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Washington: Donald trump He arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of a history-making appearance in a federal court on dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally storing classified documents and thwarting justice management efforts to recover them.
Trump’s appearance on Tuesday afternoon in Miami marked the second time since April he faced a judge on criminal charges. But unlike the New York case that some legal analysts derided as relatively frivolous, the first Justice Department trial of a former president involved conduct that prosecutors say endangered national security, with the Espionage Act charges carrying the potential for a significant prison sentence.
Ahead of his trial date, he and his allies were stepping up their efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and mobilize protests. He ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Justice Department special counsel who brought the case, calling Jack Smith “deranged” as he repeated without any evidence his allegations that he was the target of political persecution. Even as his supporters accuse the Justice Department of using a gun against him, he vowed on Monday to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if Trump is elected to a second term.
Trump landed in Miami around 3 p.m. Monday and got into a waiting SUV. He was expected to meet with his advisers before his court appearance, as he looks to set up additional lawyers after his departure ahead of the indictment last week of two lawyers who have handled the defense for several months.
He has encouraged his supporters to join a planned protest at a Miami courthouse Tuesday, where he will face charges and surrender to authorities.
“We need strength in our country right now,” Trump said Sunday, speaking to longtime friend and advisor Roger Stone in an interview with WABC Radio. They should go out and protest peacefully. They have to get out.”
“Look, our country has to protest. We have so much to protest against. We’ve lost everything.”
He also said there were “absolutely no” circumstances under which he would leave the 2024 race, as he has been in control of the Republican primary.
Other Trump supporters rallied to his defense with similar language, including Carrie Lake, the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate for Arizona who said bluntly over the weekend that if prosecutors wanted to “get to President Trump,” they’d have to “go” through me, And 75 million Americans are just like me. And most of us are NRA members with cards.”
Trump’s calls for the protest echoed warnings he made before he appeared in a New York court in April, where he faces charges stemming from hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign, though he complained that those who showed up to protest were “far too far” . Which no one knew about them, and such a case, he plans to address his supporters in a speech on Tuesday evening, hours after his court date.
After his court appearance, he will return to New Jersey, where he has scheduled a press event to respond publicly to the charges against him. He will also hold a special fundraiser.
Trump supporters were also planning to load up on buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida, alarming law enforcement officials who were bracing for the possibility of unrest around the courtroom. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the city will be ready, and Police Chief Manuel A. Morales said the city center could see anywhere from a few thousand to 50,000 demonstrators. He said the city will divert traffic and possibly close streets depending on the size of the crowd.
“Make no mistake about it,” Morales said. “We take this event very seriously. We know there is potential for things to take a turn for the worse but that is not the case in Miami.”
On Friday, the Justice Department unveiled an indictment charging Trump with 37 criminal counts, 31 of which relate to willful retention of national defense information. Other charges include conspiracy to commit obstruction and false statements.
The indictment alleges that Trump knowingly kept hundreds of classified documents that he took with him from the White House to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House in January 2021. The items he stored, including in the bathroom, ballroom, and the indictment included, Bedroom and shower, material on nuclear programs, the defense and weapons capabilities of the United States and foreign governments, and the Pentagon’s “Plan of Attack”. Prosecutors said the information, if disclosed, could jeopardize military personnel, confidential human sources and information-gathering methods.
Moreover, prosecutors say, he sought to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the documents, including by directing a personal assistant Walt Naut – who has been charged on Trump’s side – for moving the boxes to hide them and also suggesting to his lawyers to hide or destroy documents that a subpoena requires from the Justice Department.
Some fellow Republicans have sought to press the case that Trump is being treated unfairly, citing the Justice Department’s decision in 2016 not to indict Democrat Hillary Clinton for handling classified information through a private email server she relied on as secretary of state. But these arguments ignore that FBI investigators found no evidence that Clinton or her aides intentionally violated laws related to classified information or obstructed the investigation.
Speaking Sunday on CBS News, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said there was a “huge difference” between the two investigations, but that “it needs to be explained to the American people.”
Earlier this month, the Justice Department told former Vice President Mike Pence that it would not file charges over the existence of classified documents at his home in Indiana. An independent Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified records in President Joe Biden’s home and office is ongoing, although, as in the Clinton case, no evidence has emerged of intentional obstruction or breach of the law.
Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, offered a grim assessment of Trump’s predicament, saying on Fox News that Trump had no right to keep such sensitive records.
Barr said of the allegations: “Even if it’s half true, then it’s a toast. I mean, it’s beautiful—it’s a very detailed indictment, and it’s very, very damning. And the idea of presenting Trump as the victim here—the victim of a witch-hunt is ridiculous.”
Trump’s appearance on Tuesday afternoon in Miami marked the second time since April he faced a judge on criminal charges. But unlike the New York case that some legal analysts derided as relatively frivolous, the first Justice Department trial of a former president involved conduct that prosecutors say endangered national security, with the Espionage Act charges carrying the potential for a significant prison sentence.
Ahead of his trial date, he and his allies were stepping up their efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and mobilize protests. He ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Justice Department special counsel who brought the case, calling Jack Smith “deranged” as he repeated without any evidence his allegations that he was the target of political persecution. Even as his supporters accuse the Justice Department of using a gun against him, he vowed on Monday to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if Trump is elected to a second term.
Trump landed in Miami around 3 p.m. Monday and got into a waiting SUV. He was expected to meet with his advisers before his court appearance, as he looks to set up additional lawyers after his departure ahead of the indictment last week of two lawyers who have handled the defense for several months.
He has encouraged his supporters to join a planned protest at a Miami courthouse Tuesday, where he will face charges and surrender to authorities.
“We need strength in our country right now,” Trump said Sunday, speaking to longtime friend and advisor Roger Stone in an interview with WABC Radio. They should go out and protest peacefully. They have to get out.”
“Look, our country has to protest. We have so much to protest against. We’ve lost everything.”
He also said there were “absolutely no” circumstances under which he would leave the 2024 race, as he has been in control of the Republican primary.
Other Trump supporters rallied to his defense with similar language, including Carrie Lake, the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial candidate for Arizona who said bluntly over the weekend that if prosecutors wanted to “get to President Trump,” they’d have to “go” through me, And 75 million Americans are just like me. And most of us are NRA members with cards.”
Trump’s calls for the protest echoed warnings he made before he appeared in a New York court in April, where he faces charges stemming from hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign, though he complained that those who showed up to protest were “far too far” . Which no one knew about them, and such a case, he plans to address his supporters in a speech on Tuesday evening, hours after his court date.
After his court appearance, he will return to New Jersey, where he has scheduled a press event to respond publicly to the charges against him. He will also hold a special fundraiser.
Trump supporters were also planning to load up on buses to head to Miami from other parts of Florida, alarming law enforcement officials who were bracing for the possibility of unrest around the courtroom. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the city will be ready, and Police Chief Manuel A. Morales said the city center could see anywhere from a few thousand to 50,000 demonstrators. He said the city will divert traffic and possibly close streets depending on the size of the crowd.
“Make no mistake about it,” Morales said. “We take this event very seriously. We know there is potential for things to take a turn for the worse but that is not the case in Miami.”
On Friday, the Justice Department unveiled an indictment charging Trump with 37 criminal counts, 31 of which relate to willful retention of national defense information. Other charges include conspiracy to commit obstruction and false statements.
The indictment alleges that Trump knowingly kept hundreds of classified documents that he took with him from the White House to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House in January 2021. The items he stored, including in the bathroom, ballroom, and the indictment included, Bedroom and shower, material on nuclear programs, the defense and weapons capabilities of the United States and foreign governments, and the Pentagon’s “Plan of Attack”. Prosecutors said the information, if disclosed, could jeopardize military personnel, confidential human sources and information-gathering methods.
Moreover, prosecutors say, he sought to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the documents, including by directing a personal assistant Walt Naut – who has been charged on Trump’s side – for moving the boxes to hide them and also suggesting to his lawyers to hide or destroy documents that a subpoena requires from the Justice Department.
Some fellow Republicans have sought to press the case that Trump is being treated unfairly, citing the Justice Department’s decision in 2016 not to indict Democrat Hillary Clinton for handling classified information through a private email server she relied on as secretary of state. But these arguments ignore that FBI investigators found no evidence that Clinton or her aides intentionally violated laws related to classified information or obstructed the investigation.
Speaking Sunday on CBS News, New Hampshire Republican Gov. Chris Sununu said there was a “huge difference” between the two investigations, but that “it needs to be explained to the American people.”
Earlier this month, the Justice Department told former Vice President Mike Pence that it would not file charges over the existence of classified documents at his home in Indiana. An independent Justice Department investigation into the discovery of classified records in President Joe Biden’s home and office is ongoing, although, as in the Clinton case, no evidence has emerged of intentional obstruction or breach of the law.
Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, offered a grim assessment of Trump’s predicament, saying on Fox News that Trump had no right to keep such sensitive records.
Barr said of the allegations: “Even if it’s half true, then it’s a toast. I mean, it’s beautiful—it’s a very detailed indictment, and it’s very, very damning. And the idea of presenting Trump as the victim here—the victim of a witch-hunt is ridiculous.”
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