Former President Donald Trump and 18 others accused of trying to steal the 2020 election through false claims of voter fraud are scheduled to be arraigned on state charges in Georgia on Sept. 6, Bloomberg reported.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAffee in Atlanta on Monday scheduled 15-minute hearings for each co-defendant to enter their plea in the case, starting with Trump at 9:30 a.m., court records show.
Trump’s appearance will be followed immediately by those of three lawyers charged in the alleged conspiracy: Rudy Giuliani, who represented Trump in failed legal challenges to the election result; John Eastman, who allegedly crafted a scheme to prevent Joe Biden’s victory from being certified by Congress; and Sidney Powell, an architect of the rigged-election conspiracy theory.
The former president, who surrendered for booking last week after agreeing to a $200,000 bond, has denied wrongdoing and claims the case is part of a political “witch hunt” against him. It’s one of four criminal cases Trump is facing as he campaigns to return to the White House in 2024.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought the Georgia indictment on Aug. 14 after a 2 1/2-year probe, previously said all the defendants would be arraigned starting Sept. 5. She is separately fighting to keep former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows from moving his case to federal court, where he’ll argue he’s immune from the criminal charges.
MNA/PR