Former President Donald Trump, in a court filing on Tuesday, announced that he would plead not guilty to charges tied to his post-2020 election actions, following an updated indictment brought by special counsel Jack Smith. He also waived his right to personally appear in a federal court in Washington.
Trump, running as the Republican presidential candidate for the Nov. 5 election, authorized his attorneys to submit the not guilty plea on his behalf to all counts of the revised indictment.
The legal teams are set to meet on Thursday to determine next steps following a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
In August, Smith revised the indictment after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of presidential immunity for official acts. This decision led to adjustments in the charges, resulting in the re-indictment of Trump by a new Washington grand jury. Despite some specific allegations being removed, the main criminal charges remained: conspiracy to defraud the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
The indictment claims Trump acted as a private citizen during the alleged election-related offenses, which suggests that the Supreme Court's immunity ruling may not significantly impact Smith's case.
Trump responded to the indictment on Truth Social, dismissing the charges as "ridiculous" and politically motivated, stating that they should be dropped.
Previously, Trump had pleaded not guilty to earlier charges brought by Smith’s office, accusing the DOJ of biased prosecution. He also faces charges related to classified documents, but the case was dismissed by a federal judge in Florida in July, a decision currently under appeal.
Trump also faces election-related charges in Georgia, though that case is on hold pending appeals. Additionally, he is awaiting sentencing in a New York City case connected to falsified business records during the 2016 election.
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