Former President Donald Trump recently headlines again, this time for pleading not guilty to 13 felony charges relating to his conduct in Georgia following the 2020 election.
What's more, Trump also waived his right to appear at his arraignment which is scheduled for next week.
According to NBC News, the former president entered his plea on Thursday in a filing at Atlanta's Fulton County Superior Court.
"Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court," it read.
In addition to Trump's case, the September 6 arraignment will also feature his 18 other co-defendants, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
While Trump's and Giuliani's arraignments are scheduled to take place at 9:45 a.m., the other 17 co-defendants will be arraigned at 10 a.m.
NBC News noted that the most serious charge faced by Trump and his co-defendants is found under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) Act and carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.
It asserts that the former president and his associates participated in a criminal enterprise aimed at trying to convince state legislators via false statements to appoint an alternate slate of electors to vote for Trump.
Steven Cheung serves as a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, and he told Fox News that the charges are politically motivated.
"President Trump continues to fight against the partisan, un-American tactics of Fani Willis, which are wrongfully designed to deprive President Trump of his Federal and Georgia State Constitutional rights, including, among others, the bedrock right to Due Process," Cheung was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Trump attorney Alina Habba voiced a similar message this past weekend during an interview with "Fox News Sunday" host Shannon Bream.
Trump attorney and spokesperson Alina Habba TURNS tables on DA Fani Willis and Dems trying to throw him in PRISON FOR LIFE:
"We know this is intentional. We're not concerned because we know the facts in these cases. It's definitely political. The motivation is now under… pic.twitter.com/HcrNWehXTX
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 28, 2023
"We know this is intentional. We're not concerned because we know the facts in these cases. It's definitely political," Habba told Bream.
