Former President Donald Trump was formally arraigned in Miami on Tuesday on 37 felony counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021. This, the first time a former president of the United States has been indicted and arraigned by the federal government he used to helm, has drawn widespread outrage over the two-tiered system of justice it reveals when compared to the treatment of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who had classified information in emails on an unsanctioned and improperly secured private server in her basement.
Having spent Monday evening at his Doral property in Miami, the former president traveled via motorcade to the federal courthouse to surrender to authorities and face the charges against him.
HAPPENING NOW: Former Pres. Trump’s motorcade is en route to a Florida courthouse after he was indicted in a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents. https://t.co/Q9XhFOzB5A pic.twitter.com/aNv3O3yfq9
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 13, 2023
Throughout the day on Tuesday, Trump posted several times on Truth Social about the indictment. "THE GRAND JURY WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL RECORDS ACT OR THE CLINTON SOCKS CASE, BOTH EXONERATING!" Trump posted just after 10:00 a.m. "WITCH HUNT!" he posted around noon, followed by several more in rapid succession: "ELECTION INTERFERENCE!" "AMERICA FIRST!" "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump took a break from the indictment talk to post about the PGA/LIV golf merger before calling Tuesday "ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!" and culminating with "ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA"
As Townhall's Julio Rosas captured, Trump supporters were gathered outside the federal courthouse as the 45th president arrived to face the charges brought by a federal grand jury as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation.
A lot more Trump supporters outside the Miami federal courthouse. I’d guess around half are Latino. pic.twitter.com/ebTakshxtT
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) June 13, 2023
Once inside the federal courthouse, Trump surrendered and was booked and "processed." At the arraignment, Trump entered a "not guilty" plea to all 37 charges the former president faces including counts for willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, false statements and representations.
Trump will return to his Bedminster, New Jersey, property following his appearance in Miami on Tuesday and is slated to address supporters at an event held there this evening.
As Townhall covered last week after the indictment was unsealed, Jonathan Turley explained that the case built by federal prosecutors "is a serious threat" to Trump, emphasizing that "obstruction of justice and false statements are called the darlings of federal prosecutors."
When news of the looming indictment broke last week, Trump again proclaimed "I’m an innocent man, I did nothing wrong, and we’ll fight this out just like we’ve been fighting for seven years," as Townhall reported:
I AM AN INNOCENT MAN. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS TOTALLY CORRUPT. THIS IS ELECTION INTERFERENCE & A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! pic.twitter.com/kQxMDBBLTM
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 9, 2023
Trump was indicted and arraigned earlier this year in New York on charges relating to alleged hush money paid to former stripper Stormy Daniels and he remains under federal investigation for his role in the events of January 6th as well as the subject of a probe in Georgia over his actions following the 2020 election.
This is a developing story and may be updated.