Trump indictment: Trump speaks to supporters, criticizes ‘election interference’

Former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea Tuesday at a federal courthouse in Miami following an indictment last week on charges he mishandled classified documents he took with him when he left the White House in 2021.

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Trump is facing 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, according to the indictment, and one count each of:

• Conspiracy to obstruct justice.
• Withholding a document or a record.
• Corruptly concealing a document or record.
• Concealing a document in a federal investigation.
• Scheming to conceal.
• Making false statements and representations.

Trump: ‘This is called election interference’

Update 8:58 p.m. EDT June 13: Former President Donald Trump, addressing supporters at his golf club in New Jersey, called his indictment and arraignment in Miami a “very sad thing to watch.”

Trump called the day “heinous and evil.”

“Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,” Trump said during a 30-minute speech at his New Jersey golf club. “Very sad thing to watch, a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he’s losing very badly.

“This is called election interference,” Trump said. “This day will go down in infamy.”

Trump added that he had a right to keep the documents under the Presidential Records Act, The New York Times reported.

“Many people have asked me why I had these boxes, why did you want them?” Trump said. He added that the boxes were “containing all types of personal belongings.”

“I’m not the one who thinks he is above the law,” Trump said. “I’m the one who followed the law.”

Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday, sarcastically called the proceedings a “great birthday president.”

“Yeah, happy birthday,” he said. “I did everything right and they indicted me.”

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump arrives at Bedminster golf club

Update 8:44 p.m. EDT June 13: Donald Trump’s motorcade arrived at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey around 8:40 p.m. EDT, The New York Times reported. He is scheduled to address supporters shortly.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump’s plane lands in Newark

Update 7:39 p.m. EDT June 13: The plane carrying former President Donald Trump landed at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey at about 7:35 p.m. EDT. Trump was returning from Miami and was scheduled to speak with supporters at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Indictment: Key evidence came from Trump’s attorney

Update 7:33 p.m. EDT June 13: Tuesday’s indictment filed against former President Donald J. Trump was based, at least partially, on the words of his own attorneys, The New York Times and The Washington Post reported.

The 37-count, 49-page federal indictment drew upon evidence made by one of Trump’s attorneys, Evan Corcoran, the Times reported. He was identified as “Attorney 1″ in the indictment, the Post reported, citing “a person familiar” with the situation.

Corcoran’s notes were first recorded into an iPhone and then transcribed on paper, according to the Times.

Trump’s attorneys fought against Corcoran having to testify in court, citing attorney-client privilege. Corcoran was later compelled to disclose his communications with the former president after a judge ruled that prosecutors were entitled to the information because Trump may have used his attorney to further a criminal act, the Post reported.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Man who blocked Trump motorcade questioned

Update 6:57 p.m. EDT June 13: Only one person was arrested in front of the Miami courthouse where former President Donald Trump was arraigned on Tuesday. He has not been booked into jail, according to police

The Secret Service and police in Miami are questioning a man who was wearing a striped prison suit and holding a sign that read “lock him up,” NBC News reported. The man, whose identity has not been released, stood in front of Trump’s motorcade as the former president left the courthouse.

The Secret Service said in a statement that the man was removed twice from the road on Tuesday.

“On both occasions, the individual was removed swiftly from the roadway by Miami police. His actions had no impact on the security of the protective movement and we thank the (Miami Police Department) for their partnership,” the Secret Service said in a statement.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Biden declines comment

Update 6:13 p.m. EDT June 13: During a White House reception for diplomats, President Joe Biden declined to comment on Donald Trump’s courtroom appearance, The New York Times reported.

“No,” the president said, according to CBS News. Biden has made a point not to comment about the case against Trump brought by the Justice Department.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Former president en route to New Jersey

Update 5:10 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump boarded his plane at 4:40 p.m., CBS News reported. He is set to leave Florida for Bedminster, New Jersey, where he will deliver remarks later Tuesday.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump thanks Miami for ‘warm welcome’

Update 4:50 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump thanked Miami in a post on Truth Social following his initial appearance in court on Tuesday.

“Thank you Miami,” the former president wrote. “Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!”

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Former president visits Cuban restaurant after court appearance

Update 4:45 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump made an unannounced stop Tuesday afternoon at a well-known Cuban restaurant in Miami after appearing in federal court for the first time in relation to his handling of classified records.

Supporters shouted their affection for the former president. At least 200 people were waiting for Trump outside the restaurant, according to The New York Times.

Trump is set to travel to New Jersey later on Tuesday, where he is scheduled to deliver remarks in the evening.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump, Nauta released on their own recognizance

Updated 4:10 p.m. EDT June 13: A judge on Tuesday ordered that Trump and his personal aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, be released on their own recognizance after they made their initial appearances in court, NBC News and The Guardian reported.

As a condition of their release, the judge barred Trump and Nauta from talking to witnesses about the case, according to The Guardian and The New York Times.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump leaves courthouse after initial appearance

Update 4 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump has left the federal courthouse in Miami where he appeared before a judge on Tuesday afternoon in connection with his handling of classified records.

The former president pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort. His personal aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, did not enter a plea on charges he faces in connection with the investigation.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Co-defendant, Trump aide Walt Nauta does not enter plea

Update 3:55 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump aide Waltine “Walt” Nauta did not enter a plea on Tuesday as he faces charges related to his boss’ handling of classified records, The New York Times reported.

Nauta asked for an extension on his arraignment, which is now set for June 27, according to the newspaper. He was not arraigned because he does not have a local attorney to represent him, Reuters reported.

The initial appearance for Trump and Nauta ended Tuesday afternoon after nearly 50 minutes, according to the Times. A spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the case against Trump, told the newspaper that he was also in the courtroom on Tuesday.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Prosecutor: Government does not consider Trump a flight risk

Update 3:30 p.m. EDT June 13: During an initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon for Trump and his aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, prosecutor David Harbach said that the government “does not view either defendant as a flight risk,” CNN reported.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In April, he launched a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump pleads not guilty

Update 3:05 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump entered a not guilty plea Tuesday during his first court appearance related to his handling of classified documents, according to multiple reports.

The former president put in his plea through one of his attorneys, The Washington Post reported.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump has entered courtroom for initial appearance

Update 2:55 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump has entered the courtroom at a federal courthouse in Miami where he is set to make his initial appearance before a judge at 3 p.m., according to The New York Times and Reuters.

Trump did not have a mug shot taken during his booking earlier Tuesday, CNN reported. His co-defendant, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, did have a mug shot taken, the news network reported.

Cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom as Trump’s initial appearance takes place.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

‘Today is not about President Donald J. Trump,’ spokesperson says

Update 2:50 p.m. EDT June 13: An spokesperson and attorney for Trump, who is not representing him in court proceedings in Florida, told reporters on Tuesday that the day was not about the former president but was instead “about the destruction of the longstanding American principles that have set this country apart for so long.”

“The people in charge of this country do not love America,” Alina Habba said, according to CBS News. “They hate Donald Trump. What we are witnessing today is the blatant and unapologetic weaponization of the criminal justice system.”

Habba claimed that recent years have seen the rise of “politically motivated prosecutors” who “have been quietly but aggressively cultivating a two-tiered system of justice, where selective treatment is the norm,” according to NBC News.

Trump has long claimed that he has done nothing wrong in his handling of classified records, pointing to others who have faced similar allegations to question his own treatment.

In 2016, the FBI cleared former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton following an investigation into her use of a personal email server during her time in office. Although officials determined she was “extremely careless” in her handling of potentially sensitive information, then-FBI director James Comey said investigators found no “clear evidence” to show she intended to break the law.

A federal investigation into classified records found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s house in Indiana ended earlier this month, with officials saying they did not plan to file charges related to the discovery. An investigation into classified records found at a former office in Washington used by President Joe Biden and at his home in Delaware remains ongoing.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump, aide Walt Nauta processed at courthouse

Update 2:20 p.m. EDT June 13: Authorities have booked Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, to face charges related to the former president’s handling of classified records, according to Reuters and The New York Times.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service told the Times that Trump and Nauta completed the booking process at 2:05 p.m.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Former president arrives at federal courthouse

Update 1:55 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump arrived at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday afternoon ahead of a scheduled first court appearance at 3 p.m.

On his Truth Social platform, the former president earlier confirmed that he was headed for the courthouse.

“WITCH HUNT!!!” he added. “MAGA”

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump heads for federal courthouse

Update 1:45 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump on Thursday afternoon left his golf club in Doral, Florida, for the federal courthouse in Miami, where he is scheduled to later make his first court appearance in connection with his handling of classified documents, according to The Washington Post.

The former president is expected to be fingerprinted and processed before he appears before a judge at 3 p.m.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump airs grievances on social media

Update 1:40 p.m. EDT June 13: Ahead of his scheduled court appearance on Tuesday afternoon, Trump took to his Truth Social page to lament the state of the nation, proclaim his innocence and attack special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the criminal case against him.

Trump called Tuesday “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.”

He accused Smith of being a “Thug” who was ordered to investigate him by “Biden and his CORRUPT Injustice Department.”

“He’s a Radical Right Lunatic and Trump hater, as are all his friends and family, who probably ‘planted’ information in the ‘boxes’ given to them,” the former president claimed, without evidence. “They taint everything that they touch, including our Country, which is rapidly going to HELL!”

In November 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland named Smith as an independent party to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified records and into whether anyone illegally interfered in the 2020 presidential election. Smith previously served as chief of the department’s Public Integrity Section.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

What will happen today?

Update 1:10 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump is set to surrender to authorities on Tuesday ahead of his scheduled first appearance at a federal courthouse in Miami.

It was not immediately clear whether authorities will take a mug shot of him, as is typical in criminal cases.

In April, when he was arraigned in New York on charges of falsifying business records, officials declined to take a mug shot of Trump, feeling it was unnecessary due to his level of fame, The New York Times reported. Citing an unidentified source, CNN reported that officials in Miami will not take a mug shot of Trump on Tuesday.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump not the first presidential candidate to be indicted

Update 12:10 p.m. EDT June 13: Trump made history this month when he became the first former president to face a federal indictment. However, he is not the first presidential candidate to face charges.

In fact, one of the declared 2024 presidential candidates is currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Texas.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Trump to be arraigned with aide

Update 11:35 a.m. EDT June 13: Trump is set to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon alongside his personal aide Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who is also facing charges in the classified records investigation.

In court records, authorities said Nauta moved boxes of documents and other items for Trump and then lied to the FBI about the boxes.

He has been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheming to conceal and making false statements.

— Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

Magistrate judge will oversee Trump’s appearance

Update 8:20 a.m. EDT June 13: Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, not U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, will be handling the former president’s arraignment and bond matters on Tuesday, according to The Miami Herald.

Goodman once worked as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and later obtained his law degree and practiced civil litigation, the Herald reported.

Goodman is on duty as the magistrate judge this week at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami.

Cannon, who had an early ruling in a case involving classified records found at Mar-a-Lago reversed by a higher court, was randomly assigned to oversee the court hearings for Trump’s criminal indictment.

Original story: Trump has denied any wrongdoing, saying that as president he declassified the documents he took with him and stored at Mar-A-Lago, his home in Florida.

He has called the investigation headed by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith a “politically motivated sham.” Trump’s appearance on Tuesday will mark his second appearance as a criminal defendant.

On Monday, Trump told a radio host that he’ll plead not guilty to 37 felony charges on Tuesday afternoon in Miami federal court.

“It’s a disgrace to our country,” Trump said of the indictment on Howie Carr’s radio show Monday night.

Trump was indicted on charges he willfully mishandled classified information he took to this Mar-A-Lago home after he left the White House.

He faces 37 criminal counts including charges of unauthorized retention of classified documents and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to federal court documents made public on Friday.

“I just say, ‘not guilty.’ I didn’t do anything wrong. I did nothing wrong. Presidential Records Act. It’s not even a criminal event. There’s no criminality here. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said.

Trump is due to surrender himself to federal authorities in Miami on Tuesday at 3 p.m. He will be arrested and booked at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse.

Trump urged his supporters Monday to “be STRONG and DEFEAT the Communists, Marxists, and Radical Left Lunatics that are systematically destroying our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Trump has claimed that he had the right to possess the documents, some labeled “Top Secret” because he had declassified any records in his possession and that the files were personal.

“Hard to believe that the leading candidate, by far, of the opposition party, got indicted. This is strictly Third World. MAGA,” Trump said on Truth Social media company.

2020 election investigation here in Georgia

Even with these new federal charges, there are still several other cases that are putting Trump in legal jeopardy, including here in Georgia.

The investigation stems from the 2020 presidential election after President Joe Biden was declared the winner here in Georgia.

Even before the state certified the election results, Trump mounted a pressure campaign to have state and federal officials help declare him the winner.

What unfolded after his loss, led to then-newly elected Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to impanel a special purpose grand jury to look into possible criminal interference in the election.  

Throughout the eight months that the grand jury met, we know 26 Fulton County residents heard evidence from 75 witnesses.  

The grand jurors investigated several events surrounding the election, including the now-infamous phone call from Trump to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. During the January 2020 call, Trump seemed to pressure Raffensperger to overturn the election.  

“All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump told Raffensperger during the call. “Because we won the state.” 

The call lasted more than an hour between Trump, Raffensperger, his attorney Ryan Germany and White House senior staff members. 

During the first 12 minutes of the call, Trump talked without interruption, going through debunked conspiracy theories about what he repeatedly called “certified numbers” showing that he won Georgia, not Biden. 

“President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don’t agree that you have won,” Raffensperger told Trump during the call.  

Other aspects of that investigation also centered around a hearing in front of a state Senate subcommittee looking into election integrity where Trump attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made repeated claims of voter fraud, which were quickly debunked by state and federal officials.

Willis has indicated she could make a decision over whether to charge Trump and others in August.