Former President Donald Trump arrived at a federal courthouse in the nation’s capital to face four new criminal charges.
Special Counsel Jack Smith accuses the former president of making “knowingly false claims” that the 2020 election was stolen, then unlawfully attempting to overturn the election results and taking other actions to thwart the government from finalizing Democrat Joe Biden’s victory.
Mr. Trump, 77, the 45th president of the United States, is being arraigned on his third indictment in the midst of his campaign to oust Mr. Biden and become the nation’s 47th president. At the courthouse, Mr. Trump will be placed under arrest, processed, and then appear at an arraignment hearing at 4 p.m. ET.
The former president is expected to plead not guilty to three conspiracy charges and an obstruction charge.
Since a federal court unsealed the indictment on Aug. 1, some legal scholars and Mr. Trump’s supporters have roundly denounced the charges as an attempt to criminalize political speech and interfere in the 2024 election. But the former president’s detractors say he deserves to be held accountable. He has steadfastly denied wrongdoing.
Ironically, Mr. Trump’s Aug. 3 court appearance is occurring in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, a focal point in the third historic prosecution of the former president; a fourth possible case waits in the wings in Georgia.
Throngs of news crews, spectators, pro- and anti-Trump protesters, and police encircled the courthouse many hours before Mr. Trump’s scheduled 4 p.m. arraignment.
Similar spectacles surrounded his previous court appearances. He faced state charges in New York in April and his first set of federal charges in Miami in June. Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty in both cases, which revolve around alleged improper use of records.
The latest indictment alleges that Mr. Trump falsely claimed that the 2020 election was “stolen,” instilling his supporters with outrage that culminated in protesters’ breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Although the vast majority of the massive crowd remained peaceful, a sizable number of agitators turned violent. More than 1,000 people have been charged.
Meanwhile, the prosecutions of Mr. Trump seem to have strengthened his candidacy among people who believe he is being politically targeted. He is the leading candidate to become the Republican Party’s nominee for president in the 2024 election as repeated charges are brought against him by a Department of Justice under the opposing political party’s administration.
The cases against Mr. Trump, which cost tens of millions of dollars for prosecutors and defense alike, have already left an indelible mark on America’s political and justice systems while also imperiling Mr. Trump’s freedom. He faces multiple life sentences if convicted of all charges.
“Biden and his family steal millions and millions of dollars, including bribes from foreign countries, and I’m headed to D.C. to be arrested for protesting a crooked election. Unfair venue, unfair judge. We are a nation in decline,” Mr. Trump wrote. He ended the post with ”MAGA!!!“ That’s the acronym for his oft-repeated ”Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Biden, who was vacationing at Rehoboth Beach in his home state of Delaware, rode a bicycle past onlookers, some of whom cheered for him. He smiled at news reporters who followed him but did not respond to their shouted questions about Mr. Trump’s arraignment.
