Trump pleads not guilty to all 37 charges in classified documents case

 

Former President Donald Trump, center, flanked by his defense attorneys, signs his bond in federal court on Tuesday in Miami. Trump plead not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at his Florida estate.

The indictment alleges that Trump was personally involved in packing the documents as he left the White House in 2021, that he bragged about having secret materials and caused his own lawyer to mislead the FBI about what kind of papers he had stored at Mar-a-Lago. His aide Walt Nauta has also been indicted for concealing documents and for making false statements. Nauta did not enter a plea Tuesday.

Latest News in US, Trump says he is innocent and that he's being unfairly targeted by prosecutors because he's running for president again. His Republican allies in Congress are echoing these claims of bias in the Justice Department.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by the Justice Department to oversee an independent investigation of Trump, defended the work of his team and the FBI in remarks last week. "We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone," he said. The former president appeared in court Tuesday for processing. Trump was booked, a procedure that included digital fingerprints. However, he was not in handcuffs, nor was his passport surrendered or travel limits placed on him.

During the hearing, attorneys for Trump and the government went back and forth over communication with potential witnesses in the case. Ultimately, it was agreed that the government will provide a list of witnesses that Trump is not allowed to communicate with about the case — that's likely to include Nauta.

Outside the courtroom, law enforcement had prepared for crowds of up to 50,000 people, but in the end, only about a thousand Trump supporters gathered to show their support for the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner. Crowds remained largely peaceful.

Trump spent the remainder of the afternoon making his case to supporters

Today News in US, Trump spent the remainder of his afternoon surrounding himself with supporters, a sign he's determined to win at least in the court of public opinion. Shortly after departing the courthouse, his convoy made an unannounced stop at Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood.

Smiling, Trump shook hands with dozens of people inside the restaurant. At one point he shouted, "food for everyone" as the crowd cheered and chanted "USA!"

Trump then continued on to Bedminster, N.J., where he delivered remarks to a crowd gathered for a fundraiser at his golf club. Over the course of 30 minutes, Trump repeated his grievance that the the investigation was evidence of a corrupt administration weaponizing justice.