Former President Donald Trump has entered a not guilty plea in response to criminal charges tied to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. In a recent court filing, he also opted to forgo his right to be present at his upcoming arraignment on September 6th at 9:30 a.m. ET in Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta.
Declaring his awareness of his rights, Trump stated, “I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court.”
Trump, one of the central figures in a wide-ranging racketeering case involving 19 co-defendants, including attorneys, a White House aide, and several Republican state party officials, faces 13 felony charges. The indictment alleges that they collectively attempted to overturn the 2020 election outcome through various means.
In connection with the same case, the arraignment of the remaining 18 defendants, such as Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, will also take place on September 6th in Atlanta. Giuliani’s arraignment is set for 9:45 a.m., while the remaining defendants are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
The charges against Trump include violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, conspiracy to commit false statements and writings, and conspiracy to commit filing false documents.
