guilty plea covered the four charges in this latest indictment:
- conspiracy to defraud the US
- conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
- obstruction of an official proceeding
- conspiracy against the rights of citizens
The judge issued a directive to the former president, advising him against discussing the specifics of the case.
She cautioned that non-compliance might lead to consequences such as an arrest warrant, withdrawal of release conditions, and potential charges of contempt of court.
During the hearing, prosecutors emphasized the advantages of expediting the trial process.
But Trump defence attorney John Lauro said they would need more time to prepare. He said the prosecution’s timeline was “somewhat absurd” given that the investigation itself had taken three years.
The allegations laid out on Tuesday in an indictment, or charge sheet, include a count of “conspiracy to impair, obstruct, and defeat the federal government function through dishonesty, fraud and deceit”.
Mr Trump lost the 2020 election to his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, but he refused to concede and mounted weeks of challenges across several US states.
He is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican White House nomination and may face a rematch with Mr Biden.
Speaking to reporters before flying home to New Jersey in his private plane, Mr Trump said his arraignment was a “very sad day for America”.
He told reporters he was sad to see “the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti” in Washington DC.
Outside court, one of his lawyers previewed a possible defence strategy.
Alina Habba argued that the former president had been given bad guidance by his team in the aftermath of the election.
“I think that everybody was made aware that he lost the election, but that doesn’t mean that that was the only advice he was given,” said Ms Habba.
She added: “He may not agree with Mike Pence. He may not agree with one of his lawyers.
“But that doesn’t mean there weren’t other people advising him exactly the opposite. And the president has a right, as every one of us do, to listen to several opinions and make a decision.”
The indictment lists six unnamed co-conspirators who allegedly helped Mr Trump plot to quash his election loss.
During Thursday’s court hearing, three police officers who testified before Congress about their experiences during the US Capitol riot were in attendance. Alongside them were several off-duty judges.
Outside the courtroom, a gathering of supporters bearing Trump campaign flags congregated, while counter-protesters against Trump also made their presence known.
The next scheduled hearing on August 28th is anticipated to be procedural in nature. However, it’s possible that the judge may decide on a trial date.
This marks the Republican’s involvement in two other legal cases: one involving mishandling classified files and the other related to falsifying business records to conceal a payment to a porn star.
Mr. Trump is now facing a total of five upcoming trials. Three of these trials will take place in New York, focusing on the hush-money payment and civil matters related to business practices and accusations of defamation by a woman who alleged rape. The fourth trial will occur in Florida and revolves around allegations of mishandling classified documents.