Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court on Thursday to respond to charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The court hearing will take place just a few blocks away from the U.S. Capitol, which his supporters infamously stormed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. To the surprise of many, it has become almost routine to witness such dramatic events involving Trump. Expected to be processed by law enforcement, Trump will then be formally taken into custody, enter a not guilty plea, and subsequently be released, allowing him to continue his campaign for the 2024 presidential election.
The indictment, presented by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday, accuses Trump of four felony counts associated with his attempts to undo the election outcome leading up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding. If convicted, Trump could face a lengthy prison sentence. Although he is the sole person charged in this case, the prosecution alluded to six alleged co-conspirators, most of whom are lawyers, that Trump allegedly collaborated with. Their alleged scheme involved recruiting fake electors in battleground states won by President, submitting fraudulent certificates to the federal government.
The indictment provides a detailed account of Trump and his allies’ actions, described by Smith as an assault on a “bedrock function of the U.S. government.” For months after losing the election, Trump and his supporters spread falsehoods about the results and exerted pressure on his vice president, Mike Pence, as well as state election officials, in an attempt to cling to power.
This marks the third criminal case brought against Trump in the past half-year. In New York, he faces charges of falsifying business records in connection with a purported hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 presidential campaign. Additionally, Smith’s office has levied 40 felony charges against Trump in Florida, alleging that he unlawfully retained classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, and refused to comply with government demands to return them. Trump has pleaded not guilty in both cases, with trials scheduled for next year. Moreover, prosecutors in Fulton County, Georgia are expected to soon announce their charging decisions regarding their investigation into election result manipulation in the state.
Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro, has argued in television interviews that his client’s actions are protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and that Trump relied on legal advice. Meanwhile, Trump himself has baselessly claimed that Smith’s team is attempting to meddle in the 2024 presidential election, in which he is a prominent front-runner for the Republican nomination. Despite Lauro’s intentions to slow down the legal proceedings to allow for the defense team’s investigation, Smith stated his desire for a swift trial.
The arraignment will be conducted before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaha, who joined the bench just last year. However, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of the President, will subsequently preside over the case. Judge Chutkan is known for her tough stance on punishing rioters and has previously ruled against Trump by denying his claims of executive privilege in November 2021, which sought to block the release of documents to the U.S. House’s Jan. 6 committee.
