Former president Donald Trump is expected to appear in person Thursday for his arraignment in federal court in Washington on charges that he conspired to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election, three people familiar with the situation said.
A grand jury has indicted Trump on four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the nation.
Describing the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol as an “unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy,” special counsel Jack Smith said the attack was “fueled by lies” from Trump.
Trump has denied all wrongdoing related to the 2020 election. His spokesman, Steven Cheung, accused the Justice Department of trying to interfere with the 2024 election by targeting the GOP front-runner.
In television interviews Wednesday, John Lauro, a lawyer for Trump, pushed back on Smith’s call for a “speedy trial” and suggested that the case be heard in West Virginia instead of Washington.
The latest charges represent the third indictment for Trump in recent months. He has been charged with mishandling classified documents after leaving office and obstructing the government’s attempts to retrieve them. He faces charges in New York of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump’s growing legal troubles do not bar him from running for president. Even a conviction would not disqualify him from contesting the election.
In Tuesday’s indictment, prosecutors list six people as co-conspirators who aided Trump’s “criminal efforts.” They have not been charged.