Former U.S. President Donald Trump asserted his innocence today, Thursday, against a wide-ranging criminal indictment in Georgia concerning his attempts to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election. In a document submitted to the Fulton County Superior Court, Trump stated, "As evident from my signature below, I deny this official accusation and declare that I am not guilty regarding the indictment in this case." This plea indicates that Trump will not personally appear in court next week to face the charges. Trump is the leading candidate for the Republican Party nomination for the 2024 presidential race.
The indictment includes 13 criminal charges, including extortion, related to his pressure on state officials to overturn his 2020 election loss and his alleged preparation of false voter lists to undermine Congress's certification of Democratic President Joe Biden's victory. Prosecutors in Fulton County aim to commence the trial in October.
In a 98-page indictment in Georgia, Trump and 18 other defendants face a total of 41 criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. This Georgia case marks Trump's fourth indictment; he is also facing a trial in New York in March regarding payments made to silence a pornographic actress and a federal trial in Florida involving mishandling classified documents. Additionally, he is charged in a federal court in Washington with unlawfully attempting to overturn his 2020 election defeat. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all criminal cases and may spend much of the upcoming year in court.
