Washington, (EFE).- Former US president and Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump (2017-2021), said on Tuesday that he will plead not guilty to the charges brought against him in the new indictment for the case of the assault on the Capitol in January 2021.
In a court notice to the District of Columbia District Court, he said he is exercising his right not to be present at the arraignment and authorized his attorneys to plead not guilty on his behalf.
The next court date between the prosecution and the defense is scheduled for this coming Thursday.
On August 27, the special prosecutor in charge of investigating Trump in the Capitol assault case, Jack Smith, filed a new indictment toning down the allegations to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the immunity of his actions as president.
Smith maintained the four previous charges against the New York magnate, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, but she toned down some allegations about his plans for electoral subversion.
The assault on the Capitol
The case concerns attempts to obstruct the 2020 presidential election, which led to the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
File photo of former US President Donald Trump at the defense table in his criminal trial at the Supreme Court of the State of New York, USA. EFE/EPA/Justin Lane
On July 1, the Supreme Court granted the now ex-president partial immunity. By a vote of six to three, the progressive judges concluded that “a former president has the right to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his constitutional authority,” but established that “there is no immunity for unofficial acts.”
Smith’s new indictment was cut from 45 pages to 36 and, as reported by The Washington Post, removed allegations related to Trump’s efforts to get the Justice Department to support his claim of voter fraud.
In its July decision, the Supreme Court said Trump could not face charges related to his exchanges with members of the Justice Department, considering that his interaction with that office was part of the scope of his job.
