Former President Trump arrived at the federal courthouse in Washington on Thursday to be processed and face a judge for the first time on criminal charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results.
It is Mr. Trump’s third court arraignment in four months and will take place in the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse, just blocks from where he held a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, before his angry supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to block Congress from certifying President Biden’s election win.
Mr. Trump entered the courthouse through the courthouse’s underground loading dock so he could not be seen by the reporters and other people in the crowd outside.
Mr. Trump is expected to plead not guilty. Ahead of his appearance in court, he called for the trial to be moved from the heavily Democratic city to West Virginia, a state he carried with 68% of the vote in 2020.
The former president also called the charges against him “political interference!” He said Mr. Biden’s Justice Department was trying to derail his campaign for a return to the White House, a race in which he is far and away the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Security was heavy inside and outside the courthouse in downtown Washington.
Inside, Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies conducted a walkthrough of the building, including the courtroom where Mr. Trump was to face the judge.
Law enforcement agents with dogs also scoured the courthouse.
Before Mr. Trump’s arrival, U.S. Secret Services began security sweeps, including the second floor where Mr. Trump will appear before a federal judge. The probation office and pretrial services — where Mr. Trump was processed — are also on the second floor.
Outside the courthouse, D.C. police closed several streets surrounding the courthouse. Tow trucks hauled away cars parked inside the security zone.
Trucks with snow-plow blades blocked the streets. Steel barricades were lined up around the perimeter of the courthouse.
Mr. Trump will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadyaya, but future proceedings will be assigned to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, a 2014 appointee of President Obama.
A U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said Mr. Trump will not be handcuffed. However, Mr. Trump will have his fingerprints taken and be required to give his personal information, including his Social Security number and address.
There will be no mug shot because Mr. Trump’s picture is publicly available, according to the Marshals Service.
Mr. Trump traveled to Washington on Thursday from his summer home at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He faces a four-count federal indictment for conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
He is expected to enter a plea of not guilty, as he did in the federal government’s case in Florida alleging he illegally mishandled national security documents. Both cases were brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
Mr. Trump was also arraigned in New York after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted him for breaking state laws by falsifying business records when he paid hush money in 2016 to two women and a hotel doorman.
