Former US President Donald Trump, his party’s favourite to win back the White House, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges relating to his manoeuvres to reverse the results of the 2020 election.
In an initial appearance in a federal court in Washington, the Republican billionaire stood up and answered “not guilty” as Judge Moxila Upadhyaya read out the charges and related prison sentences.
After the hearing, Trump lamented that this was “a very sad day” for the United States. He claimed he was being persecuted as a “political opponent” by the administration of his Democratic successor, President Joe Biden.
Defence calls for time to study trial documents
A follow-up hearing to determine the trial date has been set for 28 August. It will be held under the authority of federal judge Tanya Chutkan, who will preside over the trial proceedings.
The defence has called for time to study the mass of documents contained in the case file, objecting to the request for a speedy trial made on Tuesday by special prosecutor Jack Smith, who has been overseeing the investigation, after the 45-page indictment was published.
The indictment, which includes references to a “criminal scheme,” accuses Donald Trump of undermining the foundations of American democracy by attempting to subvert the process by which the votes of more than 150 million Americans are counted. The charges are unprecedented and all the more serious given that he was sitting president at the time.
'There will be due process and a fair trial,' judge promises
On the other hand, the two previous criminal cases brought against him this year - for accounting fraud, linked to the purchase of the silence of an X-rated actress, and for compromising national security by his careless handling of classified documents - relate to the period before and after his term of office respectively.
The federal court where he appeared is close to the Capitol, the seat of the US Congress, which stormed on 6 January 2021 by hundreds of his supporters fired up to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
“I can assure everyone that there will be due process and a fair trial,” Judge Upadhyaya said.
Earlier, Trump had accused his Democratic opponents of instigating the new lawsuits to keep him out of the 2024 presidential race.
Trump maintains 2020 election was rigged
His wrongdoing was “contesting a rigged election. Unjust court, unjust judge,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, apparently in reference to Judge Chutkan.
“Presidents are not kings,” read a sign held up by a protester on the outskirts of the court, in reference to a phrase uttered by a judge in November 2021 as he rejected a request by Trump to block the release of information about his actions during the assault on the Capitol.
Judge Chutkan has been presiding over the trials of participants in that violence.
More than 24 hours before the start of Thursday's hearing, the cameras and satellite trucks of the national and international media were already deployed in the square in front of the court, under the lenses and curious eyes of passers-by and tourists.
Still the overwhelming favourite for Republican nomination
Security barriers were erected around the building, as well as around the Capitol.
More than six police departments or security agencies, including the Secret Service - responsible for protecting senior government figures - were mobilised for the occasion.
The consequences of the indictment, and of the trial - which could be held in the middle of the presidential campaign - on the candidacy of Donald Trump, 77, have yet to be determined.
Despite the mounting lawsuits, he remains the overwhelming favourite for the Republican presidential nomination and is even widening the gap with the number 2 contender, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who has made one misstep after another since the start of his campaign.
A New York Times/Siena College poll published on Monday found that the former president now leads DeSantis by 37 points.
