Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in court today to be formally arraigned on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election, in what marks his third – and potentially most serious – criminal case.
The former president was indicted on four charges by a grand jury hearing evidence in special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation in efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol riot. The indictment also described six unnamed co-conspirators, now believed to be identified.
Mr Trump was ordered to make an initial appearance at the E Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington DC at 4pm. The case has been assigned to US district judge Tanya Chutkan, a Barack Obama-appointee.
Mr Trump has railed against the indictment and is calling for the “fake” case to be moved out of Washington DC where he claims it is “IMPOSSIBLE to get a fair trial”.
In a late-night Truth Social post, he shared an ominous black and white video featuring his voiceover saying: “This is the final battle.”