Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to obstruct the 2020 presidential election and interfere with the voting rights of millions of Americans ¡ª a case his legal team said it was prepared to ¡°vigorously¡± defend.
The former U.S. president was arraigned Thursday in the federal courthouse in Washington before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. He¡¯ll remain free while the case moves forward, but was prohibited from speaking to anyone identified as a witness about the facts of the case except through his lawyers.
During the 30-minute hearing, Trump sat just a few feet from Special Counsel John ¡°Jack¡± Smith ¡ª who has indicted him twice. They didn¡¯t interact. Trump spoke little, as is typical for arraignments, though he made a point of stating his not guilty plea rather than have his lawyer, John Lauro, do it for him.
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