ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump on Thursday entered a plea of not responsible within the Georgia legal case accusing him of racketeering and conspiracy in reference to the trouble to overturn the 2020 election, in response to court docket paperwork.
Trump’s attorneys submitted the plea in writing and notified the court docket that he is not going to seem in individual for the scheduled arraignment subsequent week, which is allowed underneath Georgia regulation.
The previous president stated within the court docket submitting Thursday that he had mentioned the fees within the indictment along with his legal professional, “and I absolutely perceive the character of the offenses charged and my proper to look at arraignment.” He added that he “freely and voluntarily” waived his proper to be current at his arraignment and to have it learn to him in open court docket.
Trump, who’s operating for president once more, had been scheduled to be arraigned on the fees at 9:30 a.m. ET Sept. 6.
Individually on Thursday, Trump’s attorneys filed a movement to sever his case from these of his co-defendants who’ve demanded a speedy trial and who’ve scheduled a trial date for Oct. 23. Solely Kenneth Chesebro, one of many 18 co-defendants, has a trial set for that date.
Trump was charged with felony racketeering and quite a few conspiracy counts as a part of Fulton County District Legal professional Fani Willis’ sweeping investigation into the trouble by him and his allies to overturn the 2020 election ends in Georgia, a battleground state.
The previous president’s co-defendants within the case are anticipated to be arraigned Sept. 6, together with his former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who’s scheduled to be arraigned at 9:45 a.m. The arraignments of the remaining co-defendants will proceed after that at 15-minute intervals.
Earlier than Trump’s plea Thursday, defendants Ray Smith, an legal professional who represented Trump in Georgia instances associated to the 2020 election, and former Trump legal professional Sidney Powell additionally pleaded not responsible within the case and waived appearances for his or her arraignment.
Trump and his co-defendants, who additionally face racketeering and different prices, had been booked on the Fulton County Jail final week.
Trump was launched from custody after he surrendered to authorities underneath situations agreed upon, together with a $200,000 bond. The situations additionally prohibit him from doing something a decide may interpret as an effort to intimidate co-defendants or witnesses or “in any other case impede the administration of justice.”
A trial date has not but been set within the case. Willis had proposed March 4, however the trial within the federal election interference case has been set for that date in Washington, D.C. — someday earlier than Tremendous Tuesday within the Republican presidential major.
