Trump Pleads Not Guilty To Revised US 2020 Election
On Thursday, Donald Trump entered a plea of not guilty to the updated federal charges accusing him of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
During a court hearing in Washington, Trump’s legal team entered the plea for him, as the session primarily addressed how the case will move forward. This comes in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision granting former presidents broad immunity from criminal prosecution.
Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming November 5th presidential election, will not be attending his scheduled court hearing.
This hearing relates to an indictment filed in August, which mirrors the charges brought against Trump last year by Special Counsel Jack Smith. However, the new indictment has been adjusted to remove certain allegations that the Supreme Court ruled could no longer be included in the case.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan will soon be reviewing competing requests from both sides. Jack Smith is pushing to move the case forward swiftly, while Trump’s legal team is seeking to delay any action until after the election.
The Supreme Court has also tasked Judge Chutkan with determining if additional elements of the case should be thrown out.
Trump is currently facing four criminal charges, all linked to accusations that he used baseless claims of voter fraud in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election results and block the certification of his loss to President Joe Biden.
The case has already seen significant delays as Trump pursued legal arguments regarding immunity. Given the current timeline, it’s highly unlikely the trial will commence before Trump faces off against Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.
Trump has claimed that the legal cases against him, including this prosecution, are politically driven efforts aimed at derailing his run for president.
In July, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that former presidents generally have immunity from criminal prosecution for actions taken as part of their official duties while in office.
However, prosecutor Jack Smith has argued that the remaining charges fall outside the scope of this immunity and should move forward to trial.
Prosecutors have stated they’re ready to submit court filings detailing their argument whenever the court sees fit.
On the other hand, Trump’s legal team has suggested that Judge Chutkan hold off on considering the effects of the Supreme Court’s ruling until after the election, sometime in December.
If Trump wins the presidency, it’s expected that he would instruct the Justice Department to drop the charges against him.
Former President Donald Trump has instructed his legal team to file a motion to dismiss the case against him, arguing that special counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed, which violates the U.S. Constitution.
Trump previously used a similar argument to persuade a federal judge in Florida, who he had appointed, to dismiss another criminal case led by Smith. That case accused Trump of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House. Smith’s team has appealed that ruling.
It’s worth noting that the federal appeals court in Washington has upheld the authority of special counsels in past sensitive investigations.
(Reported by Andrew Goudsward; Edited by Andy Sullivan, Bill Berkrot, and Mark Porter)