Donald Trump was noticeably absent at Wednesday, September 6th’s arraignment at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is facing election-interference charges. But it wasn’t anything unexpected, as he actually told supporters earlier this month that he wouldn’t attend the arraignment because of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision to allow all hearings and a possible trial to be televised and live-streamed on the Fulton County Court’s YouTube channel. Yikes!
The 77-year-old former president is accused of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, filing false documents, making false statements, and asking a public official to violate their oath of office so he could remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election. He has pleaded not guilty to 13 state charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the Georgia results of the election while participating in a “criminal enterprise.”
Donald Trump Explains Why He Refused To Attend Georgia Arraignment
On Monday, September 4th, Trump went into more detail about why he wouldn’t appear at the arraignment on Wednesday, September 6th in a fundraising email obtained by the New York Post, in which he begged supporters to make a contribution to "defend our movement from the never-ending attacks."
He expressed his unhappiness, shall we say, over his court proceedings in Atlanta, Georgia being live-streamed in the email, and asked: "Why would I fly down to Atlanta just to hear over a dozen FALSE CHARGES brought against me on live TV? A judge ruled that all of my court proceedings in Atlanta will be TELEVISED for the entire country to watch."
"The Communist Democrats would love nothing more than for me to be stuck in court in a televised spectacle as a way to keep me off the campaign trail," he went on, adding, "But I refuse to play into the Left’s hands. That’s why I have waived my in-person formal arraignment and simply pleaded 'NOT GUILTY' to the indictment in the Georgia witch hunt."
Instead of appearing in person at the Fulton County Court on Wednesday, September 6th, Trump chose to sign a formal not guilty plea (the fourth time he has pleaded not guilty to criminal charges this year) on court documents. As per CNN, who provided an in-depth rundown of what happened on Wednesday, all 19 defendants in the racketeering case, including Trump, pleaded not guilty, and waived their right to an in person arraignment.
