Special Counsel Jack Smith adds more charges against Trump, requests trial date
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Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday along with his aide, Walt Nauta, over new charges related to Trump’s handling of classified documents.
ABC News reported that his plea was entered by his attorney Todd Blanche. Trump did not enter his plea in person.
In the original indictment, he was charged with 37 counts, to which he pled not guilty. Nauta, who was also charged, pled not guilty.
Special Counsel Jack Smith brought additional charges against Trump, Nauta and Mar-a-Lago estate’s property manager, Carlos De Oliveira, last month for allegedly conspiring to delete security footage at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, where the classified documents were stored, and for allegedly obstructing the federal investigation.
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This news comes as Smith requested a Jan. 2 trial date for the indictment against dealing with Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election, as The Associated Press reported.
Trump, the frontrunner in Republican primary polls, pled not guilty to the four charges in the 2020 election case, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official preceding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
If approved, the date would be two weeks before voting begins in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15, which is the first event in the 2024 presidential race.
“A January 2 trial date would vindicate the public’s strong interest in a speedy trial — an interest guaranteed by the Constitution and federal law in all cases, but of particular significance here, where the defendant, a former president, is charged with conspiring to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election, obstruct the certification of the election results, and discount citizens’ legitimate votes,” Smith wrote in the court filing.
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Trump took to TruthSocial Wednesday and said the indictments weren’t “legit.”
“They were all thrown up at me, quickly (and) haphazardly, including the local ones, by my political opponent,” he said. “It’s not like the State or Country is coming down on me. It’s a dishonest politician and his gang of thugs breaking the law in order to get re-elected.”
Meanwhile, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is also expected to indict Trump and his allies for their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. This indictment would be Trump’s fourth.
