During an appearance on MSNBC on Saturday, Guardian correspondent Hugo Lowell revealed that Donald Trump had initially made plans to show up for his arraignment in Georgia but then decided he didn't want to get up so early in the morning to fly to Atlanta.
Like many of the defendants in the far-reaching RICO case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, on Thursday the former president pleaded not guilty and waived his right to appear in an Atlanta courtroom on Wednesday.
Speaking with MSNBC host Alex Witt, Lowell reported that the former president had planned to make it into a media event with an appearance followed by a press conference, but changed his mind at the prospect of getting at 6 a.m. to make it on time for the scheduled 9:30 a.m. arraignment.
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"Trump entered his not guilty plea on Thursday morning that he's not going be appearing because he scheduled from 9:30 and his team tells me he just didn't want to get up at 6 a.m. and go to Atlanta," Lowell explained. "That was what was driving Trump's decision."
"Are you saying, did any of your contacts there in Trump world, they suggested the president was willing to appear were it not for an early morning time slot?" the stunned Witt asked.
"I mean, there is some suggestion, some discussion, according to our reporting, about what Trump could do if he were to go," the Guardian journalist replied. "Discussions about maybe we could hold a news conference or some sort of event to get media coverage, which as you know is their primary objective. But I think the lack of feasibility there, plus the fact that Trump simply doesn't want to get up in the morning, is the major driver."
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MSNBC 09 02 2023 12 06 25youtu.be
