Former president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges of illegally trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia, and also sought to sever his case from other defendants.

Trump surrendered last week on charges filed by Fulton County Distict Attorney Fani Willis in which he is accused of illegally scheming to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia. Filed under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, (RICO), the case charges Trump with 13 counts including soliciting a public officer to violate their oath, conspiring to impersonate a public officer, conspiring to commit forgery in the first degree and conspiring to file false documents. Other defendants in the case include former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, as well as former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Trump’s filing means he won’t have to show up for an arraignment hearing that Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had set for Sept. 6. Several of the other people charged in the indictment had already waived arraignment in filings with the court, as well. Also on Thursday, Trump’s attorneys also asked Judge McAfee to separate his case from those of defendants (lawyers Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell) who have asked for an expedited trial, scheduled to start on Oct. 23. Attorney Steve Sadow said in a court filing that it gives Trump less than two months to prepare a defense, and would “violate President Trump’s federal and state constitutional rights to a fair trial and due process of law.” 

Editorial credit: agilard / Shutterstock.com