First Fulton County defendant pleads not guilty in Georgia 2020 election interference case
By Sara Murray and Jason Morris, CNN
(CNN) — Ray Smith, one of the 19 defendants in the election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, has waived his arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty, according to a new court filing.
Smith is the first defendant in the case to enter a plea.
“It is counsel’s understanding that by filing this waiver of arraignment, prior to the arraignment date, that Mr. Smith and the undersigned counsel are excused from appearing at the arraignment calendar on September 6, 2023,” the filing states.
Smith, an attorney for Trump’s 2020 campaign in Georgia, faces a dozen counts in the sprawling racketeering case brought earlier this month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, including a number of conspiracy and false statement charges.
Smith participated in a Georgia Senate hearing in December 2020 where he falsely alleged widespread fraud and voting irregularities and argued that the results “must be vacated and cannot be allowed to stand.”
In the indictment, prosecutors allege that Smith made false statements at that hearing about illegal voting by felons and dead people.
The remaining 18 defendants in the case, including former President Donald Trump, will be arraigned in Fulton County on September 6, according to court filings.
It’s not clear whether Trump or the co-defendants will appear in person for the arraignment. The court often allows arraignments via Zoom, or defendants can waive their arraignment appearances if the judge allows. It is also unclear at this point if cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
CNN’s Devan Cole and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
