Former US President Donald Trump will stand trial in Washington today, Thursday. Trump is expected to deny charges of trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
For the ex-president of the United States and the candidate for the Republican presidential nomination For Donald Trump four new criminal charges have been laid this week.
The charges are related to the investigationwhich explores the Trump campaign’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The charges will be read today, Thursday, at 16:00 local time, i.e. 23:00 Finnish time, at the federal court in Washington. Trump is expected to plead not guilty. The start time of the actual trial is unknown.
This story tells what Trump’s latest criminal trial is all about.
What is Trump accused of this time?
The indictment by the new charges include conspiring to violate civil rights and defraud the federal government by attempting to overturn the election result, as well as obstructing and attempting to obstruct an investigation.
The new charges were announced on Tuesday.
Thursday’s hearing is just one of a number of ongoing federal and state criminal investigations against Trump.
What is Trump’s defense strategy?
Trump’s expected to dispute all charges.
Trump may also resort to to a similar defense strategy as in the Miami hearing in June. Trump and his legal team probably appealing again to the so-called political chase.
The legal process discussed in June in Miami is related to the handling of secret documents after the end of Trump’s term in office. It was the first time a sitting president was indicted for federal crimes.
The criminal investigation related to the election result may be even more significant than the historic trial in Miami, CNN write.
What makes the indictments read today remarkable is that one of the indictments concerns events that millions of Americans watched live. So it’s about the takeover of the Congress building in the epiphany of 2021. More than a thousand people were arrested because of the attack.
Trump is suspected of inciting his supporters to attack Congress through his social media posts.
During the upcoming trial, attorneys are likely to appeal among other things by appealing to freedom of speech.
of The New York Times according to Trump is probably at the same time trying to divert public attention from the sitting president’s own crimes Joe Biden of a boy Hunter Biden to tax crimes.
How is the trial progressing?
Special Prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice Jack Smith has studied events related to the congress takeover for two years. Dozens of witnesses have been interviewed during the investigation.
Trump is expected to arrive at the federal courthouse in Washington from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, by private jet.
The charges for the attempt to overturn the election result will be read to Trump today, Thursday. Trump is expected to deny the charges. The judge also announces the conditions under which Trump can wait for the trial on a free foot.
It is possible that as a result of the trial, Trump will be found guilty of abuse of office in his attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election.
However, it may be a long way before the verdict is made public, as even the actual start date of the trial is not clear.
It is estimated that the pronouncement of the verdict in the legal case related to the secret documents, which was processed in June, may be delayed even after the presidential election.
Like the previous ones during the hearing of the lawsuits, Trump supporters are expected on the streets on Thursday.
How can the latest criminal indictment affect Trump’s support?
Among Republican supporters, Trump’s numerous lawsuits do not currently appear to undermine Trump’s chances of winning the presidential primaries.
Ex-President Trump is still the clear favorite among Republican voters to be the party’s presidential candidate next year, even though his approval rating dropped in July.
Trump was supported as the party’s candidate of The New York Times about 54 percent of Republicans, according to a poll released this week.
The second-ranked governor of Florida Ron DeSantis received about 17 percent support. Other primary candidates’ approval ratings among Republicans are in the 2-3 percent range.
White House Correspondent, Reporter Franco Ordoñez evaluate NPR’s in the interview that Trump’s position may still change in the eyes of the general public if it is found that his actions have weakened democracy in the United States.
Trump’s opponents are likely to use Trump’s legal troubles as an argument that Trump is unfit for the presidency.
Sources: New York Times, CNN, NPR, Reuters