Donald Trump arrives in court for the first hearing in the matter of confidential documents

Donald Trump arrives at a Miami courthouse on Tuesday to plead not guilty in his initial appearance to answer the first federal indictment brought against the former US president.

Trump has accused prosecutors of conducting a “witch hunt” over an alleged failure to return sensitive US national security records after leaving office. He is to appear before a judge at 3 PM Eastern Time.

describing the day as “one of the saddest”. , , in the history of our country” shortly before entering the courthouse on his Truth social platform, the former president declared: “We are a nation in decline.”

Trump arrived at the courthouse after traveling in a motorcade from his resort hotel in Doral around 2 p.m. and was arrested shortly after. He arrived in Miami from Bedminster, New Jersey, on Monday night, where he is expected to return to make public comments later on Tuesday.

He is expected to be fingerprinted and provide a DNA sample after the hearing is over. Ahead of his appearance, protesters for and against him gathered outside the court premises, waving flags and raising slogans.

Since the historic 37-count indictment was revealed, Trump has lashed out at the Biden administration and prosecutors in the case, calling them “ridiculous and baseless.”

But legal experts said they were surprised by the breadth of evidence revealed last week in the Justice Department case, which includes allegations of conspiracy to obstruct justice, concealing documents and making false statements in a federal investigation.

The indictment alleges that Trump illegally moved classified material to his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence after leaving the White House in 2021 and later falsified records during the government’s investigation.

Meanwhile, Trump showed visitors sensitive records such as “attack plans” against a foreign country even though it was a “secret”, prosecutors alleged.

The indictment included photographs of boxes of classified documents stacked in a bathroom and a shower, a ballroom and a storage room at Mar-a-Lago, his property which is also a bustling events venue.

The investigation was led by Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney-General Merrick Garland to oversee the DoJ investigation involving Trump. It is unclear whether Smith will appear in court on Tuesday. The DoJ declined to comment.

During arraignment, defendants usually submit their preliminary plea and the court decides whether they should be detained or released pending trial.

The case will be heard by Eileen Cannon, a federal judge nominated by Trump to the bench. Last year, it granted his request for a “special master” to review records seized by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago, although that decision was overturned by an appeals court.

A Miami court on Monday issued an order banning members of the media from bringing mobile phones “and/or electronic devices” inside the courtroom on Tuesday.

Another defendant has been charged as an alleged co-conspirator: Valtine Nauta, a former White House aide who later became an assistant to Trump. Trump’s effort to throw out the charges could be complicated if Nauta decides to cooperate with prosecutors.

If Trump is convicted, the maximum prison term for each count ranges from five to 20 years. But experts said it was unlikely he would spend that long in jail, if he was jailed.

The federal case is the second time Trump has been indicted in less than a year. In April he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a case brought in state court by the Manhattan district attorney. A trial has been tentatively set for March 2024.

There may be more legal complications ahead. Smith is overseeing a separate investigation into alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election, as is Fannie Willis, district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia.

Trump is using the criminal case to rally voters as he campaigns for the Republican presidential nomination next year. Democratic President Joe Biden has said he will run again.

Biden is facing a separate investigation by another special counsel over classified material found in his residential garage in Delaware and a former private office in Washington.