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Live: The documents were discovered at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Former US President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty at federal court hearing in Miami on Tuesday at 1900 GMT (12:30 am IST) as he faces criminal charges for allegedly hoarding classified documents at his beach house in Florida after leaving office.
The documents, which were discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, included sensitive national security information.
Donald Trump said he his indicted by the “corrupt Biden administration” and called it a “Boxes Hoax”. Trump is the first sitting or former US President to face federal charges, which is expected to have implications on his second run for the post of President.
Here are the Live Updates on Trump’s court appearance:
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Donald Trump denied dozens of criminal counts of willfully mishandling US government secrets and scheming to prevent their return, in a historic first appearance Tuesday in federal court.
“We are certainly entering a plea of not guilty,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, told the Miami hearing.
It was the former president’s second arraignment as he battles a deluge of legal threats, just 10 weeks after he was charged with a string of felonies in Manhattan over hush money payments to a porn star.
Donald Trump pleads not guilty to mishandling government secrets
Trump is facing 31 counts of unlawfully retaining classified documents after leaving the White House in 2021, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and other offenses.
A judicial source told the news agency AFP that Trump will be processed like other defendants. He will have his fingerprints taken digitally and a photo of him will be uploaded into the court records but not released to the public.
Donald Trump surrendered Tuesday to face federal charges of mishandling US government secrets — the latest and most serious in a string of probes threatening his bid to win back the White House.
One of the saddest days in the history of our country. We are a nation in decline,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform as he was driven to court, repeating his regular accusation of a “witchhunt!”
Donald Trump arrived at a Miami courthouse Tuesday to surrender to face charges of mishandling government secrets, after becoming the first president in US history to be indicted by a federal grand jury.
Security was tight around the downtown courthouse where Trump is expected to deny more than 30 charges of unlawfully removing dozens of classified documents as he left the White House in 2021, and of obstructing efforts to recover them.
Donald Trump arrives at Miami court to face charges in secret document case
Trump’s allies in Congress and rivals for the presidential nomination have largely circled the wagons following his latest indictment, decrying the “weaponization” of the government against conservatives.
Devoted supporters of the Republican leader have been out on the streets since the eve of the hearing, with security ramped up around the courthouse as police braced for thousands-strong protests and the possibility of violence.
Trump has a stormy history with the law and was earlier indicted by a New York grand jury in March over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Prosecutors say the money was paid prior to the 2016 election to silence Ms Daniels over claims she had a tryst with Mr Trump in 2006 – a year after he married Melania Trump.
“Wow.” That’s how an unidentified writer responded when Donald Trump showed him – in July 2021 – a classified plan to attack an unnamed nation.
Trump told his guests that the plan of attack was prepared for him by the Department of Defense and a senior military official, adding that as president he could have declassified the document he was showing.
Donald Trump’s lawyer earlier hinted at the indicted ex-president’s defense strategy in the case of the classified documents, saying the files were de-classified or personal mementos from his time in office and that the accusations are politically motivated.
Trump is set to appear today in federal court in Miami on 37 charges, including violations of the Espionage act, making false statements and conspiracy regarding his mishandling of classified material, the latest bout of legal jeopardy facing the rebellious Republican.
US prosecutors who indicted Donald Trump used his own words — and notes jotted down by his lawyers — to build the historic case against the former president.
The 49-page indictment unsealed last week accuses Trump of endangering US national security by hoarding top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House.
The case has been assigned to District Court Judge Aileen Cannon. In 2020, Aileen was appointed to the federal bench by then-president Donald Trump.
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