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Former President Donald Trump was indicted for a third time on Tuesday on charges stemming from his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump is set to appear in court this week for arraignment on the new federal charges, adding to an already busy schedule of upcoming court appearances.
Trump was indicted on four charges related to the 2020 election Tuesday: conspiracy to defraud the United States; two counts related to obstruction of the vote certification; and conspiracy to violate civil rights.
On Thursday, Aug. 3, Trump will make an initial court appearance in Washington, D.C. The prosecution will lay out the charges against Trump. A judge in the case will also set bail conditions in the case.
“The Biden Justice Department has had three years to investigate this. To take President Trump to trial in 90 days, of course, is absurd,” said Trump defense attorney John Lauro telling NBC’s “Today” show, as he also said, “Why don’t we make it equal?”
The judge will present a schedule for the case, including dates for pretrial motions and discovery, according to The Guardian.
The Guardian notes that Trump’s resume now includes being impeached twice, arrested twice and indicted three times.
NPR reports that Trump’s initial court appearance Thursday will be in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya.
After the initial appearance, the 2020 election case will be presided over by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was nominated to the position by former President Barack Obama.
The New York Post reported that Chutkan has been tough on Jan. 6 rioters, represented controversial company Theranos and has a connection to Hunter Biden.
Chutkan was randomly selected to be the judge in Trump’s latest court case. The Associated Press previously labeled Chutkan as the “toughest punisher” when it came to parties charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
The sentences Chutkan handed down to rioters were tougher than the Justice Department requested in some cases and saw all defendants jailed, including cases where the prosecution was not seeking jail time.
Chutkan worked at Boies Schiller Flexner from 2002 to 2014, a law firm that Hunter Biden worked at from 2009 to 2014. While it is unknown if Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, and Chutkan ever directly interacted with each other, it could be a topic of discussion ahead of the trial.
With the court appearance set for Thursday and future dates related to the new indictment set to be added, the legal calendar for the former president is growing.
The Guardian laid out a list of court dates for Trump for 2023 and 2024, which come as the former president is busy campaigning for the GOP nomination in the 2024 White House race.
The list of dates is likely to grow and could set up a busy year-and-a-half for Trump ahead of the 2024 election as he is expected to appear in court in New York and Miami.
Trump is more than likely to appear in court in Washington and Atlanta as his legal woes continue to mount.
Produced in association with Benzinga
Edited by Alberto Arellano and Newsdesk Manager
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