Former President Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty to all 37 charges leveled against him in a high-profile classified documents case. The charges, stemming from the alleged mishandling of sensitive information during his tenure, have sent shockwaves through the political landscape. Trump's legal team asserts his innocence and vows to vigorously defend him against the allegations. The trial is expected to draw significant attention as the legal battle unfolds

1. LAW
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Trump pleads not guilty to all 37 charges in classified
documents case
Updated June 13, 2023 ꞏ 10:27 PM ET
By Carrie Johnson, Lexie Schapitl, Emily Olson
Former President Donald Trump, center, flanked by his defense attorneys, signs his bond in federal court on Tuesday in
Miami. Trump plead not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at his Florida estate.
Elizabeth Williams/AP
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in a federal courthouse in Miami
on Tuesday. In an unprecedented indictment of a former president, Trump faces 37
federal charges, including unlawfully retaining government secrets and conspiring to
obstruct justice.
The indictment alleges that Trump was personally involved in packing the documents
as he left the White House in 2021, that he bragged about having secret materials and
caused his own lawyer to mislead the FBI about what kind of papers he had stored at
Mar­a­Lago.
His aide Walt Nauta has also been indicted for concealing documents and for making
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2. His aide Walt Nauta has also been indicted for concealing documents and for making
false statements. Nauta did not enter a plea Tuesday.
Trump says he is innocent and that he's being unfairly targeted by prosecutors because
he's running for president again. His Republican allies in Congress are echoing these
claims of bias in the Justice Department.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by the Justice Department to oversee
an independent investigation of Trump, defended the work of his team and the FBI in
remarks last week.
"We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone," he said.
Trump was arrested, but wasn't deemed a flight risk
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3. Former President Donald Trump leaves the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse, Tuesday, in Miami.
Chris O'Meara/AP
The former president appeared in court Tuesday for processing. Trump was booked, a
procedure that included digital fingerprints. However, he was not in handcuffs, nor
was his passport surrendered or travel limits placed on him.
During the hearing, attorneys for Trump and the government went back and forth over
communication with potential witnesses in the case.
Ultimately, it was agreed that the government will provide a list of witnesses that
Trump is not allowed to communicate with about the case — that's likely to include
Nauta.
Outside the courtroom, law enforcement had prepared for crowds of up to 50,000
people, but in the end, only about a thousand Trump supporters gathered to show
their support for the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner. Crowds remained
largely peaceful.
Trump spent the remainder of the afternoon making his case
to supporters
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Trump is calling for support for his court appearance. The far right may stay
away

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Trump spent the remainder of his afternoon surrounding himself with supporters, a
sign he's determined to win at least in the court of public opinion.
Shortly after departing the courthouse, his convoy made an unannounced stop at
Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood.
Smiling, Trump shook hands with dozens of people inside the restaurant. At one point
he shouted, "food for everyone" as the crowd cheered and chanted "USA!"
Hundreds of Donald Trump's supporters gathered near the Miami courthouse for Tuesday's arraignment.
Lynne Sladky/AP
Trump then continued on to Bedminster, N.J., where he delivered remarks to a crowd
gathered for a fundraiser at his golf club. Over the course of 30 minutes, Trump
repeated his grievance that the the investigation was evidence of a corrupt
administration weaponizing justice.

5. "Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of this
country," were Trump's first words on the stage. "A corrupt sitting president had his
top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges in which he and other
presidents would've been guilty of — right in the middle of a presidential campaign in
which he was losing badly."
He's said that if he wins in 2024, he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate
President Biden and Biden's family.
A special counsel is currently looking into how Biden himself came to have classified
documents from his time as vice president in his private office and residence. But in
that case, there's no hint Biden is resisting turning over any of the papers, like Trump
allegedly did for about a year.
What happens next?
Smith said Friday he is seeking a speedy trial. Under the law, that could mean within
70 days, which would be well ahead of the presidential primary season next year.
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But there are a few factors that could push the date much further than that.
Given the case involves many classified documents, one question before the court may
be whether Trump's lawyers are even authorized to see the material, and whether
Trump would want to use the documents in the courtroom.
Trump could also make other pretrial motions contesting various aspects of the case
that could add up to months of delays. The legal team could even try to postpone the
trial until after the presidential election.
Trump's legal peril does not end with the classified documents case. Special counsel
Smith is continuing to investigate Trump's actions around the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S.
Capitol, and the Fulton County District Attorney's Office in Georgia is looking into
attempts to pressure state officials in the weeks after the 2020 election. It remains to
be seen whether Trump will also be charged in those investigations.
Parts of this story were taken from our live blog. Catch up on how the story unfolded
here.
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