WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump on Monday revealed why he didn’t appear at his Georgia arraignment last month on election-tampering charges — citing his outrage over cameras in the courtroom.
“Why would I fly down to Atlanta just to hear over a dozen FALSE CHARGES brought against me on live TV?” raged Trump — who faces 13 counts in just the latest of four criminal indictments against him — in a fundraising e-mail.
“A judge ruled that all of my court proceedings in Atlanta will be TELEVISED for the entire country to watch,” Trump said.
“The Communist Democrats would love nothing more than for me to be stuck in court in a televised spectacle as a way to keep me off the campaign trail.
“But I refuse to play into the Left’s hands. That’s why I have waived my in-person formal arraignment and simply pleaded ‘NOT GUILTY’ to the indictment in the Georgia witch hunt,” he said.
Trump, 77, is accused of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, conspiracy, filing false documents, making false statements and asking a public official to violate their oath of office so he could remain in power despite losing the 2020 presidential election.
On Thursday, he signed a court document pleading not guilty, opting to enter his plea on paper instead of in-person before a judge at arraignment.
While he did not make a public statement afterward, his campaign team issued the e-mail, quoting Trump’s exasperation with Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling last week to let media record the court proceedings in the case.
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In the fundraising message, Trump asked his supporters to “please make a contribution to peacefull defend our movement from the never-ending attacks,” before adding a caveat: “If you’re doing poorly due to the very sad state of our country right now, then don’t even think about donating!”
The money-making email also included a screenshot of the former president’s signature on the court document used to enter his plea.
The court paper, written by his lawyers, refers to him by his preferred title: “President” Donald Trump.
The inclusion of the formal title comes after he was reportedly “irked” that a judge overseeing his arraignment last month in DC District Court referred to him as “Mr. Trump,” dropping the formality to which he’s become accustomed.
Since then, his lawyers have typically referred to him as “President Trump,” “my client” or “the defendant” in court proceedings.