Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges over 2020 election

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges in an amended federal indictment that accuses the former U.S. president of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump’s lawyers entered the plea on his behalf during a Washington court hearing that focused on legal proceedings after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that former presidents have broad immunity from criminal prosecution.

Trump, who is running as the Republican presidential candidate in the Nov. 5 election, was absent from the hearing. The new indictment, filed in August, retained the same four counts as last year’s brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith but omitted the charges dismissed by the Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is expected to consider competing proposals from Smith, who wants to speed up the case, and Trump, who wants to delay it until after the election. The high court ordered Chutkan to decide whether any additional parts of the case should be dismissed. Trump faces charges of using false claims of voter fraud to undermine the election results and prevent the certification of his defeat by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The case, which was delayed for months while Trump sought immunity, is unlikely to go to trial before he faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the election. Trump has argued that his impeachment and other lawsuits are politically motivated tactics intended to derail his presidential campaign.

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision in July, said former presidents are presumed immune from punishment for actions taken in the performance of their official duties. But Smith argues that the remaining allegations are not protected by immunity and could be brought to trial.

Prosecutors are prepared to file court papers supporting their position “at any time the court deems appropriate.” Trump’s attorneys have suggested Chutkan should postpone considering the impact of the immunity ruling until after the election.

If Trump wins the election, he plans to order the Justice Department to drop the charges. He proposes that his lawyers first seek to dismiss the case, citing the fact that Smith was illegally appointed as a special prosecutor under the U.S. Constitution.

Trump used a similar argument to persuade a Trump-appointed federal judge in Florida to dismiss another criminal case brought by Smith, accusing him of illegally keeping secret documents after leaving office. Smith’s office is appealing that decision. A federal appeals court in Washington previously upheld the special prosecutors’ authority to pursue specific sensitive investigations.

(Based on information from the agency.)