Ray Smith pleads not guilty, first of 19 Fulton County defendants to enter plea

Ray Smith, a former lawyer for the Trump campaign, is the first of 19 defendants to enter a not guilty plea to charges in Fulton County, Georgia, accusing the group of plotting to thwart the state's 2020 election results.

An attorney for Smith filed a waiver of arraignment Monday indicating Smith will not appear as scheduled on Sept. 6, and entered not guilty pleas to each of Smith's 12 charges.

Smith and his co-defendants, who include former President Donald Trump, are accused of violating Georgia's racketeering law through an alleged scheme to overturn the election after President Joe Biden's victory in the state in 2020.