Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to federal charges of attempting to subvert the will of voters and remain in power after his 2020 election loss — a case poised to change America’s legal and political landscape for decades to come.
Appearing in the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse just blocks from the U.S. Capitol where a pro-Trump mob stormed the building on Jan. 6, 2021 — moments after a rally in which he claimed he won the election — Mr. Trump’s lawyers said he didn’t break the law.
“Not guilty,” Mr. Trump told U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadaya as he stood by the defendant’s desk. His attorney John Lauro, who was standing in front of the judge, nodded in agreement.
Mr. Trump traveled Thursday from his summer home at his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, to Washington his first court appearance on the Jan. 6 charges. He was processed by the U.S. Marshals Service, which included taking his fingerprints and giving personal information. A mugshot was not taken because his picture is publicly available according to the Marshal’s Service.
The process has become somewhat routine for Mr. Trump, who has been indicted three times since April. Special counsel Jack Smith, who filed the indictment in the Jan. 6 case, last month charged him with more than 37 criminal counts for his handling of sensitive government documents. He recently another three counts to that case.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed state criminal charges against Mr. Trump for falsified business records to conceal hush money payments in 2016 to two women and a hotel doorman.
SEE ALSO: Curious timing: Trump hit with indictments whenever incriminating evidence emerges in Biden probes
He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
No sitting or former president had been charged with a crime until Mr. Trump was indicted in New York.
The Jan. 6 prosecution has the potential to have long-lasting consequences for politics and the law. Mr. Trump is facing more serious charges in the case than he has in his two other legal battles. Unlike the other two cases, Mr. Trump is accused of attacking democracy itself.
The outcome could also impact how the courts define free speech in the political arena and which statements are protected by the First Amendment. It also sets a precedent in which future presidents could face legal trouble for false or dubious claims.
Ahead of his court appearance Thursday, Mr. Trump lashed out at President Biden and the Justice Department, accusing them of interfering in the 2024 presidential election. Mr. Trump has a double-digit lead over his rivals for the GOP presidential race and is tied with Mr. Biden in national polls.
“I am now going to Washington, D.C. to be arrested for having challenged a corrupt, rigged & stolen election. It is a great honor because I am being arrested for you. Make America Great Again! I need one more indictment to ensure my election.” he wrote on social media.
SEE ALSO: Trump masks, bullhorns and the MAGA Beast: Activists await ex-president’s arrival at D.C. courthouse
Mr. Trump was hit Tuesday with a four-count indictment setting the stage for a high-stakes public trial in which prosecutors allege that he spread lies about election fraud and a stolen election.
Those lies, prosecutors say, “targeted a bedrock function of the United States federal government” interfered with the nation’s process of collecting, counting and certifying votes, deprived voters of their rights and defrauded the American people.
The indictment depicts Mr. Trump’s insistence to press forward with claims that the election was tainted with rampant fraud, even though he was aware they had no merit.
It details how he pressured officials in battleground states he lost to support his mission to remain in power. When those episodes failed, Mr. Trump ordered the Justice Department to launch election fraud probes and pressured Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results when presiding over Congress’ certification of the Electoral College votes.
Mr. Trump was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
The statutes carry stiff penalties. Attempting to obstruct an official proceeding and obstructing an official proceeding both carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence while conspiracy against rights carries a 10-year sentence.
Although the indictment named Trump alone, it included six co-conspirators with information that makes them identifiable as Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, John Eastman, and Kenneth Chesebro and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark. A sixth co-conspirator, a political consultant, had not been identifiable.
The indictment creates further legal and political headaches for Mr. Trump just as the Republican primary season heats up.
The district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, is also investigating Mr. Trump for election interference in that state and could pull the trigger on an indictment later this month. Mr. Trump also has denied wrongdoing in Georgia.
Mr. Trump has not been damaged politically by his mounting legal jeopardy. His fundraising has spiked after his previous indictments and he has portrayed himself as a victim of a scheme by Democrats to keep him from returning to office.
Attorney General Merrick Garland has denied such claims, defending Mr. Smith’s “commitment to integrity and the rule of law.”
Mr. Garland appointed Mr. Smith in November to oversee the classified documents case and the Jan. 6 investigation, arguing that the appointment of a special counsel insulates the cases from political interference.
