Summary of the day
Here’s a recap of today’s developments:
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents as he was formally arraigned on Tuesday. Trump was charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act, becoming the first former US president to face federal criminal charges.
Trump made his initial court appearance with his aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta, who faces six federal charges for his alleged role in a scheme to keep the classified documents concealed from authorities.
Trump was released on bond on the condition that he would not discuss the case with a list of witnesses to be provided by the office of the special counsel Jack Smith. Nauta was not arraigned on Tuesday, as his lawyer was not admitted to practice in the southern district of Florida. Nauta is now scheduled to be arraigned on 27 June.
Trump made a brief stop at a Miami restaurant after entering his plea and departing the courthouse. Supporters happily greeted the twice-arrested former president. He then made his way to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he delivered remarks on Tuesday evening to respond to the indictment.
Addressing supporters at the Bedminster golf club, Trump railed against Joe Biden, the Department of Justice, and past presidents who he said exhibited similar behavior. He described the indictment “a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation”.
A federal judge said E Jean Carroll, the New York writer who last month won a $5m jury verdict against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation, can pursue a related $10m defamation case against the former US president.
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In its live broadcast of Trump’s speech at the Bedminster golf club, Fox News called Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” who had his political rival arrested.
The New York Times’ Peter Baker tweeted the moment:
Fox refers to Biden as "wannabe dictator." pic.twitter.com/aXXxw5YaAP
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) June 14, 2023
Alex Thompson of Axios writes that the chyron went away when Sean Hannity took over at 9pm.
Fox News ends its 8pm hour w/ the chyron: “wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested”
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) June 14, 2023
Chyron went away when Hannity took over at 9. pic.twitter.com/EpWpqqzMqH
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Here’s a clip of the crowd chanting “lock him up” after Trump said he would appoint a “real special prosecutor” to go after President Biden and his family.
Crowd chants “Lock him up!” after Donald Trump announces he will appoint "a real special prosecutor" to go after President Biden and his family if elected. pic.twitter.com/WR6ug04aGA
— The Recount (@therecount) June 14, 2023
Supporters of Trump were heard briefly chanting “lock him up” as he vowed to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” Joe Biden, NBC News’ Sahil Kapur writes.
Trump: “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family. Name a special prosecutor.”
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) June 14, 2023
This sparks a very brief “lock him up” chant from his supporters.
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Updated
Donald Trump has now finished his statement to supporters at the Bedminster golf club. He remains on stage, waving to supporters.
Meanwhile in Washington, Joe Biden is hosting a concert at the White House to celebrate Juneteenth.
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Trump says that if he becomes president, he will appoint a “real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family”.
“I will totally obliterate the deep state,” he says. He adds:
We know who they are. I know exactly who they are. They want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom.
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Trump moves onto discussing special counsel Jack Smith, who he describes as a “thug” whose record he claims is “absolutely atrocious”.
He claims Smith is a “raging and uncontrolled Trump hater” who has done “terrible things” to his family.
The audience at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster break out singing happy birthday to Trump, who turns 77 tomorrow.
He thanks the crowd, adding:
We’re gonna make it into the greatest birthday of all.
On the subject of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Trump brings up the “Clinton’s sock drawer” defence and Hillary’s use of private email.
He says he was “quite friendly” with Bill, who he said was a “nice guy” that “I happen to like”, but goes on to claim that the former president “lost the nuclear codes".
He claims Hillary “wasn’t prosecuted” for taking “hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture, China flatware” from the White House.
Trump turns his focus to Joe Biden, repeating a false claim that the president withheld 1,850 boxes of classified documents from his time as vice-president.
Trump claims many of Biden’s classified documents were “in Chinatown, DC Chinatown” which he says is “shocking considering his family received so much money from China”.
Trump wonders “how many times the friends of ours from China reviewed those documents”.
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Trump claims the photographs of boxes at Mar-a-Lago were “staged by the FBI”.
He tells his supporters:
Many people have asked me why I had these boxes, why did you want them? The answer, in addition to having every right under the Presidential Records Act, is that these boxes were containing all types of personal belongings – many, many things, shirts and shoes …
I wonder who it might have been dumped one of the very neatly arranged boxes all over the floor.
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Trump repeats his claim that he had “every right to have these documents” under the Presidential Records Act.
It’s a law that he and his lawyers and supporters have repeatedly mischaracterised. Trump claims that as president, he enjoyed unconstrained authority to make decisions regarding the disposal of documents.
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Trump says the indictment against him is “a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation”.
Today will “go down in infamy”, the former president says, but he remains defiant and vows that he will “win bigger and better”.
Donald Trump has started his address to reporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He starts by describing the indictment against him as “the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country”.
Trump accuses President Joe Biden of having him arrested on “fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous presidents would be guilty”.
Trump to address supporters at golf club
Donald Trump is due to address his supporters at his luxury golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, hours after his court hearing in the federal indictment against him.
The former president is expected to make a statement when he arrives, at about 8.45pm local time.
With a presidential-style plane and motorcade, a bunch of flag-waving fans and a lawyer shouting alternative facts, the latest season of The Trump Show – let’s call this one The Defendant – again filled every TV screen on Tuesday.
But the most important scene of all was missing. And no one was happier about that than Donald Trump himself.
Americans were denied the chance to see and hear the former US president, the first to face federal criminal charges in America’s 247-year history, sitting in court and taking his medicine.
It was like To Kill a Mockingbird without Atticus Finch’s closing argument or A Few Good Men without Colonel Jessup erupting: “You can’t handle the truth!” Instead of Twelve Angry Men, it was Twelve Angry Maga Men waving flags outside court.
It mattered because the inside of the courtroom is the one place where Trump was no longer the all-powerful emperor of his dreams but a humbled, vulnerable figure who, on the eve of his 77th birthday, was contemplating the prospect of prison.
It mattered even more because, in the age of disinformation, where lies saturate social media and Trump’s supporters’ alternative reality, a court of law is the last redoubt where evidence, facts and truth are still the bottom line.
Alabama senator Tommy Tuberville has been spotted at Donald Trump’s golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, where the former president is expected to make a speech later.
The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman tweeted a picture of the Republican senator:
Tuberville at Trump’s event pic.twitter.com/mW7v3L4A0q
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 13, 2023
Tuberville faced criticism from his Republican colleagues after skipping a vote in the Senate this afternoon to attend the event, Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio reports.
Republican leadership was counting on full attendance today to force VP Harris to come break the tie on Jared Bernstein. But Sen. Tuberville missed the cloture vote just now, so Republicans are furious.
— Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) June 13, 2023
Tuberville is headed to Bedminster for Trump’s event tonight…
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Donald Trump lands in New Jersey
A plane carrying Donald Trump has landed in New Jersey.
The former president is due to make his way to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, where he is expected to make a speech to supporters at around 8.45pm local time.
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Sky News’ Sophie Alexander said she was shouted and sworn at by supporters of Donald Trump as the former president visited a restaurant in Miami this afternoon.
Alexander said she asked Trump if he was “ready to go to jail” and was “met with a furious crowd booing and shouting ‘get her out’”. She continued:
I tried to step down from the chair I was standing on and a man grabbed my arm before another told him not to touch me. As I was leaving the cafe another yelled ‘stupid b****’ in my face.
I was just thrown out of the Versailles bakery in Miami for asking President Trump if he was ready to go to jail. A man screamed ‘stupid bitch’ in my face while others said I was a ‘traitor’ #TrumpArraignment pic.twitter.com/pY14fsJXGE
— Sophie Alexander (@SophieAlex1) June 13, 2023
Joe Biden also declined to comment on today’s proceedings as he attended a reception honouring US state department chiefs of mission.
At the reception, Biden drew laughter from the audience as he spoke about his lengthy meetings with the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. He said:
I had a lot of personal, just one-on-one conversations. And we each had a simultaneous interpreter. I turned all my notes in.
He added that it was “not a reference to the president, former president. But look, no, it really isn’t.” Donald Trump was reported to have confiscated an interpreter’s notes after a meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
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The White House’s press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, earlier refused to comment on the federal criminal indictment of Donald Trump.
Asked if Joe Biden agreed with his wife, Jill Biden, who has previously said it was a “little shocking” that Trump maintained large support from the Republican party, Jean-Pierre replied:
I’m just not going to comment on anything that’s related to the indictment.
She also avoided a question about whether Biden would consider pardoning his predecessor.
The White House spokesperson did stress that the president was categorically not involved in any decision by the justice department to indict Trump, as my colleague David Smith writes.
Asked if Joe Biden was involved in Trump's indictment, Jean-Pierre replies: "Not at all. He was not involved. The president has been very, very clear: the Department of Justice is independent."
— David Smith (@SmithInAmerica) June 13, 2023
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Even by Florida’s already unorthodox standards, the arraignment of Donald J Trump, the ultimate carnival barker, in Miami on Tuesday afternoon was something of a circus.
The concept of a former leader of the free world appearing before a federal judge to deny he stole and retained some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets – keeping some in a bathroom – was surreal enough.
But the historic act of the twice impeached, twice indicted ex-president actually doing so, while remaining the runaway favorite to win the Republican party’s nomination for next year’s general election, was extraordinary.
Lending to the theater of the absurd outside downtown Miami’s Wilkie D Ferguson courthouse, named for a late, respected early Black judge of the southern judicial district of Florida, was a resident flock of roosters strutting around crowing, a top-hatted elderly gentleman in a red long-tailed coat waving a Trump-DeSantis 2024 flag, and a couple of dozen “Blacks for Trump” protesters insisting that “Trumpsters [sic] are not racist”.
But it was the proceedings inside courtroom 13-3 that held the attention. The 45th president of the United States sat silently, sullenly, between his lawyers throughout an arraignment hearing that lasted little more than 45 minutes, folding his arms and clenching his fingers, and occasionally grimacing in his navy blue suit and trademark red tie.
It was his lawyer, Todd Blanche, who did the talking for the usually loquacious Trump. “[We] most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Blanche said of the 44-page, 37-count indictment that, thankfully, was not read out loud.
And: “We so demand [a jury trial], yes, your honor.”
Donald Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr took to social media as their father pleaded not guilty in the courthouse.
Eric retweeted a post by the Republican congressman Jim Jordan that said there were different standards of justice for the Trump and Biden families.
After the embarrassing Durham report, and in light of the 3 years of hell they put us through with the fabricated Russia hoax, you would think they would stop these games https://t.co/PTMwYENbNS
— Eric Trump (@EricTrump) June 13, 2023
While Donald Trump Jr praised Ohio senator, JD Vance, for saying he would block all nominees to the Department of Justice over the indictment against the former president.
🔥🔥🔥
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 13, 2023
JD Vance is one of the few Republicans in the US Senate who isn't afraid to stand up to Biden, Garland and the radical left. https://t.co/eAWZqpisl2
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Ohio senator, JD Vance, who was endorsed by Donald Trump in his 2022 race, has said he would block all nominees to the Department of Justice “until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents”.
In a statement posted to Twitter, Vance called the former president “merely the latest victim of a Department of Justice that cares more about politics than law enforcement” and said he would “grind [Garland’s] department to a halt” in protest of “the unprecedented political prosecution” of Trump.
Vance said:
Starting today, I will hold all Department of Justice nominations. If Merrick Garland wants to use these officials to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, we will grind his department to a halt.
Until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, I will hold all DoJ nominees. pic.twitter.com/UVRwi6Ue01
— J.D. Vance (@JDVance1) June 13, 2023
Vance’s hold will just slow down the confirmation process for DoJ nominees, who will now all need to go through a procedural vote and a confirmation vote.
As Punchbowl News’ John Bresnahan points out, the Ohio senator’s announcement doesn’t really change anything.
Cloture votes now needed for all these Biden DOJ nominees. But cloture votes would be required anyway, so it doesn’t really change anything
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) June 13, 2023
As we reported earlier, Donald Trump’s personal valet Walt Nauta was not arraigned today as his lawyer was not admitted to practice in the southern district of Florida.
Nauta is now scheduled to be arraigned on 27 June.
A navy veteran from Guam, Nauta worked as a White House valet during the Trump administration and moved to Florida following the 2020 election to become Trump’s personal aide.
Prosecutors allege that Nauta was a point person for Trump whenever he wanted to access or hide the boxes of classified documents.
The indictment states that Trump directed Nauta to transport various documents to Trump’s personal residence and that Nauta helped Trump try to conceal the boxes of top secret information from the FBI. Nauta also texted two Trump employees about the documents, in one case sending a photo of a tipped-over box and classified documents spilled out on the floor of a storage room.
Nauta faces several charges including conspiracy and making false statements, such as telling investigators that he didn’t know where the boxes of classified documents were being stored. He is the only person other than Trump charged in the case.
Here’s a guide to the most important people involved in the indictment against Trump:
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Donald Trump has boarded his private plane in Miami, and is heading to his luxury golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He is expected to make a statement on today’s criminal proceedings at a fundraising event later today.
Judge allows E Jean Carroll to amend defamation lawsuit against Trump
A judge has said E Jean Carroll, the writer who won a $5m jury verdict against Donald Trump last month, can pursue a separate defamation lawsuit against the former president.
The writer and former Elle magazine columnist had sought to amend her original defamation lawsuit filed in 2019 so she could try to seek additional punitive damages after Trump repeated statements a federal jury found to be defamatory.
A New York jury last month found Trump had sexually assaulted Carroll in a New York department store in 1996. The jury found that the former president “sexually abused” Carroll, defined as subjecting her to sexual contact without consent by use of force, and for the purpose of sexual gratification. But the jury did not find that Trump raped her. Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $2m for battery and $3m for defamation.
Carroll then sought to amend her separate defamation lawsuit over a similar denial by Trump in June, in which he told a White House reporter that the rape never happened and that Carroll was not his “type”. The revision also sought to incorporate Trump’s comments made in a CNN town hall, where he called Carroll’s account “fake” and labeled her a “whack job”.
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Here’s a clip of Donald Trump arriving at the Miami courthouse earlier this afternoon for his formal arraignment, where he pleaded not guilty to all counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Donald Trump’s visit to the famous downtown Miami restaurant Versailles, where he was greeted by supporters, was pre-planned and part of his team’s attempt to control his image, HuffPost’s SV Dáte writes.
Trump's campaign alerted reporters they like to the fact that Trump would stop there on his way to the airport.
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) June 13, 2023
These are the images they want out, rather than the courtroom sketches of him sitting there scowling. https://t.co/gRYBgwDaJ3
As the New York Times’ Maggie Haberman points out, Trump is determined to fight the battle in the court of public opinion for as long as possible, including by having his co-defendant Walt Nauta close by him today.
It’s hard to overstate the degree to which Trump is determined to fight this battle in the court of public opinion instead of a courtroom for as long as possible. And he is determined to act as if nothing has happened, including having Walt Nauta staffing him today.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 13, 2023
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After he left court, Fox News showed Trump visiting a cafe in Miami and being greeted like a wronged hero.
Supporters gathered around him and prayed for him. Someone shouted: “Jesus loves you!”
Trump smiled and waved to the crowd and declared: “Food for everyone!” The crowd erupted in applause and cheers. One yelled: “Keep fighting, sir!”
Then, ahead of Trump’s 77th birthday tomorrow, the patrons broke out in a chorus of “Happy birthday dear Donald, happy birthday to you!”
The former president remarked:
Some birthday! We’ve got a government that’s out of control.
He then made brief comments about “a rigged deal”, suggesting that “we have a country that is in decline like never before,” and promising to speak more in Bedminster, New Jersey tonight.
Someone shouted: “God bless Donald Trump!” as he departed and returned to his motorcade.
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Donald Trump has stopped by the Miami restaurant, Versailles, after the conclusion of his court hearing, where he told customers that he would pay “for food for everyone”.
A group of people appeared to pray as he entered the cafe, while a crowd sang happy birthday to the former president, who turns 77 tomorrow.
Trump’s co-defendant Walt Nauta was also seen in the restaurant.
Faith leaders pray over Donald Trump as he visits a Cuban restaurant after his arraignment in Miami. pic.twitter.com/gS2VmBESRb
— The Recount (@therecount) June 13, 2023
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Earlier we reported that a protester was seen running in front of Donald Trump’s motorcade as it departed the courthouse in Miami.
Here’s the clip of the man being tackled by security services, as shared by MSNBC’s Manny Fidel:
wow, a protestor jumps in front of Trump's motorcade and is taken away by police pic.twitter.com/jBQPUEaMk3
— manny (@mannyfidel) June 13, 2023
Donald Trump appeared frustrated throughout his arraignment in the Miami courthouse, my colleague Hugo Lowell reports.
The former president “folded his arms and re-folded his arms throughout, with a constant frown on his face”, he says.
Trump looked frustrated throughout his arraignment. He folded his arms and re-folded his arms throughout, with a constant frown on his face. Todd Blanche, his lead counsel who appeared with Chris Kise, objected to the bond condition.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) June 13, 2023
Donald Trump leaves court and is expected to travel to Bedminster
Donald Trump has departed the Miami courthouse after the conclusion of his hearing. He is expected to travel to Bedminster, New Jersey, later today.
As Trump’s motorcade departed the courthouse, the former president’s security staff were seen tackling a man in the street who appeared to be a protester.
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Donald Trump hearing concludes
The arraignment of Donald Trump has concluded, Reuters reports.
His valet, Walt Nauta, was not arraigned because he does not have a local attorney to represent him, Reuters says. Nonetheless, magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman instructed him not to speak to witnesses about the case, and allowed him to leave on his own recognizance.
Updated
Donald Trump and his valet, Walt Nauta, are both facing serious federal charges – but not the same ones.
As the Guardian’s Sam Levine explained earlier today, the former president is accused of more misconduct than Nauta:
Trump is charged with 31 counts of unauthorized retention of national defense information, a violation of the Espionage Act. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Trump and Waltine Nauta, his valet, face additional charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, tampering with grand jury evidence and concealing evidence in a federal investigation. Each of those charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Trump and Nauta also face additional charges of making a false statement. Those carry a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.
Correction: Walt Nauta not arraigned
An earlier version of this post cited Reuters reporting based on the Associated Press that Donald Trump’s valet, Walt Nauta, pleaded guilty to the charges against him. That is incorrect. Nauta was not arraigned today because he does not have a local attorney, and he did not enter a plea.
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One of Donald Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, earlier spoke outside the courthouse in Miami where she lashed out against the indictment of the former president, calling it “an unapologetic weaponisation of the criminal justice system”.
Habba, who is not representing Trump in this case, said compared the indictment to “the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela” and said the former president was feeling “defiant”.
She said:
What is being done to President Trump should terrify all citizens of this country. These are not the ideals that our democracy is founded on. This is not our America.
"The targeting prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela."
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 13, 2023
🚨MUST WATCH: Trump attorney Alina Habba speaks outside the Miami courthouse. pic.twitter.com/HZ8xettnQq
Federal prosecutors say they do not believe Donald Trump is a flight risk, and the former president has been allowed to leave his arraignment without conditions, Reuters reports, citing CNN.
The outcome was not unexpected, as Trump has vowed to fight the allegations against him, and is also busy campaigning across the United States for the Republican presidential nomination.
Mike Pompeo says former boss was 'wrong' to store classified documents
Mike Pompeo, the former US secretary of state under Donald Trump, has said the way the former president stored classified documents after leaving office was “wrong”.
In an interview with Fox News, Pompeo said:
If the allegations are true, and there’s lots of indications that they are, President Trump had classified documents where he shouldn’t have had them, and then when given the opportunity to return them, he chose not to do that for whatever reason.
He said he had handled “thousands and thousands” of classified documents during his time in Congress and as CIA director, as well as while serving as secretary of state. He added:
I suppose we can all make mistakes and get them to the wrong place, but when somebody identifies that, you gotta turn them in. So that’s just inconsistent with protecting America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines and if the allegations are true, some of these were pretty serious, important documents. So that’s wrong.
Mike Pompeo hammers Trump on Fox: “Trump had classified docs when he shouldn’t have had them, and when given the opportunity to return them he chose not to do that .. That’s inconsistent with protecting America’s soldiers .. some of these were pretty serious, important docs.” pic.twitter.com/BXVTVPBvnt
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 13, 2023
Meanwhile, in an interview with CNN, the Republican congressman Ken Buck said the public will need to see how the evidence for the case against Trump is presented and what his defence is, but he would not “feel comfortable” supporting someone who has been convicted of a felony for president.
Buck said:
If he is convicted of these charges of mishandling this information, of knowingly concealing his actions, I don’t think, I certainly won’t support a convicted felon for the White House.
He noted comments that Trump previously made against Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election campaign, where he accused his Democratic rival of being unfit for office because of her handling of emails on a private server. Buck added:
I think [Trump’s] words will set the standard that America will look at in determining whether he is fit for president.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) says he “won’t support a convicted felon,” noting Donald Trump’s previous rhetoric on classified info:
— The Recount (@therecount) June 13, 2023
“He said that Hillary Clinton was unfit for the White House ... I think his words have set the standard that America will look at.” pic.twitter.com/eRWsMXo9Xp
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Here’s more from CNN on how Donald Trump carried himself at his arraignment:
Trump had his arms folded and periodically spoke to his attorney Todd Blanche while in the courtroom, @evanperez reports. He pleaded not guilty, as expected. Blanche was the attorney who addressed the judge.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) June 13, 2023
US magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman is presiding over Donald Trump’s arraignment, where he entered his not guilty plea, Reuters reports.
Walt Nauta, the aide who was indicted alongside him, is also present in the courtroom.
Trump pleads not guilty to charges over Mar-a-Lago documents
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegedly hoarding government secrets at his Mar-a-Lago resort and frustrating efforts by the federal government to retrieve them at his ongoing arraignment in Miami, Reuters reports.
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Donald Trump’s federal arraignment has begun, Reuters reports.
He is expected to be formally notified of the charges against him, and will be able to enter a plea.
CNN reports that Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by attorney general Merrick Garland to handle the investigation and prosecution of Donald Trump over the Mar-a-Lago documents, is in attendance at the former president’s arraignment:
Special counsel Jack Smith is attending the arraignment of former President Donald Trump, per @PaulaReidCNN, @HolmesLybrand & @evanperez.
— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) June 13, 2023
Smith is also presiding over the ongoing federal investigations of Trump for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection and the plot to stop Joe Biden from taking office following the 2020 election.
Trump in courtroom for arraignment
Donald Trump has stepped into the courtroom where the charges against him over the Mar-a-Lago documents will be read out, and where he will be able to enter his plea, Reuters reports.
Miami’s mayor, Francis Suarez, is a rare Republican leader of a big US city, but that doesn’t mean he was well received when he stopped by outside his city’s federal courthouse.
It was a weird scene, and you can watch it below:
“We’ve got a swamp monster, folks!”
— The Recount (@therecount) June 13, 2023
— Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) is berated by Trump supporters as he arrives outside the courthouse where Trump is set to be arraigned. pic.twitter.com/aTqVBTEPiI
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The ever-industrious Manu Raju, CNN’s chief congressional correspondent, has conducted some more vox pops in the halls of power, buttonholing two Republicans and a Democrat for comment on Donald Trump’s extreme predicament.
Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina and a close Trump ally, said:
Most politicians get in trouble by self-inflicted wounds. Yeah, I mean, he believes he had the right to possess these [records] under the Presidential Records Act. I don’t know whether that’s accurate or not.
Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican congressman and former US Navy SEAL, said:
I’m not dismissing it. I’m not condemning it. I’m not a spokesperson. And that’s my stance as a member of Congress. You know, if he becomes president one day, then I probably have to comment.
Told, “You’re a military guy, he allegedly had national security information”, Crenshaw said:
It’s very problematic, there’s a reason I’m not defending it.
Finally, Raju spoke to Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic senator from Connecticut who has concerns about the judge in the case, Aileen Cannon, who was appointed under Trump and whose rulings in earlier stages of the case proved controversial in the extreme:
I think the record is a cause for real concern. She has to overcome the presumption arising from her past rulings that he somehow favors the president who appointed her, former president Donald Trump. In the total scheme of things, I’d advise her to recuse.
Here’s more on Cannon:
Mitch McConnell refuses to discuss Trump indictment
Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, refused to discuss the indictment of Donald Trump during a news conference.
Asked by a CNN reporter if he “could still support” the former president for the Republican nomination if he is convicted of the charges, McConnell replied:
The Republican campaign for the nomination has already been going on for six months, it’s going to be going on for a year longer.
I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates. We’ve got a bunch of them and I’m just simply going to stay out of it.
Here’s the clip:
CNN’s @mkraju: “Given that the former president is facing a federal indictment and these serious allegations, could you still support him if he becomes the nominee even if he’s convicted?”
— The Recount (@therecount) June 13, 2023
Sen. Minority Leader McConnell: “I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates.” pic.twitter.com/dhfQz4UCbz
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Trump and Nauta under arrest ahead of arraignment
Donald Trump and his close aide Walt Nauta are now both under arrest in Miami’s Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US courthouse ahead of their arraignment on federal charges related to the classified government documents found at Mar-a-Lago, CNN reports:
Trump now under arrest, booked by deputy US marshals.
— Kristen Holmes (@KristenhCNN) June 13, 2023
The booking process for both Donald Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta has been completed, CNN reports from inside the courthouse.
Do not expect the former president to spend the night in jail, at least not yet. According to CNN, Trump is expected to be released on personal recognizance – essentially a promise that he’ll show up for future court dates.
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It’s more difficult than us journalists would like to find out what’s happening inside the Miami federal courtroom where Donald Trump will be arraigned.
The former president’s hearing is closed to cameras and live broadcasts, despite an attempt by media outlets for access.
Trump and indicted aide under arrest at Miami federal courthouse
Donald Trump and Walt Nauta, the aide to the former president indicted alongside him over the classified government documents discovered at Mar-a-Lago, have both been processed at Miami’s federal courthouse, a court official tells Reuters.
Defendants are usually fingerprinted and have their mugshots taken in processing, and sometimes handcuffed, but it’s unclear what the exact arrangement is for Trump and Nauta. We’ll let you know more when we find out.
Updated
As he drove into Miami to face the first federal charges ever brought against a former president, here is what Donald Trump had to say on Truth Social:
ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA
The Associated Press managed to capture a shot of Donald Trump as he left the Trump National Doral resort for the Miami federal courthouse, where he is set to be arraigned:
Live video from outside the Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US courthouse in Miami shows lots of marked and unmarked police cars with lights flashing, police officers carrying an array of weapons and equipment and an ambulance at the ready.
There’s also a crowd of the former president’s supporters carrying signs reading “I stand with Trump”.
What the cameras have not managed to yet spot: Donald Trump. He’s said to be entering through a side door of the courthouse.
Trump arrives at Miami courthouse for arraignment on federal charges
Donald Trump has arrived at the federal courthouse in Miami where he will be arraigned on charges related to the classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Follow along here for the latest.
Trump on way to court
Donald Trump is on his way to court in Miami, which we know in part because TV networks are following him in helicopters as we know they are wont to do, from the experience of his New York indictment in April.
We have had reports that the former president will not be handcuffed, made to empty his pockets or told to stand for a mugshot. The BBC reports that he will be fingerprinted.
Sarah Churchwell, a professor, author and Guardian contributor, has a point to make to the BBC, meanwhile:
Dear @BBCNews, He is NOT “President Trump.” The President is Joe Biden. Trump is the former president.
— Sarah Churchwell (@sarahchurchwell) June 13, 2023
Please for the love of god stop reinforcing his narrative. He isn’t the goddamn president anymore.
Updated
Round about the time everything is expected to kick off in Miami, with the arraignment of the former president Donald Trump, in Washington the current president, Joe Biden, will meet Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of Nato.
The meeting was meant to happen yesterday but it was delayed because the president had to go to the dentist. Stoltenberg met Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, earlier today.
Biden and Stoltenberg have met three times at the White House before. This time, the press pool says, they are due to discuss preparations for the forthcoming Nato summit in Lithuania, where new aid to Ukraine is expected to be agreed.
The issue of who will succeed Stoltenberg may also be discussed. In place since 2014, the former Norwegian prime minister, now 64, is due to finish his tenure in charge of Nato at the end of September. It’s possible he could succeed himself, having already seen his term extended three times.
Updated
The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, violated the Hatch Act by referring to “mega Maga Republicans” before last year’s midterm elections, an official watchdog said.
In a letter reported by NBC and confirmed by other outlets, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) said: “Because Ms Jean‐Pierre made the statements while acting in her official capacity, she violated the Hatch Act prohibition against using her official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.”
According to the OSC, the Hatch Act, passed in 1939, “limits certain political activities of federal employees” and is meant to “ensure that federal programs are administered in a nonpartisan fashion, to protect federal employees from political coercion in the workplace, and to ensure that federal employees are advanced based on merit and not based on political affiliation”.
The Hatch Act was often in the news during the administration of Donald Trump.
In November 2021, a year after Trump left power, the OSC said at least 13 Trump officials intentionally violated the act, not least in connection with a 2020 Republican convention held on White House grounds.
Officials named included Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state; Mark Meadows, Trump’s chief of staff; Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House counselor; Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump, his father-in-law; Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary; and Stephen Miller, a senior speechwriter and adviser.
The OSC report said: “The cumulative effect of these repeated and public violations was to undermine public confidence in the nonpartisan operation of government.”
The Trump White House ignored Hatch Act violations. In June 2019, for example, an OSC recommendation that Conway be fired did not lead to further action.
In November 2021, the OSC said “such flagrant and unpunished violations erode the principal foundation of our democratic system – the rule of law”.
Regarding that OSC report, the Washington Post noted the existence of “a two-tiered system of consequences”, the OSC having “fined and in some cases fired hundreds of career employees for violations during the four years when Trump was in office”.
The day so far
Donald Trump is to make his first appearance in a Miami federal court at 3pm to answer the federal indictment brought against him by special counsel Jack Smith over the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. This will be the former president’s second court appearance in recent months, after he traveled in April to New York City to plead not guilty to charges of falsifying business records filed by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, and it may also be only the start of Trump’s federal court trouble. Smith is also investigating the former president’s involvement in the January 6 insurrection and the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, and charges on those could appear in the future.
Here’s more about what has happened today:
Trump has had some trouble assembling a legal team for his federal court appearance today.
The former president’s supporters and detractors rallied outside Miami’s Wilkie D Ferguson Jr US courthouse, as did Vivek Ramaswamy, a long-shot Republican presidential contender who vowed to pardon Trump, if elected.
House Democrats plan to use unusual parliamentary tactics to try to force a vote on gun control legislation in the Republican-controlled chamber.
Updated
When Donald Trump’s arraignment begins at 3pm ET, you can expect to hear a lot of names. The Guardian’s Nick Robins-Early has a rundown of the major players in the indictment, which will form the backbone of the court hearing:
Donald Trump’s 44-page federal indictment depicts a varied cast of characters orbiting around the former president as he mishandles, flaunts and conceals top secret documents and reveals classified military information. The case involves numerous individuals, some named and others referred only by their titles, but all who allegedly played a role in Trump committing crimes related to the boxes of classified documents he took from the White House after leaving office.
The indictment, which was unsealed last week, sets up a criminal case that could lead to significant time in prison if Trump is convicted and further complicate his presidential campaign for the 2024 election. Along with the Trump world staffers mentioned in the indictment, it will also put attorneys on both sides of the case on the national stage.
Here’s a guide to the most important people involved:
Updated
House Democrats plan gun control push – report
Amid outrage over the continued gun violence in the United States, House Democrats will attempt to force a vote in the GOP-controlled chamber on new firearm restrictions, the Washington Post reports.
Republican speaker Kevin McCarthy and his allies control what legislation is voted on by the full chamber, and have shown little interest in tightening gun access despite high-profile mass shootings and the prevalence of gun crime across the country. The Post reports that Democrats will file discharge petitions on three gun control measures, and if the petitions receive the signatures of all Democrats and at least five Republicans, they must be voted on by the full House:
NEWS: Minority Leader Jeffries announces in caucus that House Democrats will introduce three discharge petitions related to gun reform legislation, two on background checks and one on an assault weapons ban. Five GOPers would need to sign on with all Dems to trigger a floor vote
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaReports) June 13, 2023
It’s unclear whether five Republicans would sign on to any discharge petition, which would supersede GOP leadership’s wishes and force a vote on the floor. But the move by the minority was done to keep the GOP on notice, especially vulnerable lawmakers
— Marianna Sotomayor (@MariannaReports) June 13, 2023
Democrats appear to be hoping that some Republicans will break with GOP leadership and back the proposals. Top House Democrats, including the minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries, have scheduled a 2pm press conference along with gun control groups to unveil the strategy.
Updated
Trump allies suggest they will do all they can to help him in Mar-a-Lago case
Meanwhile in Washington, Donald Trump’s allies in Congress are vowing to do all they can to help him fight Jack Smith’s prosecution.
Here’s the judiciary committee’s Republican chair Jim Jordan hinting to CNN that he may demand testimony from Smith, the special counsel appointed by attorney general Merrick Garland specifically to handle the investigations into Trump:
“Everything is on the table,” Jim Jordan told me when asked about calling in special counsel Jack Smith to testify before the House Judiciary Committee
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) June 13, 2023
But as Punchbowl News reports, the likelihood of Smith going before Congress anytime soon is very low. As long as his investigations and prosecution of Trump remain active, the justice department will decline to cooperate with any subpoena issued to Smith, citing their policy of not commenting on ongoing cases. The GOP’s best bet at this point would be to sue, but there’s no saying what a federal judge would think of their demand, or even when it would be considered.
That said, Garland is expected to make a regularly scheduled appearance before the House judiciary committee in the late summer or early fall, Punchbowl reports, an occasion Republicans will undoubtedly use to air their grievances over Trump’s prosecution.
Updated
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is so far down in the polls it’s hard to even see him on a graph, but he’s trying to make the most of Donald Trump’s indictment.
Like all GOP contenders, Ramaswamy has to contend with the fact that a sizable minority of Republicans are committed to supporting no one but Trump. To that end, the biotech entrepreneur has embraced a number of far-right positions, such as calling for the abolition of the FBI and a negotiated settlement to end the war between Ukraine and Russia.
Just now, outside the Miami federal courthouse, Ramaswamy held a press conference before the many reporters milling about and vowed to pardon Trump if elected. See his speech below:
I challenge every US Presidential candidate to join me in standing for TRUTH. Commit to pardon Donald Trump for these federal charges on Day 1, or explain why you won’t. No one should hide. Not Biden. Not DeSantis. Not Haley. Not Pence. Not RFK. Not Scott. Not anyone. Principles… pic.twitter.com/qYP3fUrE5R
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) June 13, 2023
As the Guardian’s David Smith reports, Donald Trump’s arraignment today – in which he is expected to hear the charges filed against him in special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment and likely enter a plea – is no laughing matter. This will be the first time a former American president has ever faced federal charges, and it’s possible that at the end of all this, Trump will be behind bars:
Donald Trump, the former US president, is set to face the sobering reality of a courtroom on Tuesday afternoon as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified information in a case watched around the world.
The justice department’s first prosecution of an ex-president concerns conduct that prosecutors say jeopardised national security and involves Espionage Act charges carrying the threat of a significant prison sentence in the event of conviction.
Tuesday afternoon’s arraignment in Miami, Florida, comes with Trump leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, potentially turning his bid for the White House into a battle to stay out of prison. As president he could appoint favourable justice department officials or even seek to pardon himself.
Apparently undeterred by his imminent federal court date, Donald Trump has spent the morning bashing special counsel Jack Smith from his Truth Social account:
This is the Thug, over turned consistently and unanimously in big cases, that Biden and his CORRUPT Injustice Department stuck on me. He’s a Radical Right Lunatic and Trump Hater, as are all his friends and family, who probably “planted” information in the “boxes” given to them. They taint everything that they touch, including our Country, which is rapidly going to HELL!
The former president followed that up with another classic of the all-caps form:
THE GRAND JURY WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT OR THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, BOTH EXONERATING!
Wait a second. Did Trump just invoke the name of Socks, Bill Clinton’s family cat during his time as president?
The answer is most likely no. The “SOCKS” Trump is referring to appears to be a convoluted attempt by his allies to claim that Clinton did something similar with presidential records to what Trump is accused of doing, but was not indicted for it. That counterargument was debunked by PolitiFact, and you can read why here.
Updated
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that at least one police official from Georgia’s capital is in Miami to observe the security preparations for Donald Trump’s court appearance today.
Why would Atlanta’s authorities be so interested in this? Because Fani Willis, the district attorney in Georgia’s Fulton county, where Atlanta lies, is expected to sometime soon hand down an indictment against people involved in the failed attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the state – and Trump could be one of them.
If that happens, the former president will be on the hook for yet another court appearance, this time in Atlanta, and the city’s police force will need to be ready for it.
Here’s more from the Journal-Constitution:
The security procedures outside the courthouse are being closely monitored by metro Atlanta law enforcement in anticipation of Trump’s potential indictment in Fulton County. At least one ATL police official is here in Miami to observe, I’m told https://t.co/E7qDF193I8
— Tamar Hallerman (@TamarHallerman) June 13, 2023
This comes after Fulton DA Fani Willis told ATL law enforcement to get ready because her indictment announcement “may provoke a significant public reaction.” We know the Fulton sheriff sent a team to NYC in April to study security surrounding Trump’s Manhattan arraignment
— Tamar Hallerman (@TamarHallerman) June 13, 2023
Hundreds of reporters are outnumbering the handful of Trump supporters who walked around in the blazing sun outside the US courthouse where Trump will be arraigned at 3pm in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
Several prominent Republicans had called on Trump supporters to protest outside the courthouse but as of the mid-morning, there were fewer than 20 people brandishing Trump flags and wearing Maga caps.
Updated
No mugshot, handcuffs for Trump - report
ABC News reports that Donald Trump will not be handcuffed or have his mugshot taken during his court appearance today:
NEW - As negotiations have reached final stages, ABC News has learned that former Pres. Trump is not expected to get a mugshot according to sources. He is also not expected to be handcuffed or need to empty his pockets during processing, sources tell me @Santucci @AaronKatersky
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) June 13, 2023
Here’s more from the Guardian’s Sam Levine on what, specifically, will happen when Donald Trump is arraigned today – including whether he will be handcuffed, and if a mugshot will get taken:
Donald Trump will make his first court appearance on Tuesday after being charged with 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency. He is set to appear at 3pm at the federal courthouse in Miami.
It will be Trump’s second arraignment this year. In April, he was arraigned in Manhattan on separate criminal charges related to his hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels.
What’s going to happen when Trump shows up in court?
Trump’s initial appearance is likely to be brief. He will be formally presented with the 37 criminal charges against him and informed of the penalties, and then he can enter a plea. Trump will almost certainly plead not guilty.
Donald Trump's other legal battle: finding the right lawyer
By all indications, Donald Trump’s appearance today in a Miami federal courtroom to answer the charges brought against him by special prosecutor Jack Smith will be the first step in lengthy legal proceedings that may not wrap up before the 2024 election. It’s also worth remembering that Smith isn’t finished with his work yet: besides overseeing Trump’s prosecution for allegedly hiding government secrets at Mar-a-Lago, he may still indict the former president in the months ahead for his involvement in the January 6 insurrection and the plot to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.
Today is nonetheless a big day for Trump, but as the Guardian’s Hugo Lowell reports, he’s had some trouble finding lawyers to represent him:
Donald Trump is expected to be represented at his first court appearance to face federal criminal charges for retaining national security materials and obstruction of justice by two of his existing lawyers, despite trying to recruit a local Florida lawyer willing to join his legal defense team.
The lawyers making an appearance with Trump on Tuesday will be the top former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche and the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise, according to people familiar with the matter. Trump’s co-defendant, his valet Walt Nauta, will be represented by Stanley Woodward.
Trump and his legal team spent the afternoon before his arraignment interviewing potential lawyers but the interviews did not result in any joining the team in time for Trump’s initial court appearance scheduled for 3pm ET on Tuesday after several attorneys declined to take him as a client.
Donald Trump set to appear at Miami courthouse to answer federal charges
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump is expected to at 3pm ET today appear at a Miami federal courthouse to answer charges brought by special prosecutor Jack Smith over the classified documents discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort. It’s not the first time the former president has appeared as a defendant in court – Trump was arraigned in New York City two months ago after the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, accused him of falsifying business records ahead of the 2016 election, a case that remains ongoing. But the charges brought by Smith are even more serious, with potentially long jail sentences and chilling national security implications. The former president is expected to mount a vigorous defense, and there’s a chance the case will not be resolved by the time of the 2024 election, where Trump looks like a good bet for the GOP’s nomination. Thus, today is likely to be the first episode of a long series of court dates for the former president. As for this blog, we’ll be following his appearance today live as it happens.
Here’s what else is going on today:
Joe Biden’s schedule yesterday was upended by a surprise root canal, but the White House say he’s back in business and will meet with the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, at 1pm.
Also reportedly functioning again is the House of Representatives. It’s been paralyzed since last week by a revolt by rightwing Republicans, but Politico reports speaker Kevin McCarthy has reached a deal with the group to end their rebellion.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s regular briefing will be at 1.30pm.
