Updated June 15, 2023
- Walt Nauta, Trump's co-defendant and aide, is expected to appear in court on June 27 to enter a plea for himself. After that, there will be status conferences and procedural matters until the trial begins.
- Trump's legal team could submit procedural protests, such as motions alleging selective prosecution, that could delay the trial potentially until after the 2024 election.
- Trump's legal team is still up in the air, as two of his lawyers quit the day the indictment was unsealed. Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche, who represented the former president at the arraignment hearing on Tuesday, are expected to continue standing by Trump.
Updated June 13, 2023 4:00pm EST
- Trump pleaded not guilty to the federal charges related to hoarding classified documents in his Mar-a-Lago resort.
- According to Reuters, Walt Nauta was not arraigned because he did not have a local attorney representing him.
Updated June 13, 2023, 12:00pm EST
- Trump is due in court in Miami today to face his 37-count indictment, which accuses him of holding classified documents after leaving the White House. His appearance represents the first time a president of the U.S. has been put on criminal trial.
- Reporters and spectators await Trump's arrival outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. courthouse. During his arraignment, Trump is expected to plead not guilty.
- Trump called for supporters to meet him in Miami on Truth Social, posting:
"SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!"
- After today's court appearance, the former president is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks.
Updated June 12, 2023
- During a campaign rally in Georgia on Saturday, Trump denied any wrongdoing and fought against the charges he faces. He told Republican residents:
"This is a political hit job. Republicans are treated far different at the Justice Department than Democrats."
- He claimed that his indictment was "election interference" and an abuse of power by the Biden administration. These were the former president's first remarks since the DOJ released the indictment.
- Trump was joined by Walt Nauta, his personal aide, who faces six counts related to obstruction and concealment.
- Trump's former Attorney General Bill Barr criticized him and his supporters who say he is being mistreated and targeted in the case against him. Barr said:
"This idea of presenting Trump as a victim here, a victim of a witch hunt, is ridiculous. Yes, he's been a victim in the past. Yes, his adversaries have obsessively pursued him with phony claims. And I've been at his side, defending against them when he is a victim. But this is much different. He's not a victim here."
Updated June 9, 2023, 3:30pm EST
- The Justice Department revealed Trump's indictment includes seven federal charges and 38 counts: 31 counts associated with withholding national defense information, five counts related to concealing possession of classified documents, and two counts of false statements. Read the full indictment here.
- The documents say Trump illegally held documents concerning U.S. nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies to military attacks, and "plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack."
- The documents were packed in boxes along with clothes, gifts, photographs, and other materials and shipped to Mar-a-Lago by the General Services Administration.
- Additionally, the prosecutors revealed that Trump caused his lawyers to falsely certify a statement for the Justice Department.
- Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought the case, said in remarks on Friday:
"We have one set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone."
- Trump told Fox News that he’s “totally innocent” and the indictment is “election interference at the highest level" and he will plead not guilty.
What's the story?
- Former President Donald Trump was officially indicted on Thursday by the Justice Department, accusing him of mishandling classified documents he kept upon leaving office and obstructing the government's efforts to retrieve them.
- According to two people close to the matter, the former president faces seven federal charges, including willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements, and a conspiracy to obstruct justice.
- Trump is expected to surrender to authorities on Tuesday. The Justice Department has yet to publicly comment on the indictment, which was handed by a grand jury in Miami's Federal District Court.
- Fox News Digital reported Trump would plead not guilty.
The case
- Last year, the FBI removed 11 sets of classified documents, including some labeled top secret, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.
- In 2018, then-President Trump signed a law making it a felony to take and retain classified documents.
What they're saying
- Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy said on Twitter:
"I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable."
"Trump's apparent indictment on multiple charges arising from his retention of classified materials is another affirmation of the rule of law. For four years, he acted like he was above the law. But he should be treated like any other lawbreaker. And today, he has been."
- On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said:
"This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America. I am an innocent man. I did nothing wrong."
The big picture
- This is the first time a former U.S. president has faced federal charges. The indictment comes around two months after Trump was charged with 34 felony counts in a New York court for falsifying business records in the Stormy Daniels case, where he became the first former U.S. president in history to be criminally charged.
- Trump also pleaded not guilty to April's case, the first of two arraignments he's faced this year.
Do you think Trump is guilty?
-Jamie Epstein
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Donald pretty much admitted he was guilty on talk show after talk show, at his rallies and on twitter. Basically, he says he did it , that it was his "right" to do so. Many have said, that this is a "Sad Day" for our country. I would submit that embracing a narcissistic, meglomaniac with a nefarious past as a CANDIDATE for president was a "Sad Day". MAKING him "presdent" was a travesty and actully holding him accountable for his mis-deeds is cause to celebrate.
Following the innocent till proven guilty rule, it looks really bad. Paperwork detailing our military vulnerabilities? Our nuclear program? These are our highest level secrets. Remember, he was asked to return documents and refused. It's that action on his part that resulted in this.
Read it for yourself.
https://www.scribd.com/document/651858608/The-United-States-of-America-vs-Donald-Trump-and-Waltine-Nauta#from_embed
We are living in unprecedented times! The current administration is weaponizing our justice system. The report on the Russian hoax is evidence enough of that and the silence from the media in not demanding justice. I've read that every ex president could be charged with possesing documents that aren't considered unclassified! We as Americans should all be afraid, we are heading for trouble as a nation
Two of Trump's lawyers, including Jim Trusty, have resigned! I guess the rats are bailing on the sinking ship...
He is a New York gangster. His father was a New York gangster. I would never, ever turn my government over to such a criminal!
Umm, if Trump is guilty I'd say Biden is as well. Such a double standard.
Of course, it doesn't matter what I think. I'm not the judge, and I'm not the jury. But he basically admitted it.
Trump breaks the law everyday and admits to it.
I'm not Republican or Democrat. I vote for the person who will do the best job. But I know I live n a blue state who will always vote blue just because their parents do or they know very little or none at all. It's not because you know what's going on with Trump. You will dislike him just because you don't like him.
If you love Trump or hate him. You have to admit this is a scam. The charges are nothing Biden has done with Classified classified classified"Top Secret documents. In his garage, next to his corvette, as he said, there are other things they are accused Trump of doing, Biden was found to be getting money from Hunter from his time working in Ucrakran and China having jobs he knew nothing to do the jobs he was supposed to be doing. He was giving people to his dad from him to help them get to his dad, the Vice President. But the DOJ said they were innocent on Everything!? That's wrong!
The Dems have become absolute wimps! They have been silent for 6 plus years in the face of bozo and his clowns dominating the airways constantly drumming in their lies and alternative reality
the ONLY way to counter is to make equal or more noise and drown the other side out - just reality!
chris christy is proving this up and within a couple of weeks has flatly exposed bozo for what he really is 'a petulant baby'
now imagine if this and other phrases defining bozo would have been on the airwaves for a few years EVERY DAY for shallow brains to assimilate subliminally!?
he certainly would not have the entrenched following he has today
so dems you have failed and only have yourselves to blame
learn from your debacles and start speaking up every hour every day!
If bozo is not sent to jail before the end of this year
if bozo is only given home detention
AMERICA has failed and proved its no different than a tin pot state and IS NOT A COUNTRY OF LAW & ORDER
shame on congress
shame on scotus
There is little question of Trump's guilt. He has admitted it. The question in my mind is judge Aileen Cannon. She seems to think her conservative/religious opinions should matter here.
Of course he is guilty as everyone knows, unless your one of the Republicans who have fallen for his lies, or unless your one who is trying to win an election by pretending they belive his lies thinking this might help by get his verification to become elected to office.
I feel that our justice system is on trial. The evidence that Trump is guilty seems overwhelming. If he is not convicted and incarcerated for a long time in a maximal security prison, then we are no longer a country based on the rule of law. If he is found innocent, every person now serving time for violations of laws regarding security should be immediately released
This is National Security. Lives are at stake.His own words are more than enough to convict him.Its treason.
He is not gulty at all
Judge Aileen Cannon MUST RECUSE herself from the Trump Classified Documents case as per 38 U.S. Code §455 - Disqualification of Justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States; shall disqualify him or herself in any proceeding, in which his, or her impartiality might be reasonably question.
Since Trump has appointed her to the bench, integrity says she may not be indebted to anyone she presides over. Causing favoritism or perceived bias.
Show me the GOP has Any Integrity left. I don't think you have it in you to insist on her recusal.
~AND JUSTIVE FOR ALL.
Donald J. Trump should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! Hopefully, we can charge and convict him on orchestrating an insurrection on our U. S. Capitol on Jan. 6 of 2021. Once we secure these convictions, this will disqualify Trump for holding the Office of the Presidency ever again.
By his own admission, he is GUILTY. Now he is trying to spin things that he was allowed to take them. The only people who will believe him are his serious supporters and those who still believe in SANTA.
If even 1/10 of the evidence against Trump is true he should be thrown in prison for the next 20 years.
And on another note Chuck Assley Grassley Should be sued for liable and held in contempt of Congress for spreading bullshit lies in Congress (which are now proven to be bullshit lies) about fictitious tapes of a bribe scheme with Joe Biden. How can Assley Grassley be allowed to spew absolute bullshit in Congress and then turn around and say oh well maybe it is all bullshit. I am so sick of the republican party in their crap what the hell is wrong with them. It's a constant flow of made up, lied up, F'ed-up crap. I truly believe that the Republican Party is doomed. It will disintegrate under its own weight of the lying and bullshit.
No one should be above the law.
Seriously? Lock him up already! Stop making excuses for the toddler!
I highly doubt that Trump would keep documents that had nuclear data and other high profile information.
Trump may have had documents on Hunter and likely Clinton. Why else would they go this far to arraign a former President? Oh ya... cause Biden is afraid he will LOSE again!
The evidence is obvious and NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW
The Witch Hunt continues, only problem is, The Witches are behind all of this and EVERYTHING they accuse Trump of is Something They have done or Are doing.
RINOS are in for a big surprise soon. We The People have had ENOUGH of this insnaity!
Uniparty members will find themselves behind bars, Not President Trump. Traitors!