Trump indictment in Georgia: Trump asks for case to be severed from others; pleads not guilty

Former President Donald Trump will not appear in court next week in connection to the indictment that he and 18 others tried to overturn the 2020 Georgia presidential election results.

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Trump entered a not-guilty plea in Fulton County Court on Thursday.

He filed a waiver of arraignment, which you can read below or click here.

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Update 1:54 p.m. EDT Aug. 31: The former president has also asked the court to sever his case from the 18 other co-defendants, CNN reported. Trump’s attorneys claim that they will not have enough time to prepare for his case if the trial is held on Oct. 23 and that forcing that date would “violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law.”

He is not the only one asking to have their cases split from the 19 total cases. Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro also asked to have their cases separated from the others, CNN reported.

Original report: Trump and 18 others are charged in a 41-count indictment that alleges that they tried to overturn the 2020 Georgia election results.

Here are the charges Trump and 18 co-defendants are facing in Georgia

The accused face several charges including violation of the Georgia RICO Act, conspiracy to commit and filing false documents,

What is Georgia’s RICO law and how does it apply to Donald Trump’s case?

Trump had been scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on the charges on Sept. 6. He was supposed to be the first of more than a dozen co-defendants to appear, starting at 9:30 a.m., but despite the scheduling, it was expected that he would waive his right to appear when the schedule was announced earlier this week.

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He is not the only defendant to waive their right to appear. His former campaign attorney Sidney Powell also entered a not-guilty plea this week, as did Ray Smith and Trevian Kutti, CNN reported.

Those who do not waive their right to appear should be in court next week as planned.

Trump and the rest of the co-defendants had all been arrested and booked in the Fulton County Jail last week, CNN reported. All but Floyd had been released shortly after being processed. The judge overseeing the case said that Floyd posed a flight risk and had a risk of committing additional felonies if released, CNN reported. Floyd said he voluntarily surrendered when he argued he was eligible for bail.

Trump was released after agreeing to a $200,000 bond, but denies any wrongdoing, calling the case a political “witch hunt,” Bloomberg reported.

No trial date has been set, but Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has asked for it to be scheduled for all 19 people on Oct. 23. Trump’s legal team has opposed that date, CNN reported.

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