Former US President Donald Trump submitted not guilty pleas to all four criminal charges stemming from the third indictment tied to alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The latest indictment charges that the former president, along with six unnamed co-conspirators who have not yet been charged, worked to overturn election results in Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by organizing a group of "fraudulent slates of electors" in those states.
Trump appeared before a federal magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in Washington, DC, on Thursday, answered basic questions from the judge and was informed about the charges against him before filing his plea.
Upadhyaya informed the government it has seven days to set a trial schedule. Trump's legal team will then have an additional seven days to respond to that schedule. A trial date is expected to be set during the August 28 hearing.
Trump was not required to post bail and was released on his own recognizance, under the conditions that he does not violate any federal or state laws, appears in court when required and does not communicate about the case to anyone he knows to be a witness except through counsel.
Special prosecutor Tom Windom asked for a speedy trial, something the Trump team objected to saying it needed time to review the evidence; however, the judge only stated the court will ensure a "fair trial" but did not elaborate on the timing.
As was the case in the previous indictments, the former president was fingerprinted and provided personal information to the court but he was not placed in handcuffs and did not have a mugshot taken.
Hours before he arrived in Washington DC, Trump made light of the situation on his Truth Social account, posting Thursday morning that he needed "one more indictment to ensure my election!"
Before boarding a plane leaving Washington, Trump told media the indictment is something that "when you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America."
Trump added that it was "a very sad day for America."
"If you can't beat them, you persecute them or prosecute them, we can't let this happen in America," Trump told reporters at Reagan National Airport after making a point to note that he is leading Biden in polls by "a lot."
Outside the courtroom, shortly after the arraignment proceedings came to a close, an individual who had been present inside the courthouse told media that Trump appeared "very humble" during the hearing. They added that the normally boisterous Trump "didn't say much unless he was asked a question by the judge."
Trump remains the odds-on favorite to win the GOP nomination for the 2024 presidential election.