Trump pleads not guilty to 2020 election charges

Donald Trump was arraigned on Thursday for four charges related to the 2020 election, broken down as such: Conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing a congressional proceeding and conspiracy against rights in connection with what prosecutors allege was a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges, as was expected, and the next hearing has been set for August 28 before Judge Chutkan. Prosecutors did not seek detention of Trump in the meantime. 

During his arraignment, which was attended by Jack Smith and overseen by Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya, Trump was referred to as “Mr.” or “Sir,” a notable break from usual formalities associated with a former president. Per The Washington Post, the judge advised Trump that he must comply with the conditions of his release, making it clear that if he failed to do so, a warrant could be issued for his arrest and he could be held before his trial. “Your most important condition of release is that you not commit a state, federal or local offense. If so, your release may be revoked,” Upadhyaya said. “You may also face a longer sentence for having committed a crime while on release.

Scott MacFarlane, a CBS News Congressional Correspondent who live-tweeted from the courthouse, highlighted the ways in which Trump did all he could to save face during the proceedings saying, “Trump gets a motorcade escort out of the courthouse. No photos of Trump in court were permitted. Unlike so many other high-profile criminal defendants, he is insulated from the images of a courthouse walk, a booking photo or police arrest. He gets to control the optics.”