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By Newsmax-Eric Mack/AP/TJV)
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging he hoarded classified documents detailing sensitive military secrets and schemed to thwart government efforts to get them back.
Trump appeared before a judge in Miami’s federal courthouse on Tuesday in a stunning moment in American history days after he became the first former president charged with federal crimes.
Former President Donald Trump was arrested and processed in his first court appearance Tuesday after being indicted on 37 charges related to retaining national-defense information under the Espionage Act of 1917.
FOX NEWS: Polling shows Republicans are rallying around President Trump post-indictment. pic.twitter.com/labJduIBgz
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) June 13, 2023
“The targeting prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela.”
🚨MUST WATCH: Trump attorney Alina Habba speaks outside the Miami courthouse. pic.twitter.com/HZ8xettnQq
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 13, 2023
“Defiant,” Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Habba told Newsmax, when asked how Trump was feeling. The indictment is the first in U.S. history of a former president.
Donald Trump received a tremendous amount of support outside the Miami Courthouse. A lot of American voters view today’s Trump Arraignment as a sham. America stands with Trump!
pic.twitter.com/UArUBgxxyB— Charles R Downs (@TheCharlesDowns) June 13, 2023
Trump will be digitally fingerprinted and have his birthdate and Social Security number taken as part of the booking process, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told The Associated Press. Trump is appearing in court to answer special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment, which alleges violation of the Espionage Age and other process crimes.
The spokesman said the former president will forgo a mugshot because enough photos of him already exist in the system — confirming what a person familiar with negotiations around the proceedings said earlier.
The spokesman said that booking could take place before Trump appears in court or afterward, depending on when he arrives. He said authorities did not plan to immediately alert the media once Trump had arrived.
Trump reportedly did not get a mug shot taken during his processing for his Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s indictment earlier this spring.
Free Donald Trump 🔥🔥🔥
Great Job @LauraLoomer ❤️ pic.twitter.com/zw96O63hdw
— Freedom 🇺🇸🦅 (@PU28453638) June 13, 2023
Security was tight outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson federal courthouse Tuesday ahead of the former president’s court appearance.
Trump supporters were gathering hours before the appearance — far outnumbered by the hundreds of journalists from the U.S. and around the world who have converged on downtown Miami.
The case against him is historic but does not prohibit Trump from continuing his 2024 presidential campaign.
“This is an election interference” spoke @LauraLoomer outside of Miami Federal Court “If he wins he can pardon himself”
Trump is scheduled to be arraigned later today pic.twitter.com/oeCGuI2AAo
— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) June 13, 2023
After the court appearance, where he could be arraigned and file his not guilty plea, Trump planned to fly to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to give an address and host a Trump campaign fundraiser.
The Trump campaign has set a $2 million goal for the fundraiser, which intends to line up big-dollar bundlers for his presidential run, Axios reported Monday.
Trump’s campaign has intensified his fundraising efforts in the meantime, including an email Tuesday morning with the subject line: “My last email before my arraignment.”
Information from the AP was used as background for this report.
