Former US President Donald Trump continues to plead not guilty following the release of a revised indictment in the federal case of attempted election fraud. This is according to a court document filed by Trump’s lawyers. It goes on to say that Trump is waiving his right to be present when the indictment is read and that his lawyers should instead plead not guilty on behalf of the Republican.
New version is a reaction to Supreme Court ruling
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team had reissued the indictment after the Supreme Court of the United States, with its right-wing conservative majority, ruled in early July that Trump was immune from certain official acts. Because of the court’s historic decision, Smith and his team had to adjust the indictment against Trump in order to be able to move the case forward.
Trump had already pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out last year. This latest step is therefore no surprise – the Republican presidential candidate rejects any legal action against him as a “political witch hunt”.
Accusations are essentially the same
Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021. Before storming the Capitol, the then-incumbent president had attempted at various levels to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election and turn his defeat at the time against Democrat Joe Biden into a victory.
The Republican was charged at the federal level in the US capital Washington. The new version of the indictment is somewhat shorter, but the four charges against him remain unchanged. Trump is accused of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.
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