Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to the 13 charges brought against him in a Georgia criminal case revolving around the 2020 election.
Trump also waived his arraignment, as allowed by Georgia law, scheduled for September 6 in Atlanta.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, previously filed an order that outlined the steps that must be taken to waive the arraignment.
Trump and his attorneys followed the steps outlined by McAfee and filed a Waiver of Arraignment.
“I have discussed the charges in the Indictment and this Waiver of Appearance at Arraignment with my attorney Steven H. Sadow, and I fully understand the nature of the offenses charged and my right to appear at arraignment,” stated the waiver request, per WFAA.
“Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court.”
“As evidenced by my signature below, I do hereby waive formal arraignment and enter my plea of NOT GUILTY to the Indictment in this case,” said Trump in the waiver, per Reuters.
Former Trump attorneys Ray Smith, Sidney Powell, and Jenna Ellis, along with Chicago-based publicist Trevian Kutti, have all pleaded not guilty and waived their arraignment as well, according to CBS News.
Rudy Giuliani and the other co-defendants who did not waive their right to arraignment are expected to appear in court on Wednesday.
Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney, also filed a motion requesting that Trump’s case be separated from the co-defendants who scheduled a speedy trial date of October 23.
“Respectfully, requiring less than two months preparation time to defend a 98-page indictment, charging 19 defendants with 41 various charges including a RICO conspiracy charge with 161 Overt Acts, Solicitation of Violation of Oath by Public Officer, False Statements and Writings, Forgery, Influencing Witnesses, Computer Crimes, Conspiracy to Defraud the State, and other offenses would violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law,” wrote Sadow in the motion.
To date, the only other defendant to schedule a speedy trial is Kenneth Chesebro, but Powell has also filed a demand and is awaiting results, according to WFAA.
Trump and the 18 other co-defendants in the case were arrested in Fulton County last week in connection to election interference charges from the controversial 2020 presidential election.
Secret Service agents went into the jail with Trump during the arrest process, and he was subsequently released on a $200,000 bond, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
It is currently unclear when Trump will appear in a Georgia court next, but Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suggested a trial date of March 4.
Willis’ proposal was denied as Trump’s federal election interference case is scheduled for that date, which is the day before Super Tuesday, according to The Dallas Express.