3 months ago
9
US former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he would plead not guilty to criminal charges in a
revised indictment
accusing him of attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat.
Trump, who is currently running for president again, submitted a one-page filing to the top court on Tuesday, stating, "I, President Donald J. Trump, the above-named defendant … do hereby waive my right to be present at Arraignment and I authorize my attorneys to enter a plea of not guilty on my behalf to each and every count of the superseding indictment." He also expressed his desire to be excused from appearing in person at the upcoming court hearing related to the case, CNN reported.
This came in a response after
Special counsel Jack Smith
filed a superseding indictment in the election interference case against Trump.
The revised indictment against the former president maintains all four original charges. Nevertheless, the updated document has removed certain aspects of Trump's purported actions, particularly assertions concerning efforts to utilize the justice department to propagate his unfounded allegations of electoral misconduct.
The prosecutors continue to pursue the case against the former president, despite the modifications to the indictment. The charges remain unchanged, signifying the gravity of the allegations brought forth against Trump.
The court filing, submitted on Tuesday, included a statement from Trump confirming that he had received a copy of the superseding indictment and had reviewed it with his legal counsel. The first court hearing before Judge Tanya Chutkan since the case was paused for the US Supreme Court to determine the extent of presidential immunity to which Trump is entitled is scheduled for Thursday.
Judge Chutkan later confirmed that Trump's presence is not required at Thursday's hearing, during which his formal arraignment will take place. Trump's attorneys plan to attend the hearing on his behalf. As the presiding judge of the DC District Court, Chutkan will need to make decisions on how to proceed with the criminal case, including setting a schedule and determining whether prosecutors can take Trump to trial and call certain witnesses, such as former Vice President Mike Pence, according to CNN.
Although prosecutors have reduced some of the allegations against the former president in light of the Supreme Court ruling, Trump still faces the same four criminal charges as before in the new indictment, which was approved by a grand jury last week.
