Donald Trump to appear in court to face charges over January 6th Capitol riots

US

Donald Trump is due to appear in court to face charges over involvement in the January 6th Capitol riots.

He is set to be arraigned at the federal court in Washington DC, where he will be given the opportunity to plead not guilty.

Increased security measures have been put in place around the court building, which is situated close to the US Capitol building, the focus of rioting on 6 January 2021.

Trump is due to appear at 4pm local time.

Read the full indictment here

The judge overseeing his case is the Obama-appointed Judge Tanya Chutkan.

MARCH 2nd 2023: The United States Department of Justice says former President Donald Trump is not entitled to immunity from civil lawsuits over the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building. - MAY 19th 2021: The United States House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill to create a special commission to investigate the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Building. - File Photo by: zz/STRF/STAR MAX/IPx 2021 1/6/21 QAnon Shaman Jake Angeli is seen as The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. was breached by thousands of protesters during a "Stop The Steal" rally in support of President Donald Trump during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. The demonstrators were protesting the results of the 2020 United States presidential election where Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden. While there was a significant police presence attempting to keep the peace - including law enforcement officers and agents from The U.S. Capitol Police, The Virginia State Police, The Metropolitan Police of The District of Columbia, The National Guard, and The FBI - demonstrators used chemical irritants to breach the interior of The Capitol Building. This, while the Democratic Party gained control of The United States Senate - sweeping the Georgia Runoff Election and securing two additional seats. (Washington, D.C.)
Image:
Pic: AP

She is no stranger to January 6th cases – indeed, she is known for handing down stiff sentences to Capitol rioters, at one point calling the event “an assault on the American people”.

More on Donald Trump

She has also ruled against Trump before in a separate January 6 case.

In November 2021, she refused his request to block the release of documents to the US House of Representatives’ January 6 committee by asserting executive privilege.

Prosecutors say Trump pushed unproven fraud claims he knew were untrue, pressured state and federal officials – including Vice President Mike Pence – to alter the results and finally incited the Capitol assault in a bid to undermine US democracy and cling to power.

Read more:
QAnon Shaman says Donald Trump charges may backfire
The case against Donald Trump
Could Donald Trump end up in jail after latest charges?

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Does Donald Trump mean what he says?

The four-count, 45-page indictment accuses Trump, who is again running for president, of trying to subvert the will of the people at the 2020 election.

He faces three charges of conspiracy – one to defraud the United States, another to obstruct the January 6th certification of an official government proceeding and a third against the people’s’ right to vote and have that vote counted.

A fourth charge relates to the obstruction of an official proceeding.

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