- Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Georgia Election Fraud Case
- Waiver of Right to Appear in Court
- Charges and Legal Proceedings
Former US President Donald Trump has pled not guilty to Georgia election fraud and waived his court appearance next week.
Mr. Trump is one of 19 charged with conspiring to overturn a US state’s 2020 election.
Last week, he turned himself in at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, where his mugshot was taken.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly refuted any wrongdoing and characterized the case as a politically motivated witch hunt.
Trump is accused with thirteen counts, including racketeering, for pushing Georgia officials to overturn the 2020 election.
In a Thursday court document, Mr. Trump said he “fully understands” the claims and his right to appear.
“Understanding my rights, I hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court,” the document reads.
Mr. Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner, has attended all three arraignments.
He had to do so in New York and Florida but denied a virtual appearance in Washington, DC.
In all three instances, Trump supporters and counter-protesters gathered near courthouses amidst strict security.
Mr. Trump simultaneously surrendered and was arraigned in his federal court cases, resulting in his high-profile court appearances. In Georgia state court, however, surrender and arraignment typically occur separately.
Attorney Brian Tevis of Atlanta, who represents one of Mr. Trump’s co-accused, Rudy Giuliani, stated that “99.9% of the time” defendants who are given the option choose to forego their arraignment.
Professor of law at Georgia State University, Clark Cunningham, stated that this decision is typically uncontroversial.
“Mr. Trump is fully aware of the allegations against him,” he said. “This is the primary purpose of the arraignment, to present the charges to the defendant and record his or her plea. Therefore, he need not be present; he already knows what they are.”
Former Trump attorneys Ray Stallings Smith and Sidney Powell, along with former celebrity publicist Trevian Kutti, entered not-guilty pleas earlier this week.
Rudy Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s formal personal counsel, will waive his Fulton arraignment and plead not guilty Thursday, his spokesperson said.
Mr. Trump was originally scheduled to be arraigned on September 6, followed 15 minutes later by the other defendants.
Mr. Trump and the other 19 defendants face Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act charges.
Rico laws are used in the US and federally to link lawbreakers to their bosses.
Fani Willis, the Democratic district attorney of Fulton County, has been increasingly criticized by Republicans and Trump allies for her decision to indict Mr. Trump in this case.
State Senator Colton Moore sent a letter to Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp in early August, requesting a special session to impeach Ms. Willis.
Mr. Kemp said at a Thursday press conference that he had not seen evidence for such a move.
While governor, we shall follow the law and Constitution regardless of who profits or suffers politically, declared the governor.
A Fulton County judge ruled on Thursday that all court proceedings against Mr. Trump and his 18 co-defendants in Georgia will be televised and streamed on YouTube.
