Donald Trump’s hearing at the Miami courthouse lasted 47 minutes. The former president pleaded not guilty to the 37 charges against him and left the facility, waving to supporters crowded outside. Special prosecutor Jack Smith was also present in the courtroom.
As was the case in Manhattan, the former president was temporarily placed in custody and had to do all the paperwork before appearing in court, but did not have to submit to a mugshot.
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What the charges against Trump are about
The 37 counts concern the mishandling of classified documents. Thus including 31 counts under a statute of the Espionage Act on the intentional retention of national defence information.
Other offences include charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements. According to investigators, Trump allegedly retained documents relating to ‘nuclear weapons in the United States’ and ‘nuclear capabilities of a foreign country’.
As well as documents relating to White House intelligence briefings. Including some detailing the military capabilities of the United States and other countries.
Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly showed the documents to people who did not have security clearance to examine them. And later tried to hide the documents from his own lawyers while trying to comply with federal requests to find and return the documents.
The most serious charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
The tycoon counterattacks
“I don’t feel I’m above the law, I’m the only one who abides by it,” Donald Trump told his supporters in Bedminster accusing US President Biden of having “hundreds of classified documents”.
And adding that “yet nothing happened to the corrupt Joe”. “My indictment is an evil and heinous abuse of power,” Trump said speaking to his supporters in Bedminster after a court appearance in Miami. Thus reiterating that the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago “found nothing”.
Biden’s reaction
Biden maintains silence on the indictment of Donald Trump. That is the order issued by Joe Biden to his closest aides, the Democratic Party and his campaign.
The US president’s directive, Politico reports, worries liberals. However, who hope for a rethink by Biden in the chaos in which the run-up to the 2024 elections should loom as a direct clash between him and Trump.
Pompeo, Trump wrong on secret cards
Donald Trump was ‘wrong’ about the secret papers at Mar-a-Lago. This was stated by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an interview with Fox.
“If the allegations are true, and a lot of them appear to be, Trump had classified documents that he shouldn’t have had and when he was given the opportunity to return them for some reason he didn’t,” Pompeo says, stressing that “this is not in line” with “a commitment to protect American soldiers.”
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