Originally published June 13, 2023 12:15 pm PDT
Former President Donald Trump was processed and fingerprinted at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, ahead of his initial arraignment on Tuesday.
President Trump pleaded not guilty in the federal court to criminal charges that he risked disclosure of defense secrets and obstructed the government’s efforts to reclaim classified documents he took with him upon leaving office, The New York Times reported.
“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, told the magistrate judge overseeing the hearing.
Although he wasn’t technically arrested, as he responded to a court summons, he was booked as part of the protocol.
Trump is facing a 37-count indictment arising from a federal probe into classified documents allegedly discovered at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The former president, expected to make a not-guilty plea, arrived at the federal courthouse for his hearing scheduled for 3 p.m.
Once the court session concludes, the former president will reportedly return to his home in New Jersey, where he intends to make a public statement later in the evening.
En route to the booking, the former President took to his Truth Social app to share his sentiments about the situation.
“ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA” Trump declared on the platform.
In a previous post, he lamented, “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!”
Amid a substantial police presence, groups of pro-Trump protesters gathered outside the courthouse to express their unwavering support for the former president.
Trump rode to court with his son Eric, who accompanied the motorcade from the former president’s Doral resort to the federal courthouse in Miami, The Associated Press reported.
Despite the legal predicament he’s facing, Trump continues to express his defiance and maintains his innocence.
The coming weeks and months will provide a clearer picture of the direction this case is taking.
