Former President Donald Trump will be arraigned Thursday on charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his involvement in the Jan. 6., 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential race, is set to appear at 4 p.m. ET at E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington.
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Read live updates on the arraignment:
Carla Herreria Russo
Artist Bill Hennessy / AP News
That’s A Wrap For Tonight!
We’re shutting down our live coverage of Trump’s historic arraignment for the night, but our coverage doesn’t end here.
Keep coming back to HuffPost to keep up with our reporters’ coverage of all three of Trump’s indictments.
If you need a refresher on each one — and we wouldn’t blame you if you did! — you can read a breakdown on all of Trump’s legal woes in the explainer below by HuffPost’s Lilli Petersen.
Here's Everything Donald Trump Has Been (And Maybe Will Be) Indicted For
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Taiyler S. Mitchell
Republicans Think D.C. Is Unfairly Biased Against Trump
Republicans are pushing for former President Donald Trump to be prosecuted in another region, claiming that the nation’s capital is unfairly biased against him, HuffPost’s Paul Blumenthal and Igor Bobic reported Thursday.
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Carla Herreria Russo
Associated Press
Lauro Complains Of Speedy Trial... Again
John Lauro, Trump’s attorney, once again complained of “speedy trial rights” on Tuesday evening, after he accompanied the former president in the courthouse.
In an interview with Fox News’ Laura Ingraham, Lauro said the charges against Trump are a “fast moving railroad without any concern for justice.”
"Speedy trial rights, are a defendant's speedy trial rights, a citizen's speedy trial rights, not the government,” Lauro told Ingraham. “The government has an obligation to ensure a fair trial.”
Lauro made a similar complaint after Trump’s indictment was announced, when special counsel Jack Smith said he would be seeking a “speedy trial so that our evidence can be tested in court and judged by a jury of citizens.”
At that time, Lauro said that taking Trump to court in 90 days was "absurd."
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Carla Herreria Russo
What It Looked Like Inside The Courthouse
This sketch by artist Bill Hennessy is the only image of what Trump looked like during the hearing due to the federal court’s ban on cameras inside the courthouse.
According to reporters, this sketch shows the moment Trump responded to the charges made against him by saying, “Not guilty.”
Trump in federal court today. Sketch by Bill Hennessy. pic.twitter.com/F0D1ZT1Dz4
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 3, 2023
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Shruti Rajkumar
Kent Nishimura via Getty Images
Trump Now Says It Was A 'Very Good Day,' Despite Hearing
Trump said on Truth Social that today was a “very good day” despite the arraignment and reiterated comments he made a few hours ago about the “filth” in Washington, D.C.
He shared his post Tuesday evening, despite having said it was a "very sad day for America" after leaving the courthouse earlier that day.
“CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT I HAD TO FLY TO A FILTHY, DIRTY, FALLING APART, & VERY UNSAFE WASHINGTON, D.C., TODAY, & THAT I WAS THEN ARRESTED BY MY POLITICAL OPPONENT, WHO IS LOSING BADLY TO ME IN THE POLLS, CROOKED JOE BIDEN, IT WAS A VERY GOOD DAY!” he said in the Truth Social post.
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Shruti Rajkumar
Capitol Police Officer Reacts To Trump Hearing: ‘Our Democracy Is Worth Fighting For'
Former Capitol Police officer Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was injured during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, released a statement reflecting on the events from two years ago and reacting to Trump’s arraignment.
“I risked my life defending everyone regardless of their political affiliation. That's what my colleagues did. I kept my oath to defend the Constitution ‘At home and abroad.’ That's what I did and that's what my law enforcement colleagues did on January 6, 2021,” he wrote in the statement.
He continued: “Our Democracy is worth fighting for. Not prosecuting is far riskier than having no consequences for the alleged power grab attempts. Justice and the rule of law must win for our democracy to survive.”
Gonell and other Capitol Police officers who defended the building on Jan. 6 attended today’s hearing. Harry Dunn, another former Capitol Police officer who was at the hearing, told CBS News that it was “good to see the road to justice being followed."
Former Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was injured on Jan. 6, shares this statement after attending today’s hearing, along with other officers, like Harry Dunn.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) August 3, 2023
“Not prosecuting is far riskier than having no consequences for the alleged power grab attempts,” Gonell says pic.twitter.com/LOO6O74mmu
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Taiyler S. Mitchell
Olivier Douliery/Getty Images
Trump Took Off Around 5:30 P.M.
The former president took off in his plane around 5:30 p.m. ET, NBC News reported.
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Damon Dahlen
Alex Brandon/AP
Trump Speaks To The Press
Trump speaks before he boards his plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
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Damon Dahlen
Win McNamee/Getty Images
And Away He Goes
Trump boards his plane after the arraignment.
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Carla Herreria Russo
Trump Says It's A 'Sad Day'
Before boarding his plane, Trump gave reporters a brief statement, claiming once again that the federal charges were a political “persecution.”
“This is a very sad day for America,” Trump said, before attacking the capital.
“And it was sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti,” he said.
Trump also claimed that he was being targeted because he was leading all of his opponents in the 2024 race for president.
“If you can’t beat them, you persecute them or you prosecute them,” he said.
He did not take any questions from reporters.
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Damon Dahlen
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
Trump Leaves Court
Trump's motorcade leaves the courthouse after his arraignment.
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Sanjana Karanth
Court Is Adjourned
The court hearing adjourned at about 4:42 p.m., according to reporters in the room. Trump was escorted out the back of the room, and his motorcade left the courthouse.
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Sanjana Karanth
Hearing Date And Conditions Of Release
Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya set Aug. 28 as the date of Trump’s first hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan.
According to The Guardian, the Justice Department was ordered to file a brief in seven days for a proposed trial date and how long it expects the case to proceed. Trump’s legal team must submit a response to that brief within seven days of its filing.
The conditions of Trump’s release, which were agreed upon by both sides, according to CBS News, include no new violations of federal law. Trump must also appear in court as required and sign an appearance bond. He will also be prohibited from communicating about the facts of the case to anyone he knows is a witness, except through his attorneys.
Conditions of release... agreed to by both sides - no violations of federal law. Must appear in court as required. Must sign appearance bond. Shall not communicate about the facts of the case to any individual known to the defendant to be a witness except through attorneys.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) August 3, 2023
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Sanjana Karanth
‘Good Afternoon, Mr. Trump’
According to reporters in the courtroom, the Justice Department is being represented by Thomas Windom and Molly Gaston. There was also an FBI special agent seated with them.
On the Trump side are attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche. Lauro said he moved for Blanche’s admission as an out-of-state lawyer.
When speaking to Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, Lauro said that “President Trump” is present.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Trump,” she responded.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 3, 2023Donald Trump's lawyer says, "President Trump" is present.
Judge Upadhyaya says, "Good afternoon, Mr. Trump." @MSNBC
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Shruti Rajkumar
Trump Pleads Not Guilty
Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy charges related to the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
Trump’s lawyer John Lauro went up to the podium to announce the plea, but Trump, who was standing beside him, was the one to say the words “not guilty,” Bloomberg’s Zoe Tillman reports.
Read more from HuffPost's S.V. Dáte.
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Shruti Rajkumar
Trump Was Seen Staring Down Special Counsel At The Courthouse
Trump was seen staring straight at special counsel Jack Smith while knocking his clasped hands on the table, ABC News’ Mike Levine witnessed at the federal court.
These aren’t the only intense glances between these two today.
Stunning moment per @MLevineReports watching in federal court Trump could just be seen staring right toward Smith, knocking his clasped hands on the table in a tense way.
— John Santucci (@Santucci) August 3, 2023
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Carla Herreria Russo
The Hearing Begins...
The hearing has officially begun now that Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya has taken her seat at the bench.
Shortly after, Trump was sworn in.
Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya is on the bench, hearing has begun
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) August 3, 2023
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Sanjana Karanth
Alina Habba Claims Trump Indictment Is 'Election Interference'
Trump attorney and senior advisor Alina Habba spoke to reporters outside the courthouse just minutes before the former president’s arraignment was expected to start.
Habba claimed that the Justice Department’s indictment of Trump is “election interference at its finest,” adding that the proceedings take the former president away from his 2024 campaign and distract from news related to Hunter Biden.
It should be noted that Trump is the one being accused of election interference after he pushed misinformation about the 2020 election in order to remain in power.
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Sanjana Karanth
Follow Our Reporters At The Courthouse
Some of our politics reporters are posted near the courthouse.
Arthur Delaney and Igor Bobic are reporting from near the court’s security perimeter, where garbage trucks appear to be parked as additional barriers. Delaney witnessed a motorcade pulling into the courthouse, and Bobic notes there are likely more television cameras than people on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Follow our reporters on the ground, as well as our White House correspondent Shirish Dáte.
I’m on the east side of the US District Court security perimeter and a motorcade just went in but our view was obstructed by garbage trucks parked as barriers pic.twitter.com/5nJaGL4xjX
— Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸 (@ArthurDelaneyHP) August 3, 2023
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Damon Dahlen
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
Trump Motorcade Arrives At Courthouse
Trump's motorcade arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse for his arraignment.
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