Washington — Former President Donald Trump is set to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in federal court in Washington, D.C., on charges related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results, his first appearance in the latest case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump’s arraignment is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET. While cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, CBS News will have live coverage from reporters on the scene and analysis of all the developments as events unfold.
A federal grand jury hearing evidence in Smith’s investigation approved a historic indictment on Tuesday charging Trump with four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.
The 45-page indictment accuses Trump and six unnamed co-conspirators of pursuing several schemes to block the transfer of power to Joe Biden after Trump lost the 2020 election, culminating in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The indictment alleges Trump knew his claims of widespread voter fraud were false but “repeated and widely disseminated them anyway — to make his knowingly false claims appear legitimate, create an intense national atmosphere of mistrust and anger, and erode public faith in the administration of the election.”
Trump has denounced Smith’s probe as politically motivated and denies any wrongdoing. He is expected to enter a not guilty plea in U.S. District Court in Washington.