Donald Trump pleads not guilty in Georgia election case, seeks to sever his case from others
- The ex-US president has waived arraignment, which means he will skip the hearing and not have to enter a plea on television
- Trump will also avoid the dramatic courtroom arraignments that have accompanied the three other criminal cases he faces
Former US president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday and sought to sever his case from some other defendants who are accused along with him of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set arraignment hearings on September 6 for Trump and the 18 others charged in the case. Trump’s court filing entering a not guilty plea also waived arraignment, meaning he won’t have to show up for that.
The decision to skip an in-person appearance averts the dramatic arraignments that have accompanied the three other criminal cases Trump faces, in which the Republican former president has been forced amid tight security into a courtroom and entered “not guilty” pleas before crowds of spectators.
Georgia courts have fairly permissive rules on news cameras in the courtroom, and this means Trump will not have to enter a plea on television.
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Mugshot taken of Donald Trump in US presidential 1st after he surrenders in Georgia election case
Trump and 18 others were charged earlier this month in a 41-count indictment that outlines an alleged scheme to subvert the will of Georgia voters who had chosen Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent in the presidential election.
A lawyer for Trump also asked McAfee on Thursday to separate his case from those of defendants who have asked for an expedited trial. The judge has already set an October 23 trial date for one of those defendants.