Former US President Donald Trump has officially pleaded not guilty in the Georgia election fraud case, a legal move that also involves his decision to waive his right to attend the court hearing scheduled for next week.
Mr. Trump is one of the 19 individuals facing charges related to an alleged conspiracy to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 vote, a crucial state in the presidential election.
Having surrendered himself to Fulton County Jail in Atlanta last week, Mr. Trump was photographed for his mugshot.
Throughout the process, Mr. Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing, characterizing the case as politically motivated rather than substantively criminal.
The former president is confronting a total of 13 felony charges, which include racketeering. The allegations revolve around claims that he pressured Georgia officials to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in that state.
A document submitted to the court on Thursday by Mr. Trump acknowledges his understanding of the allegations against him and his right to appear in court. In his statement, he voluntarily opts to waive his presence at his arraignment and the customary reading of the indictment in open court.
It’s notable that Mr. Trump attended each of his three previous arraignments for other cases. However, he declined to request virtual participation for a separate case in Washington DC and was required to appear in person for his New York and Florida cases. Security measures were robust in all instances, with both Trump supporters and counter-protesters converging near the courthouses.
In this case, Fulton County, Georgia, is unique in allowing defendants to choose whether to appear in court during their formal charging in criminal proceedings. Brian Tevis, an Atlanta attorney representing one of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants, Rudy Giuliani, explained that the vast majority of defendants presented with this option opt to waive their arraignment.
Earlier in the week, three other co-defendants in the same case entered not guilty pleas, including former Trump attorneys Ray Stallings Smith and Sidney Powell, along with former celebrity publicist Trevian Kutti.
Originally scheduled for September 6th, Mr. Trump’s arraignment was to be followed by the arraignment of the other defendants at 15-minute intervals.
All 19 individuals, including Mr. Trump, are charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act. These laws are applied across the US to help prosecutors establish connections between those who committed illegal acts and the individuals who organized or ordered those actions.
