Former US President Donald Trump arrived at the courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, facing charges of mishandling government secrets after becoming the first president in US history to be indicted by a federal grand jury.

 

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Edited by| Tony Wild

 

North America  section -  CJ journalist

 

Miami - June,13,2023

 

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Security measures have been tightened around the downtown courthouse, as Trump, who is facing the most serious criminal investigations threatening his bid to win back the White House seat, is expected to deny more than 30 charges of transferring dozens of secret documents when he left the White House in 2021 and obstructing efforts to restore them.

Trump is being prosecuted in the case brought against him by special prosecutor Jack Smith, and faces 37 charges for handling classified documents inside his Mar-a-Lago resort after leaving the White House.

According to international media, the defendant, Trump's assistant, Walt Nauta, arrived at the courtroom in a separate car, and is also scheduled to appear before the investigating judge today.

A judicial source explained that Trump will be tried like the other defendants, and his fingerprints will be taken digitally and a photo of him will be uploaded to court records, but will not be released to the public.

Dozens of Trump supporters gathered near the courtroom as his scheduled appearance approached at 15:00 (19: 00 GMT), including people wearing hats with the slogan "Let's Make America Great Again", while the last carried a banner with the inscription "Benedict Jack Smith", the private investigator assigned to oversee the investigation.

The police were prepared for possible protests and unrest, but the atmosphere was festive with a local radio station broadcasting Cuban salsa music.

Trump, who will head to the federal courthouse as part of a motorcade on a 25-minute trip from his golf course in Miami, criticized Smith on his platform "truth Social" on Tuesday morning, calling him "clumsy".

Trump faces charges punishable by up to 10 years in prison and has said he will plead not guilty but will not make any statement from the court after the hearing is over.

Trump told conservative broadcaster Huey Carr on Monday evening," I'm just going to say not guilty, "adding," I didn't do anything wrong. The law on Presidential Records is not even a criminal event. There is no criminality here. It's ridiculous".

The billionaire, who will turn 77 on Wednesday, is accused of keeping government secrets that he illegally took with him to his home in Florida at the end of his term in 2021, refusing to return them, and conspiring to obstruct the work of investigators who were trying to recover them.

He is also accused of revealing sensitive U.S. secrets to people without security clearances, in a case more serious than other cases he has faced, and could carry a sentence of up to decades in prison.

The frontrunner to win the Republican Party primaries in 2024, vowed to stay in the race regardless of the outcome of the case, launching for the first time in the history of the United States a campaign in which two battles are facing, legal and electoral.

The 49-page indictment includes photos showing the boxes that were supposed to be in the National Archives stacked in dance halls, bedrooms and a bathroom inside the Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump's residence in Palm Beach, and the president rejected the indictment as "ridiculous".

Security measures around the "Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse" in Miami were strengthened as right-wing groups announced their intention to demonstrate, including a local branch of the extremist organization "Proud Boys".

Republican Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters, "We hope that tomorrow will be peaceful. We encourage people to be peaceful in showing their feelings".

After the hearing, Trump is expected to fly to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to reaffirm his innocence in a speech to his supporters.

And that's not the only legal trouble for the former president, who is accused of financial fraud in New York in a case that is scheduled to begin hearings in March.

Private investigator Jack Smith, who is leading the investigation of the secret documents case, is looking into Trump's role in the events of the Capitol in 2021, while federal and state investigators are looking into his efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election.

Trump's allies in Congress and rivals in the race for the White House united in his defense after the recent indictment, condemning the government's use of the case as a "weapon" against conservatives.

Some Republican lawmakers have faced criticism for their speeches that could incite violence, including Louisiana representative Clay Higgins, who asked his supporters to "tighten their belts", and Arizona Representative Andy Biggs, who tweeted: "We have now reached the stage of war. An eye for an eye".

The Southern District of Florida is known as a" rocket court", a colloquial expression used to denote courts that press for speedy justice or the resolution of cases quickly, as the authorities have not ruled out completing the trial before the 2024 elections.

Much of the focus in the initial proceedings will be on Judge Eileen Cannon, a Trump-appointed judge who was randomly selected for this case and will have a huge impact on how quickly things move.

Cannon issued a series of rulings in Trump's favor earlier in the case, blocking investigations for weeks, until a conservative appeals court ruled that she had acted outside her authority, and another judge will oversee the impeachment hearing.

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