Former President Donald Trump has entered a not guilty plea to 13 felony counts related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. He also waived his right to appear at his arraignment, which was scheduled for next week in Atlanta.
Trump Faces Racketeering and Fraud Charges
The charges against Trump stem from a 41-count indictment returned by a grand jury earlier this month, which accuses him and 18 co-defendants of violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and various fraud and forgery statutes. The indictment alleges that Trump and his associates participated in a criminal enterprise that sought to subvert the will of Georgia voters by trying to convince state legislators to unlawfully appoint fake electors to vote for Trump, making false statements about voter fraud, pressuring election officials to change the vote count, and filing frivolous lawsuits.
The most serious charge Trump faces is racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He also faces 11 counts of election fraud, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and one count of making a false statement, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Trump’s Co-Defendants Include Giuliani and Meadows
Among the 18 co-defendants named in the indictment are Trump’s former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, his former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and several Republican state party officials and activists who were involved in the efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia. They are also scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 6 in Fulton County Superior Court.
Giuliani, who led Trump’s legal team in challenging the election results, is accused of making false and misleading statements about voter fraud and irregularities in Georgia, as well as soliciting donations for a sham legal defense fund. Meadows, who served as Trump’s chief of staff until January 2021, is accused of pressuring Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find votes for Trump and to investigate baseless allegations of fraud.
The other co-defendants include David Shafer, the chairman of the Georgia Republican Party; Vernon Jones, a former Democratic state representative who switched parties and became a vocal Trump supporter; Jody Hice, a Republican congressman who objected to certifying Georgia’s electoral votes; Lin Wood, a pro-Trump attorney who filed lawsuits challenging the election results; Sidney Powell, another pro-Trump lawyer who promoted conspiracy theories about voting machines; and several other individuals who allegedly participated in the scheme to overturn the election.
Trump Was Arrested and Released on Bond Last Week
Trump was arrested on Aug. 25 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and extradited to Georgia, where he was booked into the Fulton County jail. He was fingerprinted, photographed, and released on a $200,000 bond posted by a local bail bondsman. The conditions of his release include a prohibition against making any direct or indirect threat against anyone involved in the case or against the community or its property.
Trump is also facing criminal charges in three other cases related to his conduct before and after the 2020 election. He was indicted in New York for allegedly paying hush money to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him. He was indicted in Florida for allegedly leaking classified information to a journalist. And he was indicted in Washington D.C. for allegedly inciting the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denounced them as politically motivated witch hunts. He has also maintained that he won the 2020 election by a landslide and that it was stolen from him by widespread fraud.