LIVE
LAW AND JUSTICEUNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Trump in Washington for arraignment in 2020 election case
Published 3 hours agoPublished 3 hours agolast updated 8 minutes agolast updated 8 minutes ago
The ex-president is accused of leading a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election, which resulted in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. He is expected to plead not guilty and has denounced this latest case against him.
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkPC
Former President Donald Trump boards his plane headed to Washington on Thursday to answer to charges that he worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election
Trump described the indictment as an attempt to undermine his election campaignImage: Seth Wenig/AP Photo/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, is set to face charges in court for reportedly conspiring to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.
On Tuesday, Special Counsel Jack Smith revealed four federal charges against Trump, which center around his actions leading up to the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.
Trump was expected to appear, in person, in a Washington federal court and plead not guilty to all charges.
The indictment is the third in four month for Trump, who is the frontrunner in a campaing to become the2024 Republican nominee for president.
Skip next section Trump arrives in Washington and heads to court
8 minutes ago8 minutes ago
Trump arrives in Washington and heads to court
Former President Donald Trump has arrived in Washington DC and is heading to the US District Court to be processed and arraigned.
He will travel by motorcade under Secret Service protection to the court not far from the US Capitol building where the January 6 riot took place.
Trump’s appearance is expected to be quick and routine, likely just including a not guilty plea from him.
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkwW
Copy link
Skip next section Scenes outside the courthouse
1 hour ago1 hour ago
Scenes outside the courthouse
Since his initial indictment earlier this year in New York, Trump’s approval rating among Republican voters has increased.
But his legal woes are weighing on his support among independent voters, some 37% of whom told a July Reuters/Ipsos poll they were less likely to vote for him in the general election as a result of the indictments he faces.
A few pro- and anti-Trump protesters had gathered outside the Washington court on Thursday, but not as many as at his previous court appearances.
A demonstrator in a MAGA hat faces off with a demonstrator in a Baby Trump costume on the day former US President Donald Trump’s court appearance in WashingtonA demonstrator in a MAGA hat faces off with a demonstrator in a Baby Trump costume on the day former US President Donald Trump’s court appearance in Washington
Metropolitan Police Department officers were keeping an eye on the opposing campsImage: Joshua Roberts/REUTERS
Protesters hold signs that spell JUSTICE as Domenic Santana, 61, of Miami, holds a sign that reads “LOCK HIM UP”Protesters hold signs that spell JUSTICE as Domenic Santana, 61, of Miami, holds a sign that reads “LOCK HIM UP”
Anti-Trump protesters have also gathered outsideImage: Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo/picture alliance
A Trump supporter holds a sign outside the US District Court in Washington,A Trump supporter holds a sign outside the US District Court in Washington,
Trump supporters joined the massed reporters and TV crews outside the DC courthouse on Thursday morningImage: Joshua Roberts/REUTERS
https://p.dw.com/p/4Ukrp
Copy link
Skip next section DW’s Washington studio breaks down some of the big open questions
1 hour ago1 hour ago
DW’s Washington studio breaks down some of the big open questions
What stands out in this, the third indictment Donald Trump is facing?
How might the trial impact his re-election campaign?
Can a convicted criminal be US president?
What would happen if Trump won the election mid-way through the case?
And as president, could Trump pardon himself, as he previously said that he would?
DW’s Washington correspondent Ines Pohl has the lowdown on all these questions and more in this story.
Can latest charges against Trump harm his presidential run?
05:06
https://p.dw.com/p/4Ukr4
Copy link
Skip next section Trump says he’s on his way, again claims vote ‘rigged’
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Trump says he’s on his way, again claims vote ‘rigged’
Donald Trump will travel from New Jersey to Washington on his private plane before his court hearing.
“I am now going to Washington, DC to be arrested for having challenged a corrupt, rigged and stolen election,” the former president wrote on his Truth social media platform, repeating the lie that’s ultimately at the root of the case against him.
“It is a great honor, because I am being arrested for you,” Trump wrote, in block capitals as usual.
Trump was at his home in Bedminster, New Jersey, earlier on Thursday.
Aerial footage showed him leaving and entering a black SUV, with Trump expected to head to the airport and then on towards the courtroom.
https://p.dw.com/p/4Ukpf
Copy link
Skip next section Tanya Chutkan assigned as trial judge in Trump’s case
2 hours ago2 hours ago
Tanya Chutkan assigned as trial judge in Trump’s case
Donald Trump is expected to enter a not-guilty plea before magistrate judge Moxila Upadhyaya on Thursday.
However, US District Judge Tanya Chutkan has been assigned to oversee the case as the trial judge eventually.
She has a history with Trump and of ruling against January 6 defendants.
Chutkan has given prison terms to 38 people convicted of crimes related to the Capitol riot, ranging from 10 days to over five years.
But the judge appointed by President Barack Obama also has a history with Trump.
She ruled against the former president in November 2021, rejecting his attempts to block the House select committee investigating January 6 from accessing more than 700 pages of records from his White House.
She wrote that Trump could not claim his privilege “exists in perpetuity.”
In a memorable line from her ruling, Chutkan wrote, “Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkkQ
Copy link
Skip next section Security tight at DC courthouse
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Security tight at DC courthouse
Security has been stepped up at the courthouse in Washington ahead of former President Donald Trump’s Thursday afternoon appearance.
The E. Barret Prettyman courthouse was surrounded by metal barricades and municipal trucks to provide extra security.
Police and sniffer dogs were also spotted outside the court.
Trump is expected to be processed by law enforcement, formally taken into custody, and enter a not-guilty plea in front of a magistrate before being released.
Metropolitan police members outside the US District Court in WashingtonMetropolitan police members outside the US District Court in Washington
Law enforcement agencies, including the US Secret Service and the DC police department, said extra security measures were in placeImage: Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS
Outside the court, some of his supporters and critics have already gathered.
The trial is scheduled to start around 4 p.m. local time (2000 GMT/UTC).
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkbE
Copy link
Skip next section Trump asserts Biden is behind federal indictment
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Trump asserts Biden is behind federal indictment
Donald Trump was defiant on Thursday ahead of his court appearance on federal charges accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 election.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the former US president described the indictment as a scheme by President Joe Biden to undermine his campaign to become the Republican nominee for president for the 2024 US election.
“Look, it’s not my fault that my political opponent in the Democrat Party, Crooked Joe Biden, has told his Attorney General to charge the leading (by far!) Republican Nominee & former President of the United States, me, with as many crimes as can be concocted so that he is forced to spend large amounts of time & money to defend himself,” Trump wrote.
Biden has not commented on the charges against his predecessor, with the White House simply saying on Friday: “The Department of Justice is independent.”
“You hear us say this all the time: We believe in the rule of law. The president has been very consistent on that.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkTk
Copy link
Skip next section The story so far
3 hours ago3 hours ago
The story so far
Former President Donald Trump was indicted on Tuesday on four counts, including conspiring to defraud the US, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring to deprive voters of their right to fair elections.
The 45-page indictment details accusations that Trump and six unnamed co-conspirators plotted to upend the 2020 election.
“The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud,” the indictment said.
A page of the indictment against former US President Donald TrumpA page of the indictment against former US President Donald Trump
Trump was the only person charged in the indictment, but prosecutors obliquely referenced a half-dozen co-conspiratorsImage: Andrew P. Scott/USA Today/picture alliance
Special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation, said the alleged conspiracy “was fueled by lies.”
The latest charges represent the third indictment for Trump in four months. He has previously been charged in New York over alleged hush-money payments to an adult film star and in Florida over his handling of classified documents.
Most perceive this case, however, to be the most serious of the three, and the one pertaining more directly to his reluctance to cede power after losing the 2020 election.
Trump charged with attempt to overturn 2020 election
02:28
lo/msh (Reuters, dpa, AP, AFP)
https://p.dw.com/p/4UkVM
Copy link
