Donald Trump arrives in DC court to face criminal charges

Former US President Donald Trump has arrived at a Washington DC courthouse for his third appearance as a criminal defendant in four months.

Mr Trump will be fingerprinted and then appear in court on charges of conspiring to obstruct and overturn the 2020 election result.

The former president, 77, is expected to indicate a non-guilty plea.

He travelled to court in a large motorcade alongside Secret Service agents and media.

Mr Trump travelled to Washington on his private plane, known as Trump Force One, from his residence in New Jersey.

The new allegations laid out early this week in an indictment, or charge sheet, included a count of “conspiracy to impair, obstruct, and defeat the federal government function through dishonesty, fraud and deceit”.

Thursday’s arraignment at Elijah Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse is scheduled for 16:00 local time (21:00 BST). Mr Trump will appear before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya, while another judge, Tanya Chutkan, will handle the criminal trial.

The Republican politician has already been charged in two other cases: with mishandling classified files and falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to a porn star.

Trump lawyer John Lauro has called the latest indictment an attack on free speech and said: “There’s nothing more protected under the First Amendment [the right to free speech] than political speech.”

But Mr Barr, who quit the top job in the US legal system shortly after Joe Biden won that election in November 2020, said free speech is not a valid defence.

“They are not attacking his First Amendment right. He can say whatever he wants, he can even lie. He can even tell people that the election was stolen when he knew better,” Mr Barr told CNN.

Mr Trump, who is running for re-election, has criticised what he said was “corruption, scandal, and failure” after the latest charges were revealed.

A group of supporters waving Trump campaign flags assembled outside the courthouse. Anti-Trump demonstrators were also present.

After his arraignment, Mr Trump is expected to immediately return to Washington Reagan National airport and head home to New Jersey.