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Former US President Donald Trump says latest court appearance on charges of attempting a coup was a sad day for America
Donald Trump has claimed that politically motivated US prosecutors have launched yet another case against him – the third in four months – because President Joe Biden can’t beat him in the 2024 election.
“This is a very sad day for America,” Trump told reporters on Thursday after pleading not guilty to four felony charges stemming from his alleged effort to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory.
People watch after former President Donald Trump arrived at the E. Barrett Prettyman US Federal Courthouse, August 3, 2023 © AP / Alex Brandon
His court appearance also marked his return to Washington, which he said is now marred by “filth and decay.” He added, “This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see.”
The former president, joined by his attorneys in a Washington DC courtroom, pleaded not guilty to all charges before US Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.
Trump was indicted on Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
While he was briefly placed in custody pending his arraignment in keeping with standard courtroom procedures, Trump will not be held awaiting trial on this week’s charges, under conditions that include not communicating with anyone known to be a witness in the case except through an attorney.
The case, which centers on Trump’s actions immediately following the 2020 presidential election and specifically the January 6 Capitol riot, has been assigned to District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has presided over dozens of cases against January 6 defendants and in many of them handed down harsher sentences than prosecutors sought.
Supporters of the former president have expressed concern he will not receive a fair trial, given Chutkan’s outspoken insistence as to his alleged complicity in the violence at the Capitol.
Trump already faced a federal indictment related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, as well as a New York City case in which he was charged in April with making false statements on his business records. He is the first US president to be criminally charged after leaving office.
Trump pointed to 2024 election polling as motivation for the indictments against him. “This is a persecution of a political opponent,” he said before boarding his plane to leave Washington.“This was never supposed to happen in America,” he added. “This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot, so if you can’t beat him, you persecute him or you prosecute him. We can’t let this happen in America.”
Source Reuters/AP/RT
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