Accused of attempting to overturn the results of the US presidential election! Trump refuses to plead guilty to Donald Trump | President | United States
"Not guilty," former Republican President Donald Trump said on the 3rd in a federal court in Washington, D.C., on criminal charges of attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. This is Trump's third criminal charge this year, and he has denied more than 70 charges so far.
Later that day, Trump claimed that the criminal charges were "persecution of political opponents.". Some media analysis suggests that it is still unclear how the three criminal lawsuits will affect Trump's prospects for the 2024 presidential election.
On site
The pre-trial hearing was originally scheduled to take place at 4 pm on the 3rd at a court approximately 1 kilometer away from the United States Capitol building. Federal Magistrate Mosira Upadaya, who presided over the hearing, was 17 minutes late. Prior to this, Chief Justice James Bosberg of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, Federal Judge Amy Boman Jackson, who had heard cases related to the Capitol building riots, Attorney General Jack Smith and his team of more than ten, Trump, and his defense lawyer team were seated. During the waiting period, some people showed displeasure.
According to Reuters, after entering the court, Trump occasionally glanced at Smith. Upon hearing the official name of the case "United States v. Trump" being loudly pronounced, Trump shook his head.
Subsequently, Upadaya asked for his name and age, and Trump answered with brief words. Regarding the four criminal charges in this case, Trump stated "not guilty" and emphasized "not guilty".
According to CBS, Trump, dressed in a dark blue suit, red tie, and a flag brooch, maintained eye contact with Upadaya almost throughout his standing response. He also closely monitored his defense lawyer John Lauro and prosecutor Thomas Wyndham as they each made statements about the next pre-trial hearing.
After listening to the statements of both parties, Upadya ruled that the next hearing will be held on the 28th of this month, and it will be presided over by the presiding judge Tania Chutkan, during which the official hearing time may be determined. According to The New York Times, Upadaya has requested the prosecution to submit documents next week, proposing a trial time and estimating the duration of the case. The defense will submit similar proposal documents in another week.
The 3-day hearing lasted for about half an hour, and no photography, filming, or live streaming were allowed on site. Trump entered and exited the court through a closed entrance, and his convoy did not stop when passing by supporters gathered on the roadside.
Later that day, before boarding his plane and returning to New Jersey, Trump told the media that Democratic Party President Joseph Biden refused to comment on Trump's appearance in court.
【 Selection 】
This is also the third time since Trump stepped down in 2021 that he has been criminally charged. He was previously charged by federal and New York state prosecutors in the "Confidential Scandal" and "Sealing Fees" cases, with a total of over 70 charges. In Fulton County, Georgia, another criminal investigation into Trump's attempt to overturn the 2020 election results is still ongoing, and it is expected that the prosecution will officially prosecute him in mid month.
The New York Times analyzed that, similar to the "Confidential Scandal" case, Trump was not required to pay bail or travel restrictions in this case, so he can continue his campaign activities, but he is not allowed to discuss the case with any witnesses he knows.
The next pre-trial hearing is scheduled to be held 5 days after the first Republican presidential debate. Trump has not yet decided whether to attend the debate, and he may need to deal with multiple lawsuits, while other Republican candidates can focus on the debate and campaign activities.
The New York Times stated that it is still difficult to determine what criminal entanglement means for Trump's campaign. Public opinion polls show that Trump's approval rating is still far ahead of his party's opponents, and several previous controlled campaigns have allowed him to win a large number of campaign donations.
According to the latest poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos Group after Trump was charged for the third time this week, three-quarters of Republican voters agree with the statement that the case is "politically driven", but about half of Republican voters also say that they may not vote for Trump again once he is convicted of a serious crime.