'A very sad day': Trump pleads not guilty to charges in 2020 election indictment, next hearing set: recap - USA Trending Blog
'A very sad day': Trump pleads not guilty to charges in 2020 election indictment, next hearing set: recap - USA Trending Blog
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he tried to steal the 2020 election − following his third arrest and court arraignment in four months.
A somber-faced Trump entered the courtroom at about 4 p.m. to be arraigned, wearing a navy blue suit, a red tie and a white shirt. He folded his hands on the table in front of him, put his head down and sat between his attorneys, Todd Blanche and John Lauro.
Trump and his attorneys quietly talked among themselves, waiting for Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya to enter.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who led the indictment, appeared to be 15 feet away from Trump, and the two exchanged a few looks at each other, including one from Smith that lasted longer than 20 seconds.
The hearing began more than 30 minutes after the former president first took a seat in the courtroom. He shook his head "no" as the criminal case was read.
Trump offered his own plea: not guilty.
Both sides agreed to a "speedy" trial, though Trump's legal team has moved to delay court proceedings in previous cases.
Before his federal court appearance began, the former president called for the trial to be moved from heavily Democratic Washington, D.C., to a more Republican-friendly place like West Virginia.
"This Indictment is all about Election Interference!!!" said the front-running Republican candidate on his Truth Social website.
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