Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Washington on Thursday afternoon to be arraigned on his latest indictment, on charges related to his push to overturn the 2020 election results before and during Jan. 6.
Trump was charged with four counts as part of special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights.
He has denied all wrongdoing and likened the indictment, his third, to political persecution, which prosecutors have pushed back against.
In a brief interview with ABC News on Tuesday, Trump called the new charges a “pile on” and, like his other indictments, “ridiculous.”
Trump was previously indicted in New York on state charges that he allegedly falsified business documents; and he is separately facing federal charges in Florida over his alleged mishandling of government secrets while out of office.
Members of the media outside the Barrett Prettyman Courthouse, in Washington, DC, Aug. 1, 2023.
Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the two other indictments.
The former president has been summoned to appear before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya on Thursday for his arraignment on his third indictment. Future proceedings in his case have been assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan.
Trump is expected to fly from his Bedminster estate in New Jersey to Washington for the proceedings. He won’t be placed under arrest, as Upadhyaya’s order was just a summons for him to appear at the court.
He won’t be placed in handcuffs on Thursday either, according to a U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson.
He will have his fingerprints taken digitally and be required to give his Social Security number, date of birth and address, according to the spokesperson.
Members of the media outside E. Barrett Prettyman US Federal Courthouse on Aug. 2, 2023, in Washington, D.C.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
There will also be no mug shot because Trump’s picture is publicly available, the spokesperson said.
Trump’s court appearance is likely to be short and he is expected to enter a plea of not guilty.
Trump was allowed to leave the state for both of his previous indictments, after he was released on his own recognizance and his passport was not seized.
The U.S. Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies on Wednesday conducted a walkthrough of the federal courthouse, including the courtroom where Trump will be appearing.
Satellite trucks park outside the E. Barrett Prettyman United States Courthouse, on Aug 2023, where Judge Tanya Sue Chutkan will arraign former President Donald J. Trump on Aug. 3, in Washington, D.C.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA via Shutterstock
“While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News that barriers were expected to go up around the Capitol before the former president’s appearance in court on Thursday.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger told reporters that the department is working with local police as well as the National Park Service, Secret Service and Federal Protective Service to ensure proper security and safety during the hearing.
Source: abc news
