Trump updates: Ex-president pleads not guilty to election charges
Former US president makes brief court appearance in Washington, DC, to face third criminal indictment so far this year.
This blog is closed; thank you for joining us. These were the updates about former United States President Donald Trump’s arraignment on 2020 election interference charges from Thursday, August 3.
This blog is closed; thank you for joining us. These were the updates about former United States President Donald Trump’s arraignment on 2020 election interference charges from Thursday, August 3.
- Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to his effort to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election.
- The former president heard the four charges against him during a brief arraignment hearing in federal court in Washington, DC.
- Trump, a leading Republican, has denied any wrongdoing and said he is the victim of a political “witch hunt”.
- The case is the third criminal indictment filed since March against Trump, who remains the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination race.
Photos: Trump’s arraignment day
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 2020 election interference charges in court in Washington, DC.
See photos of the scenes from Trump’s third arraignment on criminal charges here.
Trump hearing marked by muted scenes outside courtroom
It was a new city, but the scene outside the Washington, DC, courthouse where Trump pleaded not guilty to 2020 election charges has been remarkably familiar.
A handful of pro- and anti-Trump protesters held colourful signs, and hordes of national and international media gathered for the hearing, in which the former president answered to four federal charges.
It harkened back to the two other arraignment hearings that Trump appeared in earlier this year.
Read more about what happened outside the court here.
Case going to be ‘long, drawn-out process’: Journalist
Michael Isikoff, a US investigative journalist, has said he expects the case against Trump to be “a long, drawn-out process”.
“It’s not quite as clean as the prosecutors presented in the indictment, although there is some really damning stuff in that indictment,” Isikoff told Al Jazeera.
Trump’s ‘criminal activity’ is not free speech, says Democratic lawmaker
Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern has dismissed the argument that Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election is protected by the US Constitution’s First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech.
“The First Amendment protects lies – and even liars. But it doesn’t protect criminal activity,” McGovern wrote in a social media post.
The First Amendment protects lies—and even liars. But it doesn't protect criminal activity. It certainly doesn't shield Trump from liability for engaging in an illegal conspiracy to throw out the lawful election results just because he didn't like them. https://t.co/hwzTyQL6a4
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) August 3, 2023
Spectators leaving courthouse as day concludes without incident
Throngs of spectators left the federal courthouse as Trump departed.
The late-afternoon arraignment capped a day of anticipation and a spectacle that at times resembled a carnival.
Still, it was largely without incident despite fears of political violence.
‘We can’t let this happen in America,’ Trump says
Trump has once again dismissed the charges against him as a political “persecution” aiming to deter his 2024 campaign.
In brief comments after leaving the courthouse in Washington, DC, the former president called his arraignment a “sad day” for the country.
“This is a persecution of a political opponent,” Trump said.
“This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot. So, if you can’t beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him. We can’t let this happen in America.”
Trump ally charged for alleged role in 2020 Michigan vote tampering scheme
With Trump facing an indictment in Washington, DC, one of his allies in Michigan has been charged over accusations of a plot to tamper with voting machines in the state.
Lawyer Stefanie Lambert is the latest person to be charged with involvement in an effort to remove voting machines and take them to a Michigan hotel room to run “tests” on the equipment, in violation of state law.
Prosecutors have tied those efforts to a larger scheme to award Michigan – a key swing state – to Trump, who lost there to Biden in 2020.
Read more here.
‘Another sad day for America,’ says local resident
Washington, DC, resident Michaela Platzer, 63, has lamented what she called yet “another sad day for America” as Trump pleaded not guilty.
“I remember Watergate, where the Republicans stood up and said ‘enough’,” Platzer said. “But I guess that’s not where we are any more.”
Her partner, Michael Katzmann, 63, noted that the day had been largely calm.
“The indictment said there were six co-conspirators, but in my mind, every Republican who has not stood up to Trump or made excuses for him is a co-conspirator,” Katzmann said.
Watch: Trump heading to Washington, DC for arraignment
Judge sets next hearing for August 28
US Federal Judge Moxila Upadhyaya has set the next hearing in the case for August 28.
Up next, the defence and prosecution will argue over evidence that can be used in the trial – a process known as pre-trial litigation that can take months.
Trump’s lawyers are widely expected to try to delay the proceedings as the former president’s 2024 campaign gets under way.
Trump lawyer says ex-president ‘will continue to fight’
Alina Habba, Trump’s lawyer, has struck a defiant tone, renewing accusations that the former president is being targeted to derail his 2024 campaign.
“This is election interference at its finest against the leading candidate right now for president for either party,” Habba said.
“President Trump is under siege in a way that we have never seen before. President Trump and his legal team and everyone on his team will continue to fight – not for him, but for the American people.”
Trump pleads not guilty
Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 2020 election interference charges.
Trump lawyer accuses Biden of ‘political lawfare’
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, has accused President Biden of waging “political lawfare” against Trump.
She argued that legal moves by the Department of Justice against the former president have been timed to overshadow Democratic scandals by Biden and his allies and family, including his son, Hunter Biden.
“This is the Biden political lawfare that we have seen. It is a deflection from everything that they have done,” Habba told reporters.
Biden and his White House have insisted that they do not interfere in the legal process.
Can Trump go to jail if convicted?
If convicted in the case, Trump could face years in jail.
But experts say his status as a former president and current presidential candidate, his age at 77 years old, and the fact that he would be a first time offender would be mitigating factors to any sentence that he may receive.
“Let me put it this way: If you or I were convicted for this, we would go away for a very long time,” David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera.
But Super added that Trump’s case is a “unique situation” in which the judge may decide not to sentence him to any jailtime.
With Trump inside, carnival atmosphere continues outside courthouse
With Trump inside the courthouse in Washington, DC, a carnival atmosphere has continued outside the building.
On one side of the court, an impromptu punk band’s electric guitar was churning over lyrics condemning the former president and cursing white supremacy. On the other, a man dressed in American revolutionary garb was singing “God bless America” in support of the former president.
Behind the building, near the garage entrance where Trump’s car came through, anti-Trump protesters were dancing to Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” on a loud speaker.
Photos: Trump arrives in Washington, DC
They are ‘scared of my father’: Donald Trump Jr
Donald Trump Jr, the former president’s son, has called the charges a “baseless” and “pathetic” indictment, brought by the Department of Justice “swamp”.
“They are so scared of my father getting back into the White House they will stop at nothing to destroy our country,” the younger Trump wrote in a social media post.
Crowds growing outside court as Trump arrives
The crowd has grown around the Washington, DC court as Trump made his arrival in advance of his arraignment hearing.
“I’m waiting for the former president to roll up and show the world that the law applies to everyone,” Katie Burns, a 24-year-old law student told Al Jazeera shortly before Trump’s arrival.
“This has been a long time coming, so it’s a historic moment, and I’m happy to be here. I took a quick break from work to come down just to see it and see this sort of circus unfold.”
Trump lands in Washington, DC, en route to courthouse
Trump has arrived in Washington, DC to face charges in federal court.
Trump landed in his private plane at Reagan National Airport ahead of his arraignment hearing, scheduled for 4pm local time (20:00 GMT).
Ahead of court appearance, Trump hits out at DeSantis
As he prepares to appear in court to face criminal charges for the third time, Trump has hit out at his main rival in the race for the Republican presidential nomination – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
In two consecutive social media posts, Trump shared videos of DeSantis heaping praise on the former president.
Trump, who endorsed DeSantis in the Florida politician’s first campaign for governor in 2018, often takes credit for his now-opponent’s political rise and calls him “ungrateful”.
Legal woes benefit Trump politically, says Republican strategist
Republican strategist John Feehery has stressed that Trump will benefit politically from his legal woes, which he said put the former president back in the spotlight.
“We’re not talking about ideas. We’re not talking about Ron DeSantis. We’re not talking about Tim Scott,” he said, referring to two of Trump’s Republican primary opponents. “We’re talking about Donald Trump.”
Speaking to Al Jazeera outside the court, Feehery described the gatherings of Trump supporters and critics as a “circus”.
“One of the things that Donald Trump is very good at is bringing the circus to whatever town he’s in,” Feehery said.
Trump ally says authorities targeting Biden’s ‘top political opponent’
Far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a top Trump ally, has accused the US Department of Justice of targeting Trump because he is President Biden’s “top political opponent”.
The DOJ is going full COMMUNIST today, arresting Joe Biden’s top political opponent, President Donald Trump.
This isn’t just an attack on Trump, it’s an attack on every American who stands in the way of a complete Communist Democrat takeover of our country. pic.twitter.com/giPyiSYzR5
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) August 3, 2023
More photographers than customers, says political buttons vendor
Stan Sinberg, who sells anti-Trump buttons in Washington, DC, has said he’s getting more attention from photographers than customers outside of the court.
“I’m normally over by the Lincoln Memorial,” Sinberg told Al Jazeera. “But I thought I’d come by.”
The buttons are priced at $4 for one or $10 for three. “I’ve sold a few,” he said.
Trump indictment is ‘hugely significant’: Al Jazeera correspondent
Reporting from Washington, DC, Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher has said Trump’s 2020 election indictment is historic.
“This is a hugely significant moment,” Fisher said. “There are lawyers who will tell you that this is perhaps going to be the most important criminal case that has ever been held in the United States.”
He noted that witnesses in the case could include former Vice President Mike Pence and former Attorney General Bill Barr.
“Donald Trump has faced legal problems before but nothing like the 45-page indictment,” added Fisher, referring to the election charges.
US judicial system is ‘being politicised’, says Trump supporter
Jason Hudson, a Northern Virginia resident wearing a “Donald Trump Matters” shirt, has said the entire US judicial system is “being politicised” against the former president.
“It’s not fair,” Hudson told Al Jazeera outside the court in Washington, DC. “I think the American people see that, and it’s a bad thing. I don’t want my taxpayer money going to that.”
He added that Trump told his supporters on January 6, 2021, to go to the Capitol, not to try to get inside the building. But even if Trump did spread falsehoods about the 2020 election, his statements should be protected under free speech, Hudson said.
“People lie all the time,” he said. “Look at the media.”