MIAMI, USA — In a federal courthouse in Miami, Florida on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents.
The charges include illegal retention of national defense information and concealing documents in violation of witness-tampering laws. Trump’s lawyers, led by Todd Blanche, asked for a jury trial during the arraignment.
Also indicted was Trump’s aide, Walt Nauta, who had his initial appearance on Tuesday but will not be arraigned until June 27.
Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ruled that Trump could not communicate with Nauta or potential witnesses in the case, except through counsel. However, no travel restrictions were placed on either defendant.
Both Trump and Nauta were released without financial or special conditions. Prosecutor David Harbach confirmed that the Justice Department does not consider either defendant a flight risk.
In addition to the obstruction conspiracy, Trump also faces four counts related to the concealment of the documents and a false statements charge. Each of these charges could potentially lead to several years in prison if Trump is convicted.
Before Tuesday’s arraignment, Trump was booked by deputy marshals, who took electronic copies of his fingerprints but did not take a mugshot.
This development significantly escalates the legal challenges facing Trump, who is considered a front-runner for the 2024 GOP nomination.
The former President also faces criminal charges brought by New York City’s local prosecutors for an alleged hush money scheme in the 2016 campaign in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records.
The case now moves into a series of pretrial proceedings, including potential disputes over the evidence presented before a jury and whether the case should be dismissed before going to trial.
The case has been assigned to US District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump nominee whose controversial decision last year to order a third-party review of an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago was later overturned by a conservative appeals court.
The Trump team may attempt to delay proceedings until after the 2024 election.
Ahead of the hearing, Trump posted on social media that this was “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!”
The case promises to be a long and dramatic judicial process, potentially playing out for years.
