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.
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.
He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
