Washington — Former President Donald Trump appeared in a federal courtroom Thursday for his arraignment on four felony charges accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 election results, pleading not guilty in the latest case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump appeared before a magistrate judge in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to deny the charges, which are the most serious criminal allegations he is facing. While cameras were not allowed in the courtroom, CBS News reporters were on the scene to document the proceeding.
When the arraignment got underway shortly after 4 p.m., the former president stood to be sworn in, stating his name and age. Judge Moxila Upadhyaya then formally read the charges and reminded him of his rights. He said he understood, and entered his plea of “not guilty.” Smith was present for the hearing, the second time he and Trump have come face to face in a federal courtroom.
The judge agreed to release Trump under the conditions that he not violate federal law and appear in court when required. He is also barred from discussing the facts of the case with any potential witnesses, except through attorneys. The arraignment lasted about a half an hour. The next hearing is set for Aug. 28 before a different judge who will now oversee the case, but Trump will not be required to attend.
A federal grand jury hearing evidence in Smith’s investigation approved a historic indictment on Tuesday charging Trump with four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.
The 45-page charging document accuses Trump and six co-conspirators of pursuing several schemes to block the transfer of power to Joe Biden after Trump lost the 2020 election, culminating in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The indictment alleges Trump knew his claims of widespread voter fraud were false but “repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.”
The former president traveled from New Jersey on his private plane for Thursday’s hearing. His motorcade made its way into D.C., weaving through downtown traffic on its way to the courthouse near the Capitol. Trump has denounced Smith’s probe as politically motivated and denies any wrongdoing.
This was Trump’s third arraignment on criminal charges in four months. In April, he was booked and processed in New York on state charges related to an alleged “hush money” payment to an adult film star in 2016. In June, he appeared in court in Miami to face federal charges in Smith’s parallel investigation into his handling of classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort. He pleaded not guilty in those cases, as well.