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Trump strikes threatening tone after arraignment: ‘ IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!’

Comes after the president’s new ‘not guilty’ plea

Eric Garcia
Friday 04 August 2023 18:10 EDT
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Donald Trump’s January 6 arraignment: As it happened

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Former president Donald Trump lashed out at authorities on Friday afternoon, a day after his arraignment on four charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

On Thursday, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to four charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

At times, Mr Trump appeared to stumble over his words during his appearance at the E Barrett Prettyman Courthouse.

During his arraignment on Thursday, Mr Trump was ordered to refrain from discussing the case with any witnesses without the presence of legal counsel. The former president’s bellicose rhetoric could create additional legal headaches for him.

On Friday, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to new charges to the new 40-count superseding indictment against him for a separate case against him in South Florida. Prosecutors alleged that Mr Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta conspired with Mar-a-Lago worker Carlos De Oliveira to have footage from the club deleted to prevent it from going to a grand jury.

But Mr Trump appeared to display no contrition on Friday afternoon in an all-caps post on Truth Social.

“IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!” the former president said.

Prosecutors also charged Mr Trump with specifically possessing a classified document that he allegedly showed to people at his club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Mr Trump’s campaign denounced the indictment, calling it “nothing more than a continued desperate and flailing attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their Department of Justice to harass President Trump and those around him.”

-Andrew Feinberg contributed reporting

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