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Donald Trump stares down judge as he pleads not guilty to four federal charges in 2020 election interference case
FORMER President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty as he appeared for his arraignment on charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Trump, who is facing his third indictment since leaving office in January 2021, appeared before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya in Washington, DC, on Thursday as his string of legal troubles continues.
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When asked to state his age, Trump, wearing his signature navy blue suit and red tie, stumbled, saying: “Seven-seven. 77.”
Judge Upadhyaya then asked if he had taken any medications or anything that would make him unable to respond, and he replied, “No, I have not.”
The former president sat between his attorneys, John Lauro and Todd Blanche, with a bleak expression as he stood up at the defense table, stared down the judge, and entered a not-guilty plea.
Trump will be released on the condition that he does not communicate with witnesses in the case.
"The defendant must not communicate about the facts of the case to individuals known to be a witness except through counsel or in the presence of counsel," Judge Upadhyaya said.
Before his arraignment, Trump was digitally fingerprinted and formally placed under arrest just before the arraignment.
He was not subjected to a mug shot during the booking process.
Outside, a sea of reporters and officials gathered on the steps of the Washington, DC, courtroom as they waited for Trump's arraignment to unfold.
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'THIS WAS NEVER SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN'
After the hearing, Trump flew back to DC where he told reporters: "When you look at what's happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent."
"This was never supposed to happen in America," he continued.
"This is the persecution of the person that's leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot.
"So if you can't beat him, you persecute them or you prosecute him. We can’t let this happen in America."
Much like his arraignments in and , a throng of Trump supporters, wearing red MAGA caps and waving TRUMP24 banners, flooded the sidewalks.
Shouting matches erupted between supporters and protesters, who were seen screaming, "Lock him up!"
The former president was escorted out of the federal courthouse in a motorcade.
He is due back in court on August 28 at 10am.
'I AM BEING ARRESTED FOR YOU'
Trump teased the arrest earlier Thursday in a post on his platform Truth Social, saying it was a "great honor."
"I AM NOW GOING TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO BE ARRESTED FOR HAVING CHALLENGED A CORRUPT, RIGGED, & STOLEN ELECTION," Trump .
"IT IS A GREAT HONOR, BECAUSE I AM BEING ARRESTED FOR YOU. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
He also appeared to threaten revenge against the in a separate post.
"The Dems don’t want to run against me or they would not be doing this unprecedented weaponization of 'Justice,'" Trump .
"BUT SOON, IN 2024, IT WILL BE OUR TURN. MAGA!"
The former president has been charged with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the , conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
If found guilty of all counts, Trump faces a maximum combined sentence of 55 years in jail.
The charges are directly connected to the 45th president's alleged involvement in the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
He was officially indicted on Tuesday.
The indictment claims Trump and co-conspirators used "knowingly false claims of election fraud to get state legislators and election officials to subvert the legitimate election results and change electoral votes for the Defendant's opponent, Joseph R. Biden, Jr., to electoral votes for the Defendant."
US CAPITOL ATTACK
On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building in an attempt to prevent a from counting the electoral votes to confirm President-elect Biden as the new president.
The rally turned violent when the MAGA mob breached Capitol Hill, smashing through windows, doors and clashing with Capitol police officers.
Four rioters died during the siege, including Ashli Battitt, 34, a former Air Force veteran who was shot by a Capitol police officer, Kevin Greeson, 55, who suffered a heart attack during the breach, Rosanne Boyland, 34, and Benjamin Philips, 50.
Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick was also killed during the incident.
In the years since the siege, over 1,000 rioters were arrested and hit with a slew of federal charges, including assault on law enforcement officials, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, trespassing, and disrupting Congress.
As of May, approximately 485 defendants have been sentenced - 277 have been sentenced to time behind bars, while 113 were sentenced to home detention.
TRUMP'S LEGAL WOES
Trump is also facing charges in a separate case brought by special counsel Jack Smith, where he's accused of mishandling national secret documents after leaving in 2021.
The executed a search warrant on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in on August 8, 2022, searching the residence for classified material the president is accused of taking after leaving office.
Federal officials found more than 80 boxes filled with classified documents in Trump's estate, including six with the highest level of classification in his office, according to court records.
FBI officials said boxes were found in several rooms in the Mar-a-Lago estate, including the Lake Room, various storage rooms, on the stage of the White and Gold Ballroom, Pine Hall, and the Trump family suite.
Trump also took boxes of documents to his golf club in Bedminster, , according to the indictment.
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Meanwhile, over in , the former president was charged by a Manhattan district judge in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases.
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