Former US President Donald Trump has been arrested along with his close aide Walt Nauta, at the federal courthouse in Miami, as reported by CNN. Trump has pleaded not guilty against the charges of stockpiling classified documents that contained confidential military information while also obstructing the government in the retrieval of those documents.
Trump was released an hour later after the court proceedings on the precondition that prohibits him from discussing the case with co-defendant Walt Nauta, a former US Navy petty officer and valet, who was also arrested and facing six counts in the arraignment. The former US President was also allowed to leave the court without any travel restrictions and was considered a non-risk for taking flights by the prosecutors.
Following his arrival, Donald Trump underwent swift processing and presented himself before a magistrate judge at 3 pm ET. During the court proceedings on Tuesday, Trump was booked by deputy marshals, who recorded his fingerprints electronically.
As per CNN, the criminal charges filed against Trump in US Justice Department’s classified documents mishandling case can increase the legal troubles for him as the front-runner Republican candidate for the 2024 Presidential elections.
Donald Trump facing 37 counts of felony charges
Donald Trump, the former President of the United States, is confronting 37 felony charges that accuse him of unlawfully preserving national defense information and concealing documents in violation of witness-tampering laws during the US Justice Department’s investigation into those materials.
The indictment also charges Walt Nauta, a close aide to Trump, alleging that both individuals conspired to impede the federal investigation. Nauta is scheduled to appear in court as well. Donald Trump and Nauta, left for the courthouse in separate vehicles. “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!,” Trump said on social media before leaving for court. We are a declining nation.
Trump prohibited communicating directly with witnesses, no travel restrictions
The judge instructed the prosecutors to compile a roster of potential witnesses whom former US President Donald Trump is prohibited from communicating with directly regarding the case, except through legal representation. The judge did not impose any travel restrictions on the defendants. Trump’s legal team, during the hearing at the federal courthouse in Miami, requested a trial by jury. Trump’s attorney explicitly stated, “We unequivocally plead not guilty.”
Following the conclusion of the court hearing, Trump paid a visit to Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami. Inside the establishment, the former US President was encircled by numerous supporters, engaging in handshakes and taking photographs with them. Trump said, “Food for everyone,” to the applause of the diners. A few of his followers even sang him “happy birthday” as his birthday is on Wednesday.
Donald Trump’s attorneys lambast the ‘weaponization of criminal justice system’
One of Trump’s attorneys blasted the legal system outside the Miami courthouse and mocked what she called a “two-tiered system of justice.” She called the Trump indictment an “unapologetic weaponization of the criminal justice system.”
Alina Habba, Trump’s lawyer while speaking in a press briefing outside the courthouse said, “Today is not about Donald J. Trump, who is defiant,” she said. “It is not about the Republican Party. It is not about the 2024 election. It is about the destruction of the long-standing American principles that have set this country apart for so long.” she further added.
Alina Habba compared the former US President’s indictment to “the type of thing you see in dictatorships.” She said, “What is being done to President Trump should terrify all citizens of this country” and added, “This is not our America,”
Habba responded to a query on Trump’s emotional state by saying, “he’s defiant.” She said that Trump is “not a flight risk” and he is going through a process coordinated with Secret Service and everything will be handled “seamlessly.”
