Trump Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Charges In Miami Court During Historic Proceeding

Tom Tapp and Ted Johnson
·4 min read
3
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

UPDATED, with additional details: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to a 37-count indictment in federal court in Miami today. He is the first former president in U.S. history to face such charges.

News outlets began reporting his plea at about 12:05 p.m. PT/3:05 p.m. ET, with The Washington Post reporting that Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche told Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty.”

More from Deadline

Earlier, Trump was arrested and fingerprinted, but no mugshot was taken.

Networks reported that Trump was instructed to not communicate about the case with any potential witnesses, including Walt Nauta, his aide, who is a co-defendant in the case. Trump was released and federal prosecutors reportedly said that they did not consider him a flight risk. There will be no restictions on Trump’s travel. Nauta also appeared in court, but will be arraigned later this month.

The indictment of Trump alleges that the former president “put at risk the national security of the United States” by mishandling classified documents.

Looking at over 20 years in prison and millions in fine if found guilty on the 37-counts, current GOP presidential candidate is facing claims from the feds that he blatantly lied about his retention of the top-secret material in an effort to “obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations.”

There was be no TV coverage of the hearing itself, as the U.S. District Court in Miami has restricted journalists from any electronic devices or cell phones in the courthouse. There was an overflow courtroom with a video feed of the proceedings, which apparently allowed reporters to come in and out to report details to their news desks. That said, journalists were not allowed to use their cell phones or any electronic devices inside the courthouse.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said that they had a team “inside the courthouse making calls back because they do not have access. Obviously we don’t have cameras in there. There is no audio. They’re having to come out and transmit this information to us.”

The network’s Evan Perez, who was watching from the overflow room, said that in the courtroom, Trump sat with his arms folded and “had a very serious look on his face.” At certain points, he said, Trump was “twiddling his thumbs,” waiting for the proceedings to begin. Later, as Perez was trying to report further details, a demonstrator could be heard shouting “F— CNN.” “Obviously a fan of CNN behind Evan Perez,” anchor Jake Tapper remarked.

CBS News’ John Dickerson said that the decision to not allow cameras was likely meant to “squeeze out as much of the chaos of politics from this proceeding.” Federal courts do not traditionally allow cameras in federal proceedings, but a media coalition requested limited coverage.

Trump later will travel to Bedminster, NJ, where he is expected to deliver remarks to supporters, just as he did during his first indictment.

The former president has attacked the prosecution as politically motivated, characterizing Special Counsel Jack Smith as “deranged” and posting numerous social media tirades over what he calls the “boxes hoax.” Trump has offered a number of defenses, including that the documents were declassified when he was president and, earlier on Tuesday, that some of the material was planted.

CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane, who also was in the overflow room, hustled outside during the hearing to report on Trump’s plea at about 3:05 p.m. ET. “The former president sat in Navy blue suit, red tie, hunched over at the table, his hands folded first then his arms folded, expressionless, not saying a word. It was his defense attorney that stood and said that he’s not guilty of these charges,” MacFarlane said.

“The overflow room is the jury meeting room here with 300 seats and a few tiny televisions, so small, the kind of televisions you get in a low-cost hotel room,” MacFarlane said. “… We could see Donald Trump, sitting, no expression, nothing to say, idle at the table, with his hands folded.”

Reporters also said that Smith, in the courtroom for the arraignment, often kept his eyes on the former president during the proceedings.

Networks later tracked Trump’s departure from the Miami courthouse in a motorcade, with some anchors pointing to the possibility of further indictments, including a Georgia case, later this summer.

Trump then made a visit to Versailles, a Cuban restaurant. He shooks hands with patrons and then shouted, “food for everyone.” The crowd inside also sang Happy Birthday, as Trump turns 76 on Wednesday.

“We have a country that is in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen,” Trump told reporters.

As CNN continued to air footage in the restaurant, anchor Jake Tapper said, “The folks in the control room: I don’t need to see any more of that. He’s trying to turn it into a spectacle, a campaign ad. That’s enough of that. We’ve seen it already.”

Best of Deadline

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.