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MIAMI (Reuters) – Former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal criminal charges that he illegally kept national security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.
Trump’s plea, which was filed before US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in federal court in Miami, sparks a legal battle that is likely to continue over the coming months as he campaigns to regain the presidency in a short space of time. November 2024 elections. Experts say it could take a year or more before a trial takes place.
Trump was allowed to leave the court without conditions or travel restrictions and was not required to provide a cash guarantee. Goodman ruled that Trump was not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case.
The Associated Press reported that Walt Nauta, a former Trump aide who is also charged in the case, has also pleaded not guilty.
The session was closed to cameras and live broadcasts.
This was Trump’s second courtroom visit in recent months. In April, he pleaded not guilty to formal charges in New York arising from hush-hush payments to a porn star.
Trump is the first former president to be charged with federal crimes.
Supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats and carrying American flags chanted “Miami for Trump” and “Hispanics for Trump” as the procession stopped outside the courthouse. A man could be heard shouting “United States! United States!”
Authorities prepared for possible violence, recalling the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters there weren’t any security problems.
Trump has repeatedly declared his innocence and accused Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him. He called the special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, a “Trump hater” on social media on Tuesday.
“One of the saddest days in the history of our country. We are a nation on the decline!!!” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social shortly before his motorcade left the Trump Doral Hotel for the courtroom.
Smith accuses Trump of taking risks National Secrets By taking thousands of sensitive papers with him when he left the White House in January 2021 and storing them haphazardly at his Mar-a-Lago Florida home and golf club in New Jersey, according to a grand jury indictment released last week.
The photos included in the indictment show boxes of documents stored on stage, in the bathroom and scattered across the floor of the storage room.
The indictment said those records included information about the secret US nuclear program and potential vulnerabilities in the event of an attack.
The 37-count indictment alleges that Trump lied to the officials who tried to get them back.
The indictment also alleges that Trump conspired with Naota to keep her classified documents and hide them from a federal grand jury. Naota has worked with Trump in the White House and at Mar-a-Lago.
Republican and opponent voters are lining up behind Trump
Recent events have not affected Trump’s hopes of returning to the White House. After his indictment, Trump was scheduled to travel from Miami to a golf club in New Jersey, where he was scheduled to speak.
Trump’s legal troubles did not hurt his standing with Republican voters.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed that Trump still leads his rivals for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election by a wide margin, and that 81% of Republican voters see the accusations as politically motivated.
Most of Trump’s Republican challengers for the nomination have stood behind him and accused the FBI of political bias, in a sharp shift from the party’s traditional support for law enforcement.
One of those candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy, said outside a Miami court that he would pardon Trump if elected.
The Espionage Act was mentioned in the charges against Trump
Trump faces charges that include violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the unauthorized possession of defense information, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
This is the maximum sentence he faces, as he will serve any penalties simultaneously if convicted.
Legal experts say the evidence amounts to a strong case, and Smith said Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday, would have a “expedited” trial.
Trump appointed the judge assigned to the case, Eileen Cannon, in 2020 and issued a ruling in his favor during the investigation last year that was overturned on appeal. Goodman, the justice of the peace who conducted Tuesday’s hearing, is not expected to play an ongoing role in the case.
Experts say complications with handling classified evidence and legal maneuvering by Trump’s lawyers could delay the trial by more than a year.
Meanwhile, Trump is free to campaign for the presidency and could take office even if he is found guilty.
Trump accuses Biden of orchestrating the federal case to undermine his campaign. Biden has kept his distance from the case and declined to comment on it.
In his first presidential run in 2016, Trump called for the jailing of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for using a private email while he served as secretary of state, prompting chants of “lock her up” at campaign rallies. Then-FBI Director James Comey criticized Clinton for negligence but did not recommend criminal charges.
Trump’s plea, which was filed before US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in federal court in Miami, sparks a legal battle that is likely to continue over the coming months as he campaigns to regain the presidency in a short space of time. November 2024 elections. Experts say it could take a year or more before a trial takes place.
Trump was allowed to leave the court without conditions or travel restrictions and was not required to provide a cash guarantee. Goodman ruled that Trump was not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case.
The Associated Press reported that Walt Nauta, a former Trump aide who is also charged in the case, has also pleaded not guilty.
The session was closed to cameras and live broadcasts.
This was Trump’s second courtroom visit in recent months. In April, he pleaded not guilty to formal charges in New York arising from hush-hush payments to a porn star.
Trump is the first former president to be charged with federal crimes.
Supporters wearing Make America Great Again hats and carrying American flags chanted “Miami for Trump” and “Hispanics for Trump” as the procession stopped outside the courthouse. A man could be heard shouting “United States! United States!”
Authorities prepared for possible violence, recalling the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters there weren’t any security problems.
Trump has repeatedly declared his innocence and accused Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him. He called the special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, a “Trump hater” on social media on Tuesday.
“One of the saddest days in the history of our country. We are a nation on the decline!!!” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social shortly before his motorcade left the Trump Doral Hotel for the courtroom.
Smith accuses Trump of taking risks National Secrets By taking thousands of sensitive papers with him when he left the White House in January 2021 and storing them haphazardly at his Mar-a-Lago Florida home and golf club in New Jersey, according to a grand jury indictment released last week.
The photos included in the indictment show boxes of documents stored on stage, in the bathroom and scattered across the floor of the storage room.
The indictment said those records included information about the secret US nuclear program and potential vulnerabilities in the event of an attack.
The 37-count indictment alleges that Trump lied to the officials who tried to get them back.
The indictment also alleges that Trump conspired with Naota to keep her classified documents and hide them from a federal grand jury. Naota has worked with Trump in the White House and at Mar-a-Lago.
Republican and opponent voters are lining up behind Trump
Recent events have not affected Trump’s hopes of returning to the White House. After his indictment, Trump was scheduled to travel from Miami to a golf club in New Jersey, where he was scheduled to speak.
Trump’s legal troubles did not hurt his standing with Republican voters.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed that Trump still leads his rivals for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election by a wide margin, and that 81% of Republican voters see the accusations as politically motivated.
Most of Trump’s Republican challengers for the nomination have stood behind him and accused the FBI of political bias, in a sharp shift from the party’s traditional support for law enforcement.
One of those candidates, Vivek Ramaswamy, said outside a Miami court that he would pardon Trump if elected.
The Espionage Act was mentioned in the charges against Trump
Trump faces charges that include violations of the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the unauthorized possession of defense information, and conspiracy to obstruct justice, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
This is the maximum sentence he faces, as he will serve any penalties simultaneously if convicted.
Legal experts say the evidence amounts to a strong case, and Smith said Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday, would have a “expedited” trial.
Trump appointed the judge assigned to the case, Eileen Cannon, in 2020 and issued a ruling in his favor during the investigation last year that was overturned on appeal. Goodman, the justice of the peace who conducted Tuesday’s hearing, is not expected to play an ongoing role in the case.
Experts say complications with handling classified evidence and legal maneuvering by Trump’s lawyers could delay the trial by more than a year.
Meanwhile, Trump is free to campaign for the presidency and could take office even if he is found guilty.
Trump accuses Biden of orchestrating the federal case to undermine his campaign. Biden has kept his distance from the case and declined to comment on it.
In his first presidential run in 2016, Trump called for the jailing of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton for using a private email while he served as secretary of state, prompting chants of “lock her up” at campaign rallies. Then-FBI Director James Comey criticized Clinton for negligence but did not recommend criminal charges.
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