Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges alleging his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election led to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
The new 45-page federal indictment accuses Trump of four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. The charging document describes, but does not name, six unindicted co-conspirators.
At the arraignment at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse on Thursday, Judge Moxila Upadhyaya read Trump his charges; in response, the former President Trump spoke loudly without the need for a microphone to enter his own not-guilty plea. Upadhyaya warned Trump, as is standard practice, that violation of the conditions of his release means an arrest warrant can be issued for him to be detained. Trump was released on the promise to return to court, without bail being set, but has been ordered not to communicate with any witnesses in the case except through or in the presence of his lawyers. The first hearing date in the case has been set for 10 a.m. on Aug. 28.
This is Trump’s third arraignment on criminal charges. In June, Trump was arraigned in a federal court in Florida on charges he kept classified documents after leaving office, and state charges were filed in New York on business fraud relating to hush money payments made to an adult film star. He has pleaded not guilty in all of those cases.
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