Donald Trump is in South Florida, ready for his arraignment after being indicted in the classified document probe, but you might only read about it—literally. Our own Julio Rosas will be on the ground should any shenanigans occur, but the judge in the case has prohibited any video or audio recordings of the proceedings. All phones are banned.
WOW
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) June 13, 2023
At 11th hour, chief judge for the Southern District of Florida issues order prohibiting *journalists* from being phones or any electronic device into courthouse for Trump arraignment
Not just cameras and audio.. but phones are now banned toohttps://t.co/uIf6P1TspK pic.twitter.com/OOduqXq802
JUST IN: Duty magistrate rejects press coalition motion to permit photography ahead of tomorrow' Trump arraignment and to approve release of recording.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 13, 2023
But he says a transcript of the proceedings should be available same-day.https://t.co/dM9Azec8oM
JUST IN: Miami Judge overseeing Trump case denies media requests for video footage or audio of Tuesday’s arraignment
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 13, 2023
Just in: Florida federal magistrate judge handling tomorrow's initial appearance for Donald Trump says no to media coalition request for limited in-court photos/video and immediate disclosure of audio -- but says they can try again when it moves over to Judge Cannon going forward pic.twitter.com/lLlJvSK0Sg
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) June 13, 2023
The former president is facing two trials heading into the 2024 election, which will complicate things for the Republican Party severely: you can’t campaign effectively if your presidential nominee is indicted and has to suffer through two trials. It’s all political—we know this. And we can whine and scream about how the Justice Department has gone rogue, and the FBI is irreparably corrupt. The trials are happening, and Democrats still control the DOJ. These are facts. We change that by winning the next election, but it’s more than just a toss-up with Trump, at least for now. He's been known to survive the unsurvivable politically.
In the meantime, like when he was indicted in Manhattan, which also excluded live camera footage but permitted still photography, security is a top concern, especially if things get intense (via ABC News):
Miami officials said Monday that they are "ready" for the historic arraignment of former President Donald Trump, after he was charged with 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
"We are prepared for a variety of crowd sizes," Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters. "We have the ability to increase our capacity if necessary."
Trump, who has said he is innocent and will plead not guilty, appeared to encourage supporters to come to Miami for his court hearing, writing on social media last week: "SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!"
It wasn't immediately clear how many pro-Trump people might come to Florida, though organizers claimed to be busing in hundreds. Trump made a similar call after he was indicted in New York City, though few heeded that. (He pleaded not guilty in that case.)
Something tells me this upcoming election will age us all by 25 years. No exaggeration.
