Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges, including unlawfully retaining government secrets and conspiring to obstruct justice, in a federal courthouse in Miami. The indictment accuses Trump of personally packing the documents as he left the White House in 2021 and causing his lawyer to mislead the FBI about the type of papers he had stored at Mar-a-Lago. Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, has also been indicted for concealing documents and making false statements.
Trump claims innocence and argues that he is being unfairly targeted by prosecutors due to his intention to run for president again. Republican allies in Congress support his claims of bias in the Justice Department. Special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by the Justice Department to oversee an independent investigation of Trump, defended his team’s work and the FBI, emphasizing that the laws of the country apply to everyone.
During his court appearance, Trump was processed and booked but not handcuffed, and his passport was not surrendered, nor were travel limits imposed on him. As a condition of his release, he is prohibited from direct communication about the case with any witnesses. Law enforcement took measures to prevent incidents like the assault on the U.S. Capitol and reported no signs of large-scale and detailed planning by extremists.
Smith is seeking a speedy trial, potentially within 70 days. However, the involvement of classified documents may lead to questions about Trump’s lawyers’ authorization to access the material and whether Trump would use the documents in court.
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