ATLANTA – According to court documents, former Trump attorney Sidney Powell and another defendant entered a plea of not guilty in the Georgia case of election interference on Tuesday.
Powell’s lawyer submitted a waiver for arraignment to Fulton County Superior Court, informing the judge that she “hereby waives any formal arraignment” and entered a plea of not guilty on each charge of the Indictment.
Powell, who was one of Trump’s attorneys after he lost the election to Joe Biden is accused of racketeering and conspiracy to commit election fraud. He has also been charged with conspiracy to steal computers, trespass, invasion of privacy, and conspiracy to defraud state.
Prosecutors alleged that the computer-related charges were related to an attempt to improperly access voting devices in rural Coffee County.
Trevian Kutti also pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, one of the 19 defendants that were charged earlier in the month by Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis.
Kutti was the former publicist of Kanye, the artist who used to be known as Ye. She is charged with racketeering for allegedly participating in a campaign to pressure Ruby Freeman, a poll worker falsely accused of fraud, into making false statements.
She waived formal charges as well.
Both Powell and Kutti already posted bonds in this case. Powell’s bail was set at $100,000, and Kutti’s $75,000
Ray Smith, a lawyer, who represented Trump in Georgia 2020 cases, and was charged with organizing a slate “alternative” presidential electors, became the case’s first defendant to enter not guilty plea on Monday.
On Sept. 6, the 16 other defendants — including former president Donald Trump — will be arraigned.
Trump denies any wrongdoing, and claims he is the victim of an investigation that’s politically motivated.
Kenneth Chesebro is one of those defendants who will be going to trial on October 23. A judge has granted him his request for speedy trials. In the judge’s order, it was stated that “[a]t present, these deadlines don’t apply to any other co-defendant.”
In a separate filing on Monday, the DA’s office requested that the judge clarify what he intended with this order and whether he plans to separate Chesebro’s case from all the others. Powell has also filed a request for a speedy court trial.
The filing stated that “the State maintains that severance at this time is inappropriate and that all defendants should be tried together. But at a minimum, the Court must set the trial of Defendant Powell and any other defendants who may submit a request for accelerated trial on the same day as that of Defendant Chesebro,” it said.
Willis originally proposed a trial date of March 4. Trump said that all criminal cases brought against him should be postponed until after the 2020 election.
Charlie Gile reported on the news from Atlanta and Dareh Gregory from New York.
