Donald Trump pleaded not guilty at a Miami arraignment Tuesday to 37 charges of mishandling classified information, a charge that made him the first former United States president to face federal prosecution.
What is Trump accused of?
On Friday, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment that outlined 37 criminal charges against Trump, including 31 under the Espionage Act.
Other charges include conspiracy to obstruct and false statements.
Trump is accused of illegally hoarding dozens of sensitive national security files at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate when he left office in 2021. He later refused to return them and conspired to obstruct the investigation into recovering them.
He is also accused of sharing sensitive US secrets with people who did not have security clearance.
The material he stored in his home included nuclear programs, defense and weapons capabilities of the US and foreign governments, the indictment said.
What happens now?
It can take a year or more for a lawsuit to take place.
Trump was allowed to leave court with no conditions or travel restrictions, and no cash bail was required. US examining magistrate Jonathan Goodman ruled that he was not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case.
Trump aide Walt Nauta, who is also indicted in the case, appeared alongside Trump but will not have to make a plea until June 27 because he does not have a local attorney. He, too, was released without bail and ordered not to talk to other witnesses.
Federal prosecutors can be expected to begin handing over evidence to Trump’s lawyers. That could include years of correspondence between the defense, the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration and prosecutors as they negotiated the documents.
At some point, Trump’s lawyers are expected to file a motion to dismiss the case for a variety of reasons, including perhaps his claim that he released the documents before they took them.
They will also likely argue that the case should be dismissed for what they believe was misconduct by prosecutors, including alleged violations of a legal doctrine that allows people to keep communications with their lawyers private.
Motions to dismiss in criminal cases are standard, but rarely succeed because defendants have a high burden of convincing a judge that their case is too flawed to even go before a jury.
Prosecutors are also entitled to the benefit of the doubt about their factual allegations at that stage.
How many demonstrators were there at the courthouse in Miami?
Hundreds of Trump supporters had gathered outside the courthouse in Miami to protest the allegations.
Many echoed Trump’s claim that the case is a political smear campaign aimed at derailing his campaign for a second term as president in 2024.
They were seen running after his car as he arrived in an extravagant motorcade.
However, the number of protesters seemed less than expected and was surpassed by a large police and media presence.
A small group of counter-demonstrators was also present outside the court, but the day passed largely without incident.
Lawsuit turns into campaign event
Despite spending the morning in court, Trump, true to form, tried to milk all the political advantages of the day.
After leaving court, he gave a thumbs up and waved to the crowd before heading in a motorcade to a popular Cuban restaurant in Miami.
There, he bowed his head with two pastors and a rabbi for a moment of prayer, shook hands with supporters and even managed a smile and joke as he posed for photos, including one with UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal.
At the restaurant, people sang “Happy Birthday” when he turns 77 on Wednesday.
He remarked afterwards: “A birthday, a birthday” and “We have a government that is out of control.”
During the day, Trump was able to fire off a few messages on his social media app, including one calling the case a “witch hunt.”
Trump then flew his private jet to New Jersey, where backers welcomed him with rallying enthusiasm, music and chants for a speech delivered in front of a clubhouse with columns resembling the White House.
Can Trump Still Become President If Convicted?
Trump is currently the leading Republican candidate in the race for the US presidency in the 2024 election.
If convicted, he could still run for president.
The U.S. Constitution only requires a candidate to be a natural-born citizen, 35 years of age or older, and a resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years.