Trump pleads not guilty on charges he plotted to overturn 2020 election
CBC
Former U.S. president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to trying to overturn the results of his 2020 presidential election loss, answering for the first time to federal charges that accuse him of orchestrating a brazen and ultimately failed attempt to block the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in Washington's federal courthouse for a short hearing two days after he was indicted on four felony counts by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith. The charges accuse Trump of trying to subvert the will of voters and undo his election loss in the days before Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a violent and bloody clash with law enforcement.
"Not guilty," Trump said in court, emphasizing the first word.
Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner, is facing charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruct Congress's certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory. Trump's appearance Thursday, and the rest of the court case, will unfold in a courthouse with a clear view of the Capitol and in a building where more than 1,000 of the Capitol rioters have been charged.
Trump's legal team has characterized the latest case as an attack on his right to free speech. After the hearing, he suggested the case amounts to political persecution because he is leading in the race for the Republican primary, and ahead of Biden in polls.
"This is a very sad day for America," he told reporters on an airport tarmac.
"When you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America."
Trump is expected to rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024. He has also accused Smith of trying to thwart his chances in the next presidential election.
The next hearing in the case has been set for Aug. 28, just days after the first debate in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
This is the third criminal case filed against Trump this year, but the first to try to hold him criminally responsible for his efforts to cling to power in the weeks between his election loss and the Capitol attack that stunned the world as it unfolded live on TV.
Trump arrived in Washington around 3 p.m. ET after flying in from New Jersey by private plane. His motorcade made its way through the city's crowded streets, using lights and sirens — a journey once again documented in wall-to-wall cable coverage.
The 45-page indictment charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo his election loss in the run-up to the riot, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. The charges could lead to a years-long prison sentence in the event of a conviction.
Smith himself was in the courtroom and sat in the front row behind the prosecutors handling the case.
Three police officers who defended the Capitol that day were seen entering the courthouse. One of them, Harry Dunn, said in a statement that "all I have wanted from day one is accountability and justice for the law enforcement men and women who fought bravely on Jan. 6."
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