Donald Trump said last night it was a “great honor” to appear before a Washington judge to answer allegations that he sought to undermine the results of the 2020 US election.
The former president made a show of bravado ahead of his first appearance on the case that divides an already deeply polarized America.
The indictment alleges that Mr. Trump and six co-conspirators orchestrated a plot to overturn the results of the election, which he lost to Joe Biden.
As he left his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social account, “I’M GOING TO WASHINGTON DC NOW, TO BE ARRESTED FOR CHALLENGING A CORRUPTED, WRONG AND STOLEN ELECTION.” IT IS A GREAT HONOR BECAUSE I AM ARRESTED FOR YOU. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
In a nod to the fourth investigation he faces, Mr. Trump added, “I NEED ANOTHER ANNOUNCEMENT TO SECURE MY ELECTION.” After arriving at the federal courthouse, Mr. Trump was expected to have his mugshot taken and his fingerprints scanned. He also planned to give US marshals his personal information, such as his address and social security number, before being taken to court.
The former president waved as he stepped off his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to appear before a judge on federal conspiracy charges
Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, including his role in the insurgency. He was expected to be released with some conditions.
As he exited his Trump-branded plane at Reagan National Airport, he looked icy and managed to wave to his team. He got into a waiting motorcade and was driven to court.
Mr. Trump appeared in Courtroom 22-A, on the second floor. He sat between his lawyers, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, shaking some papers and keeping his hands folded. Outside, protesters shouted and cheered loudly. Pro-Trump supporters carried flags with slogans such as “Trump or dead” and “Trump was right – about everything.”
Among those in the public gallery was Jack Smith, the special prosecutor. The two men looked at each other as they waited for the judge to enter, and at one point Mr. Trump stared at Mr. Smith for several seconds. He was also in court in Florida where Trump was charged with mishandling classified documents.
It is the third criminal case Trump faces despite being the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination. But this one is perhaps the most controversial and sparked outrage from Mr. Trump, who likened it to Nazi Germany persecution.
Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, including his role in the insurgency
Protesters mock the former US president near the courthouse where he appeared
The indictment alleges that Mr. Trump and six co-conspirators orchestrated a plot to overturn the results of the election. Special Counsel Smith, who is leading the investigation, said the plot was “fuelled by lies” and represented an “unprecedented attack on the seat of American democracy” by preventing a peaceful transfer of power.
The first indictment against Trump would take place before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. He passed up the option of making his arraignment via video link and chose to appear in person, as he has done for his other two first appearances in court.
With memories of the uprising still fresh, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said officers were “prepared” for any violence. The day before, following an 911 call, police had prompted police to evacuate and search a Senate building, but no threat was found.
Mr Trump’s lead attorney, John Lauro, suggested that their defense will be that Mr Trump “believes” some electoral fraud conspiracy theories.
But that would put Republicans in the awkward position of saying their likely presidential nominee can’t distinguish between facts and conspiracy theories.
Other possible defenses Mr. Lauro puts forward are that Mr. Trump’s comments are protected by the First Amendment and that he followed the advice of his lawyers.
Former Trump attorney general Bill Barr rejected the idea, saying that “freedom of speech does not entitle you to participate in fraudulent conspiracy.”
Out of court, Mr. Trump’s attorney, Alina Habba, called the prosecution “election interference at its finest against the leading candidate for president, for both parties.”
“President Trump is under siege in a way we’ve never seen before,” she added.
Alina Habba, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, called the prosecution “election interference at its best against the leading candidate for president, for both parties.”
Pro-Trump supporters carried flags with slogans like: “Trump or dead” and “Trump was right – about everything”
Pro-Trump protesters carried a banner reading “Trump or Dead” outside the federal courthouse, where Mr Trump was arraigned for allegedly trying to reverse his loss in the 2020 presidential election
Supporters of former US President Donald Trump hold signs as they demonstrate outside the E. Barrett Prettyman US Courthouse
The E. Barrett Prettyman courthouse has already hosted dozens of trials stemming from the January 6, 2021 riot — and some were sentenced the day Trump was indicted.
The judge who will preside over his trial, Tanya Chutkan, has sentenced numerous January 6 rioters and handed down the harshest sentences of any judge in Washington.
She previously clashed with Mr Trump, ruling two years ago that his White House records should be turned over to the committee investigating the riot.
In her ruling, delivered after Trump left office, Judge Chutkan wrote: “Presidents are not kings and plaintiff (Trump) is not president.” On Wednesday, she said she hadn’t slept since she was assigned to Mr Trump’s case.
Meanwhile, Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president and opponent of the Republican nomination, stepped up his attacks on his old boss, claiming Trump was “surrounded by a bunch of idiot lawyers who kept telling him what his itchy ears want to hear.”
Supporters of former President Donald Trump gathered outside the federal courthouse wearing t-shirts with Donald Trump’s picture and holding up MAGA banners
One protester wore a T-shirt with an image of the former US president and a sign that read MAGA
An anti-Trump protester outside the E Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington
Indeed, Mr. Pence emerges as a potential key witness, as he took notes of his conversations with Mr. Trump on the day of the riot, when he asked him to stop certifying the election results.
Mr. Trump’s other cases include a March trial in New York for falsifying business records and a May trial for mishandling classified documents.
Prosecutors in Georgia are expected to charge him with election interference in the state within a week — that would be the fourth charge.