Arrested Again, Trump Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Criminal Charges Over Classified Documents

The twice impeached 45th president of the United States was arrested on Tuesday for the second time in as many months in his most serious criminal case yet amid an increasingly polarizing political climate in the U.S.

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment inside a Miami courthouse to dozens of federal crimes alleged over the current presidential candidate’s undisputed possession of and refusal to return classified documents to the U.S. government after illegally removing them from the White House when he left office.

Meanwhile, outside of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, dueling protesters carrying colorful flags (with even more colorful language) supporting and opposing Trump in a glimpse of the type of emotions this case has provoked while he becomes the first former president charged with a federal crime in American history.

The obligatory presence of groups like Blacks for Trump and suspected white supremacists flooded the areas outside of the courthouse as Trump was arrested and arraigned upstairs.

A 49-page federal indictment laid out by special prosecutor Jack Smith includes damning recordings of Trump himself admitting to concealing the classified documents not just from the federal government but also from his own lawyers in an effort to fool the Department of Justice.

The indictment also alleges in part that Trump’s actions put at risk the country’s national security since some of the classified documents at the center of the charges contained information about nuclear programs and potential domestic vulnerabilities.

Trump’s aide, or bodyman, Walt Nauta was also charged in the indictment and arrested and arraigned Tuesday, as well. Nauta, who reportedly did not enter a plea on Tuesday and is alleged to be one of the main people moving the boxes of classified documents at Trump’s behest, is charged with lying to investigators.

Before his arrest Tuesday, Trump began the day by taking to his so-called Truth social media platform to lie that someone “probably planted” top secret information in the boxes of classified documents that he lied he didn’t have before the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago residence to recover them last summer.

Some of those boxes were found in security-challenged locations like “a bathroom and shower, and office space, his bedroom, and a storage room,” the indictment alleges.

Critics suggested the language of his nonstop social media posts Tuesday morning mirrored the tenor of those in the days and hours ahead of the infamous and deadly pro-Trump Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021.

Special prosecutor Smith made his first public announcement Friday, confirming Trump had been charged with felony violations concerning national security laws as well as participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice.

“This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the southern district of Florida and I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged,” Smith told reporters at a press conference. “Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States and they must be enforced. Violations of those laws put our country at risk.”

If history is any indication, Trump has a fairly good chance of being locked up if he is found guilty of the felony charges stemming from his latest criminal indictment.

To be sure, Tuesday was not Trump’s first arrest rodeo. It likely won’t be his last, either.

In early April, a New York City grand jury indicted him on nearly three dozen felony counts centered on alleged hush money to pay porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from speaking publicly about their relationship during his 2016 presidential campaign.

One month earlier, a grand jury empaneled by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to investigate Trump’s repeated attempts to overturn and invalidate the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia recommended criminal charges over possible perjury. The grand jury found that at least one witness lied under oath. However, it was neither immediately apparent who was accused of committing perjury nor what the lie was.

Aside from those current and possible criminal charges against Trump, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his children and his company for $250 million in a lawsuit alleging “intentional and deliberate fraud” as “part of his efforts to generate profits for himself, his family and his company” for 10 years from 2011 to 2021.

But that lawsuit could develop into criminal charges since James said she would refer evidence of bank fraud to the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service.

This is America.

SEE ALSO:

Trump Twice Indicted: Which Gets Priority, The Federal Or State Case?

Amid Trump Indictment, Tim Scott Blames Biden For ‘Targeting And Hunting’ Republicans