Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 13 state criminal charges on Thursday, filing his plea with an Atlanta, Georgia court. Trump waived his right to appear at his scheduled September 6 arraignment, opting instead to plead not guilty by court filing on charges concerning his role in alleged election interference during Georgia’s 2020 US presidential election process.
Trump acknowledged that he has a right to appear for a formal arraignment under Georgia state law. Had he appeared, a judge would have advised him of the criminal charges pending against him, and Trump would have entered his plea—either guilty or not guilty. Trump, however, waived that right on Thursday, explaining that he is aware of the charges and has spoken to his legal counsel about them.
On August 14, a Georgia grand jury indicted Trump, along with 18 others, for conspiring to interfere in Georgia’s election process during the 2020 US presidential election. Trump faces 13 criminal charges, including:
- One violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act;
- Three counts of solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer;
- One count of conspiracy to commit impersonating a public officer;
- Two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree;
- Two counts of conspiracy to commit false statements and writings;
- Another two counts of actually committing false statements and writings;
- One count of conspiracy to commit filing false documents; and
- One count of filing false documents.
He has now entered a not guilty plea on all 13 counts.
Because he entered a not guilty plea, the charges will proceed to trial in a Georgia state court, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will lead the prosecution against Trump. Though no trial date is set as of yet, Willis has signaled that she would like the trial to begin as soon as March 4, 2024. Because of scheduling conflicts with Trump’s other pending legal cases and venue challenges from at least one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants, the judge may pick a later trial date.
In addition to election interference charges in Georgia, Trump also faces three other criminal cases and two civil cases. One of the two federal cases against Trump is located in Florida. In that case, federal prosecutors allege Trump mishandled classified government documents. The other federal case is located in Washington DC and centers around Trump’s alleged election interference in the 2020 US presidential election. Trump also faces a criminal case in New York based on his alleged filing of falsified business records during his 2016 presidential campaign. With Thursday’s filing, Trump has now pleaded not guilty to 91 criminal charges at both the state and federal levels.
