Experts join WTOP to discuss Trump’s indictment on election interference charges

Former President Donald Trump was indicted with attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election. On Thursday, he pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.

What happens next? WTOP spoke to multiple political reporters that broke down what the case could entail.

‘Sad day for the country’

CBS News' Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett on Trump's indictment related to 2020 election interference

CBS News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett agrees with Trump that Thursday was a “sad day” for America, but for a different reason.

He said the case comes at a time when people are still trying to recover from the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

“This is the process of a country trying to come to grips with that day, and hold responsible the person who, the special counsel says, was central to setting in motion what happened on January 6, because he made a choice, a choice to fight for power when he was told over and over again, not by opponents, but by people he chose to work for him, that he had lost the election. He defied that advice,” Garrett said.

Trump’s body language in Washington

CBS' Scott MacFarlane on Trump's appearance in Washington court

Scott MacFarlane with CBS was in the courtroom to cover Trump both in Miami during his appearance in federal court in mid-June to face 37 counts related to the mishandling and retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, and during his appearance before a magistrate judge in the D.C. federal courthouse.

“You noticed him surveying the scene a little more today, looking at the crowd, making eye contact with people in the crowd,” MacFarlane said. “Among those in the crowd today were three of those officers who responded [on] January 6,” he said.

He said today’s session was delayed by 20 minutes and the judge kept Trump waiting.

“He was getting fidgety in the chair,” MacFarlane said. “I’m not sure when [was] the last time somebody made a former president sit around and wait idly.”

He said that the upcoming presidential race in 2024 plays a big part in the timing of this trial. That means there’s a timeline for the candidates.

“This is so clearly a race against the clock,” MacFarlane said. “It’s not just the biggest criminal prosecution in American history, but it’s obviously not happening in a vacuum. Every court date, every scheduling matter is going to be critical, as the Iowa caucuses are less than six months away and the general election is about a year away.”

Trial timing

POLITICO's Josh Gerstein on timing of the Trump trials

‘Moving quickly’

Stef Kight talking to WTOP on the timing of Trump's criminal indictments

Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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