Former President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in court today for his arraignment on criminal conspiracy charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
The Washington Post, citing three people familiar with the situation, reported on the Washington court appearance yesterday. A spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service later confirmed Trump’s presence is anticipated and that security precautions are underway amid expectations for “short term traffic implications.”
The latest indictment against Trump, his third, includes four charges: conspiracy to defraud the government, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
Read Also: FG threatens to shut Chevron Warri jetty in two weeks
Trump has denied any wrongdoing as he has done in his other legal fights.
Special Counsel Jack Smith accused Trump of instigating the January 6 Capitol riot through his election fraud conspiracy theories.
Trump and his two co-defendants, aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveria, in the separate federal case tied to the former president’s mishandling of classified documents are scheduled to appear on Aug. 10 in Fort Pierce, Fla., for an arraignment on the superseding indictment charges.
Whether Trump and Nauta actually appear is another story. The Justice Department signaled last week that it wouldn’t object if they didn’t personally appear because both already entered not-guilty plea in the earlier indictment.
The third co-defendant, De Oliveria, is expected to appear in person for the arraignment after getting his initial hearing postponed on Monday because he hadn’t yet hired a South Florida-based attorney.