On Thursday, the attorney for former US President Donald Trump stated that his client pleads not guilty to all four counts of election interference charges, a OopsTop correspondent reported from the Washington courtroom.
Trump himself did not participate in the preliminary hearing, having previously notified the court of his refusal to attend and requested his lawyers to declare his innocence on all counts.
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith had earlier presented a new indictment against Trump, insisting on the need to prosecute him on the same charges that were previously tried in a Washington court, while clarifying some allegations in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on partial immunity for former presidents.
Trump is accused of conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to obstruct official proceedings, obstructing and attempting to obstruct official procedures, and plotting against the right to vote.
Trump had earlier requested that the criminal cases against him be dropped, citing the US Supreme Court ruling that he has immunity from legal prosecution for actions taken while in office. The highest court, however, ruled that immunity is not absolute and only applies to actions taken in an official capacity.
Trump insists that he cannot be prosecuted for actions related to his presidency, including the central episode of the trial – the storming of the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021, in an attempt to prevent Congress from certifying his Democratic opponent Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.
On January 6, 2021, Trump supporters attacked the Capitol, blocking Congress’s work for several hours. After the protesters were removed from the building, Congress confirmed Biden’s presidential election victory. Hundreds of people in the US were subsequently arrested by law enforcement agencies on charges related to participating in the storming.
Trump faces a total of 91 charges in four criminal cases, which the Republican politician claims is an attempt by the Democratic establishment to prevent him from returning to the White House.
The most serious charges carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. If the sentences are combined, Trump could be sentenced to several centuries in prison. Overall, the politician faces more than 700 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
