Trump Jan. 6 case gets its first hearing since the Supreme Court's immunity ruling
Lawyers for the Justice Department and former President Donald Trump are set to appear in federal court in Washington on Thursday for what could be the final hearing in his election interference case before the November election.
This year, voters will decide the race for the presidency — and, by extension, whether Trump will ever face justice on charges that he led overlapping conspiracies to try to cling to power.
A D.C. grand jury indictment accused Trump of actions that culminated in the violent siege at the U.S. Capitol in early 2021. If he regains the White House, Trump is expected to direct new Justice Department leaders to drop the landmark case.
Trump will not appear in person at the courthouse, steps away from the Capitol crime scene. Instead, he's scheduled to give a midday campaign speech at the Economic Club of New York. He has authorized his lawyers to plead not guilty to "each and every count" in a new superseding indictment from special counsel Jack Smith.
Trump said in a court filing this week that he has reviewed the four felony charges with his attorneys, Todd Blanche and John Lauro.
The task ahead for U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is not an easy one. The conservative Supreme Court supermajority gave Trump and future presidents blanket immunity for actions at the core of presidential powers.
Retooled allegations from Justice Department
Last week, prosecutors retooled the allegations against Trump, scrapping language that mentioned his bid to use the Justice Department to advance phony claims of election fraud. They also removed references to what top Justice Department and White House officials told Trump about the 2020 presidential election, to steer the case toward Trump's role as a political