Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges that he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss.
The front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination entered his plea in a Washington courtroom one kilometre away from the US Capitol, the building his supporters stormed in 2021 in a bid to stop Congress from certifying his defeat.
The plea precedes months of legal wrangling set to unfold during the presidential campaign
Trump is seeking a rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden, but faces opposition, with the likes of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gunning for the position.
In a 45-page indictment on Tuesday, Special Counsel Jack Smith accused Trump and his allies of promoting false claims regarding the outcome of the election.
Trump, 77, faces four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., to deprive citizens of their right to have their votes counted and to obstruct an official proceeding. The most serious charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
Trump has portrayed the indictment, as well as the other criminal cases against him, as a “witch hunt” intended to derail his White House campaign. In a series of social media posts since Tuesday, he has accused the Biden administration of targeting him for political gain.
Ahead of his Thursday court appearance, Trump posted on his Truth Social media platform that he needs “one more indictment” to ensure his election.
Trump may soon face more charges in Georgia, where a state prosecutor is investigating his attempts to overturn the election in the state.
Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis said she will file indictments by mid-august.
Many of the allegations in Tuesday’s indictment had been well-documented in media reports and the investigation conducted by a U.S. House of Representatives select committee.
But the indictment featured some details that were not widely known, including several based on grand jury testimony and contemporaneous notes from former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also running for the Republican presidential nomination.
Pence was one of the few prominent Republicans to criticize Trump on Tuesday, saying that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president.”
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