Former President Donald Trump is set to make his first appearance in federal court in Washington, DC, on Thursday in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of January 6.
Trump was indicted by a Washington, DC, grand jury on Tuesday on four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights, in relation to the January 6 capitol riots.
Trump is set to appear at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse at 4:00 p.m. U.S. Secret Service announced there “may be short term traffic implications” arising from Trump’s court appearance.
Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said:
While the Secret Service does not comment on specific protective means or methods, we have the utmost confidence in the dedication and commitment to security shared by all of our law enforcement and government partners. We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police and the Federal Protective Service to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for the former president, while minimizing disruptions to the normal court process.
Statement on DC security preparations for Thursday. There may be short term traffic implications due to protectee movements so please monitor this account and @DCPoliceTraffic for latest info. pic.twitter.com/fDc9UbnWmQ
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) August 2, 2023
Smith’s latest indictment marks the former president’s third indictment in six months. In March, the Manhattan district attorney charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records. In June, Smith charged Trump with 37 counts over his handling of White House documents.
However, Smith charged Trump with new counts in the White House documents case last week. Trump’s arraignment on Smith’s superseding indictment is set for August 10 at a Florida federal courthouse.
In the January 6 case, U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya will handle Thursday’s hearing, but Judge Tanya Chutkan will preside over the remainder of the case.
Chutkan was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2014 by former President Barack Obama. Chutkan donated to Obama’s campaign multiple times and is well known for handing out some of the harshest sentences for January 6 defendants, as Breitbart News reported.
Smith announced he will seek a “speedy trial” in the January 6 case against Trump to ensure the Department of Justice’s “evidence can be tested in court and judged by a jury of citizens.”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at
