Trump attorney Sidney Powell pleads NOT GUILTY to Georgia election charges

Donald Trump’s “Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell pleaded not guilty Tuesday for her role in her alleged attempt to undermine Georgia’s 2020 election results.

Powell waived her right to be arraigned next Wednesday along with the 18 other co-defendants and former President Trump in Fulton County.

Trump allies Trevian Kutti and Ray Smith also waived formal charges and entered not guilty pleas this week.

Powell got her nickname in 2020, when she described the case she brought against Joe Biden’s election victory as the “Kraken.”

Georgia-based lawyer Ray Smith, who worked for Trump, has put his denial of wrongdoing in the election interference case in writing and has dropped his charges. He was the first to do that.

The rest of the co-defendants who have not yet entered pleas, including Trump, will face a personal arraignment next Wednesday in Fulton County, Georgia, after being ordered to surrender for bookings at noon on Friday, August 25. .

The booking resulted in Trump’s first mugshot, despite three previous charges for the latter over his attempts to illegally reverse the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

Smith surrendered to authorities at the Fulton County Jail on August 23 and was released on $50,000 bail.

Judge Steve Jones has already approved cameras in the courtroom for the September 6 arraignment, meaning the proceedings can be televised.

By submitting his not guilty plea in writing, Smith can avoid an on-camera arraignment.

“Council understands that by filing this waiver of arraignment, before the arraignment date, Mr. Smith and the undersigned defense counsel will be executed and will no longer appear on the arraignment calendar on September 6, 2023,” the attorney’s attorney wrote. Georgia.

More written innocent pleas are sure to follow.

Smith currently faces 12 counts in the indictment, including part of the racketeering charge alleging a conspiracy involving several crimes to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the Peach State.

Three cases involved requesting a government official to violate his oath of office, and two cases involved making false statements. Six others relate to the plan to nominate false voters, including charges of forgery and conspiracy.

Several charges against Smith related to his participation in legislative hearings in Georgia, where he and other attorneys tried to convince state lawmakers of mass election fraud.

During the proceedings, Smith spoke to lawmakers and questioned witnesses on Trump’s team.

The 41-count indictment against Trump and the 18 co-defendants was delivered earlier this month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Trump’s last White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, on Monday requested that his case be moved from Georgia to the federal level so he could have a more representative jury pool. During his testimony, he argued that all of his actions were taken under the direction of the president and in his official capacity as the White House’s top aide.

Former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and former Georgia senator and GOP chairman David Shafer are also demanding their cases be referred to federal court.

Judge Jones heard arguments for Meadows on Monday and scheduled a Sept. 18 hearing to discuss Clark’s request to move his case to federal court.

Jones did not comment Monday on Meadows’ efforts.

Other co-defendants include former Trump attorneys Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Jenna Ellis.

Trump and all eighteen others were charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, among other charges.