the DON JONES INDEX…
		GAINS POSTED in GREEN LOSSES POSTED in RED 6/19/23… 14,941.34 6/12/23… 15,022.11
	6/27/13… 15,000.00
(THE DOW JONES INDEX: 6/19/23... 34,299.12; 6/12/23... 33,876.78; 6/27/13… 15,000.00)

LESSON for June 19, 2023 – “23-80101- cr – CANNON!”

No sooner had arraigning Judge Jonathan Goodman inquired “do you?” and the grim-faced perp nodded “I do!” and his attorney clarified for the benefit of the small, closed courtroom, for the Court Clerk (and, no doubt, the official and unofficial recording devices here and there at the Miami Federal Courthouse) than Donald J. Trump, forty fifth President of the United State (and aspirant for Number Forty Seven) was whisked away by Secret Service agents... having accomplished, for the second time in a month, a unique distinction – being (with the conceivable exception of Ulysses S. Grant’s misadventure in buggy-speeding) the only President to ever have been impeached (twice) and now indicted (again, twice).

The reason (as noted in lsat week’s Lesson and attached thereto, hereby re-attached as Attachment “A”) was the 49 page, 37 count Indictment #23-80101, duly prepared and filed – not before Judge Goodman, nor by prospective Judge Aileen Cannon but by Jack Smith, the Special Counsel appointed by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland and, also, duly attached to said Lesson (with commentary by the New York Times to aid the layman in the lexicology of Trump’s legal troubles and re-submitted here for the further edificaiton of Don Jones as Attachment “B”. Trump’s Second Indictment accused Djonald UnChaste of obstruction and conspiracy and even (if in a minor, muted key) treason, regarding the hoard of confidential documents hauled away from his mansion at Mar-a-Lago, a ways north, as well as from storage rooms, bathrooms, ballrooms, game rooms and, for all the DOJ tells us, war-rooms in and around Southern Florida.

The specific charges were: 31 countsr elated to withholding national defense information (one count against Mr. Trump for each document he was alleged to have kept in his possession), five counts related to concealing possession of classified documents (among them being the counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and withholding documents and records, levied against both Mr. Trump and an aide, Walt Nauta) and two counts of making false statements related to statements to the F.B.I. by Mr. Trump Mr. Nauta.

“I am an innocent man!” Trump responded.

It now seems that some conservatives, conservative icons... even a few politicians... are having to rethink this contention. Consider George Will, the acerbic enemy of all things liberal throughout his tenure at the National Review... which eye organ went off the reservation on Heap Big Chief Trump, mainly because his extremism was starting to seem unelectable, as witness his failed protégés of 2022.

Crossing the fence to wax pensive on Mike Pence’s patron for the repulsively liberal WashPost back in the day (April 4, 2023 at 2:02 p.m. EDT, Attachment One), Mister Will-to-win trumpeted, un-trumptastically, that the former President’s tribulations and trials (two set, two in the planning stage and who knows what to come) might... just might... be “rock bottom for embarrassing U.S. politics”.

For those keeping score, the count of completed indictments and arraignments (there is a difference, see below) stands at two (the docs and Stormy) versus two more criminal indictments - one pending in the state of Georgia (for needling and wheedling Governor Brian Kemp and SecState Brad Raffensperger to “find” him enough nonexistent ballots to overturn the state’s election result and bring him closer to re-election, if not God) and the other for the Capitol riot on January Sixth after his vote philandry in Geogia and a few other states failed to overturn his loss to Joe Biden and his own, presumably loyal, Vice President refused to accede to his demand to overturn the ballot count (and, prosecutors contended, the Constitution), There are also a number of civil cases still pending in their various stages of give and take under both State and Federal statutes – and E. Jean Carroll is back in the game.

THE WEEKEND

After the reading of the indictment on Friday, the exiled President had stopped, blinked, perhaps coughed on a swig of diet soda, then continued on with his Campaign ’24, proceeding to Columbus, Georgia in the aforesaid legal battleground state of Georgia for the Republican convention in that state (which is expect to complete its own due processes and diligence in a few weeks, or days, or months and add its name to the list of pending tribunals) and, thereafter, to North Carolina, where Djonald UnAbashed shook more hands, solicited more support and collected more money before his rendezvous with destiny in Miami.

Such is life, guilty or innocent, on the campaign trail.

After receiving his Notice of Indictement (the Second), the former President had scampered bunny-quick from the State and the City that had betrayed his trust, and with trusted Attoney James Trusty at his side, arrived at the Columbus Trade and Convention Center; there to meet and greet the Georgia Republicans who had been hobbing and nobbing since Friday, weathering the warmup speechifiers who included Kari Lake, the defeated candidate for Governor of Arizona, the ubiquitous (some say iniquitous) MTG and Trump challenger tag-along Tommy Vivek (“raise the voting age”) Ramaswamy. (Some details and pertinent quotes can be found in last week’s Lesson.)

“For 7 years we’ve been engaged in an epic struggle to rescue our country from the Sinister forces within who hate it,” Trump said - and then, to spread the word, tweeted his pitch. “And on November 5, 2024, we’re going to stand up to the corrupt political establishment. We’re going to evict a totally corrupt president, Joe Biden, from the White House. And we’re going to finish the job that we started.

“The Marxist left is once again using the same corrupt [Department of Justice] and the same corrupt FBI, and the attorney general and the local district attorneys to interfere … They’re cheating. They’re crooked. They’re corrupt. These criminals cannot be rewarded. They must be defeated. You have to defeat them,” Trump said during the Georgia conference. “ This is a sick nest of people that needs to be cleaned out immediately,” Trump added.

Lake, whom some Bro’s in the Know now believe has the inside track on becoming Djonald’s Vice in ’24 (and a more loyal, less virtuous Vice at that!), raised the roof, as well as many eyebrows, by the Chattahoochee River when she told the throng that: “I have a message tonight for [US attorney general] Merrick Garland, and Jack Smith, and Joe Biden. And the guys back there in the fake news media, you should listen up as well, this one’s for you.

“If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me.

“And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the NRA [National Rifle Association]. That’s not a threat – that’s a public service announcement.

“We will not let you lay a finger on President Trump. Frankly, now is the time to cling to our guns and our religion.”

Ramaswamy spoke out in favor of defunding both Ukraine and the FBI and challenged the rest of the GOP field to commit to pardoning Trump. Georgia Congressthing Marjorie Taylor Greene reminded everybody that Hunter Biden was still at large and told the delegates. “We’re not living in a just country run by a just government. We’re living in very dangerous times... what they’re doing to President Trump is exactly what they will do to any one of us when they deem us a threat.”

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp did not say anything, because he was not there – which brought charges of waffling on America, cowardice and corruption from the MAGAmob. The object of his ire as regards the vote “finding” charges then went to a Waffle House himself to meet and greet eaters, and then it was off to North Carolina where the Once and Future King of America faced off against both St. Ron and Mike Pence, who soft-touched their dispute over that hanging thing by saying: “A former president of the United States facing an unprecedent indictment by a Justice Department run by the current president of the United States and a potential political rival,” Pence said to loud applause. Pence said it was important to hear Trump’s defense, “then each of us can make our own judgment. ... Be patient. Know that we will soon know the facts.”

A week later, we did, and Mike deserted the S.S. Trump.

But Djonald UnSinkable was making new friends, doling out favors and probably hoping that his favorites would fare well... better than his 2022 proteges. He endorsed lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, a sharp-spoken social conservative, telling a church in 2021: “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”

And he shrugged off attacks from DeSantis, who is now running to Trump’s right, having adopted much of Ol’ 45’s initiatives and juiced them up a bit. But, according to the polls, it’s not working. “Every time I fly over a blue state, I get a subpoena,” said Trump at the onset of what the liberals at GUK called a “meandering” speech that attempted to bridge his legal troubles with campaign promises. “I will never be detained,” declared the Ex at the Georgia State Convention in Columbus. (Guardian U.K. Attachment Two)

The Guardian, covering both the Georgia and North Carolina conventions, opined that Trump has repeatedly “hit DeSantis from the left,” arguing that his votes to cut social security and Medicare in Congress will make him unelectable in a general election – even though Trump’s proposed budgets also repeatedly called for major entitlement cuts. That’s fine with Ron who, said GUK’s David Smith (June 11^th, Attachment Three) is betting that the party’s voters are spoiling for an “even more extreme agenda.”

Time’s Barbara McQuade apparently dislikes Ron, but not nearly so much as she fears and loathes Trump – drawing a comparison in that the actions of the two men are as different as deliberately driving your car into a crowd of people and committing a fender-bender. Both acts involve cars, but the similarities end there. “Whataboutism” as she calls her title appellation, may have become a common political ploy but it is “a trick straight out of the disinformation playbook.” (Time, June 12^th, Attachment Four) Further, while both Pence and Biden stole classified documents, they fessed up – Ms. Lone Wolf McQuade compares their case to that of a retired air force officer was sentenced to three years in prison for knowingly taking and storing more than 300 classified documents at his Florida home.

“Trump’s conduct is more analogous to the former officer than to Biden or Pence.” And, even now as Hunter Biden has apparently skated off from answering to his legal issues, McQuade warns that, if Djonald gets a pass on his “brazen disregard for the law,” DOJ would likely “lose its ability to credibly prosecute less powerful government employees who mishandle classified documents.”

(Whataboutism, by the way, is “a strategy used by authoritarian leaders to excuse their own misconduct. According to Russian analyst and writer Vadim Nikitin, whataboutism is an essential piece of Kremlin tradecraft. The goal of this tactic is not to convince the public that the leader is innocent, but to portray all politicians are dishonest.”)

But in his conventional discourses, the former President fought back against his detractors among the DOJ and what rival Ron calls “the woke mob”.

“For 7 years we’ve been engaged in an epic struggle to rescue our country from the Sinister forces within who hate it,” Trump said in Columbus, Georgia. “And on November 5, 2024, we’re going to stand up to the corrupt political establishment. We’re going to evict a totally corrupt president, Joe Biden, from the White House. And we’re going to finish the job that we started,” (Time, June 11^th, 1:32 PM, Attachment Five) railing against the Marxist left (the DOJ, most media, President Joe etc.) as a “sick nest of people that needs to be cleaned out immediately.”

Don Jones might even add the WashTimes (not Post)... the Moonie-run hard right DC alternative... as has, nonetheless, admitted that Trump has had trouble recruiting and keeping attorneys willing to play mouth-puppet for his increasingly conspiratorial conspiracy theories.

Mr. Trump shook up his legal team last week. He announced that he was parting ways with attorneys Jim Trusty and John Rowley, who are not admitted to the Florida Bar... he also said he would be represented by Todd Blanche and a law firm to be named later (which counsel turned out to be one Chris Kise, below) In the interview with Roger Stone, Ol’ 45 called for mass protests in Miami, as long as they were peaceful. (June 11, Attachment Six)

“They have to go out, and they have to protest peacefully,” said Trump, who can sideswipe Garland, Jack Smith and the other prosecutors in at least three other pending criminal cases by dragging the process out and getting himself re-elected, in which case the problem “goes away,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the WashTimes.

Stone, the ex-convict, political consultant and self-proclaimed “dirty trickster” based in Florida who moonlights as host of a talkshow for WABC, said: “He can try to sound like Trump, he can try to position himself like Trump, but I don’t think those are his real politics. He’s an establishment Republican. If you have a choice of seeing the Beatles or seeing a Beatles tribute band, which one are you going to go see?”

The former President relaxed at his golf club Monday, sifting through resumes for new lawyers and, as Maggie Haberman of The New York Times reported, he appeared on a conservative Spanish-language radio show, in which he called in and complained that his indictment was similar to the corrupt workings of certain Latin American legal systems. And then it was time to fly south, against the grain and the path of the raven, rooks and the buzzards heading North to escape the 94° Miami Heat.

TRUMP’S TUESDAY INDICTMENT

With the principals, the alleged perpetraitor and Trusty gone (his trusted and also indicted valet Walt Nauta clinging to his side), the accused greeted the dawn by settling on his newest legal team.

Trump and his attorneys had spent the afternoon before his arraignment interviewing more 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.

“Trump has also seemingly been unable to find a specialist national security lawyer, eligible to possess a security clearance, to help him navigate the Espionage Act charges,” according to the Guardian U.K.

The last-minute scramble to find a veteran trial lawyer was a familiar process for Trump, who has had difficulty hiring and keeping lawyers to defend him in the numerous federal and state criminal cases that have dogged him through his presidency and after he left the White House.

After interviewing a slate of potential lawyers at his Trump Doral resort, the former president settled on former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche and the former Florida solicitor general Chris Kise – having Kise appear as the local counsel admitted to the southern district of Florida as a one-off, with Blanche being sponsored by him to appear pro hac vice, whatever that means.

The MAGAteam demurred from commenting on Djonald UnMonied’s other obsession, “the merch”, but it was certainly on their mind as they sifted through rumours of a mugshot that might or might not be taken and then filched by the muggee. But soon enough came the time for Ol’ 45 to muscled into his limo by the Secret Service and, as the media duly reported, “driven underground”... not by the persecution of a rogue and repulsive Deep State, but by the agents servicing him and his newest counsels (Kise and Blanche and Alina Habba - who was described as a spokeswoman, not as a lawyer in this case... altho’ she is a lawyer and would do lawyerly things during the arraignment) down and down and down under the Courthouse, from where he took the elevator upwards to face the music of Judge Jonathan Goodman.

It turned out to be less than an hour of “easy listening” tunes... no cuffs, no merch (much to the dismay of the hucksters and hangers-on, no request for bail – no complex litigation for the new attorneys. Despite his confidence and extensive protestations online, The Independent U.K. claimed to have “exclusively revealed” that Mr. Trump was struggling to find attorneys willing to defend him in Florida. They hadn’t, of course, the Exile’s flailing was all over the web, the air, the cloud and the talk of the town.

“Mr. Trump shook up his legal team last week,” the Washington Times also reported. “He announced that he was parting ways with attorneys Jim Trusty and John Rowley, who are not admitted to the Florida Bar,” further stating that Trump, in an interview with Roger Stone on WABC radio on Sunday, endorsed “peaceful protests” of his indictment and the state of the country, which he said is in decline under President Biden and congressional Democrats.

“We need strength in our country now. Our country is being taken away from us,” Mr. Trump told the jailbird with the Nixon tattoo on his back. “They have to go out, and they have to protest peacefully.”

The Moonie paper also predicted that the new lawyers were conspiring to push the trial into 2024 and preferably beyond the presidential election. If Mr. Trump wins the White House, “the case goes away,” said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.

But if Trump-appointed Judge Aiileen Cannon betrayed her patron and put the case on her “rocket docket”, an epic cock-up could ensu; former Attorney General William P. Barr called the charges “very damning” and Time added that BilBarr the Barbarian then told Fox News that, “if even half of it is true, he’s toast. It is a very detailed indictment and it’s very, very damning.”

Upon appearing with his faithful valet (and probable patsy) Walt Nauta at his side, Trump “did not have to take a mug shot, given that there are many pictures of him that could be used for identification purposes, but he did have to submit digital fingerprints and share his social security number and date of birth during the booking process.”

“President Trump is in a very unique position where he does not need to be given a mugshot, obviously,” said Habba. “He’s not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the GOP at the moment. He is going through a process that has been coordinated with the Secret Service and it will all be handled seamlessly.”

New York Magazine’s Margaret Hartmann contended that the former President of the United States had been “robbed of (his) legendary mug shot once again!” a10

No MAGAmoll at all, Maggie then rolled on to add that a mug shot would have been a “key element of his plan to add himself to the list of unjustly persecuted icons, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and even Jesus Christ — while making a shit ton of money in the process.”

Alas – New York law-enforcement officials robbed Trump of his money shot. Authorities took Trump’s fingerprints but did not handcuff or photograph him. The booking photo wasn’t necessary, as Trump isn’t considered a flight risk and, Hartmann opined, probably correctely, he “has one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Plus, if the image leaked that would be illegal, and officials didn’t want to deal with the additional drama, as the New York Times reported.”

Mug shot? Trump struck out again. In advance of the appearahce, ABC News’s Katherine Faulders reported that there will be no mug shot when Trump (was) arraigned for a second time in Miami... and so it came to pass.

In retrospect, maybe Trump’s cronies shouldn’t have gotten MAGAworld so hyped about this photo. In the lead up to the first indictment, former Trump White House spokesman Hogan Gidley assured Time that “we’ll have a mug shot,” joking, “For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time.”

Top members of Team Trump, even daughter-in-law Lara, were reportedly plotting how to milk the mug shot for fundraising and merchandizing dollars, according to Rolling Stone.

Senior members of Team Trump discussed, the sources say, options for putting the ex-president’s mugshot on merchandise, hats, T-shirts, and other garments, and also for blasting out fundraising pitches to donors and Trump supporters that would include the mugshot, possibly in “meme’d format.”  (Meaning, an AI fake, as happened in the Stormy case.)

USA Today also reported that nobody was selling... or buying... Jack Smith merch (even tho’ he does bear some physical resemblance to Don Junior).

A mini-timeline published after the conclusion of the arraignment (consisting of fourteen snippets contributed by ten reporters) asked and answered the question of whether Mr. Smith was present at the creation (of indictment #2) and noted that he was. (Attachment Seven – preparatory to the lengthy commentaries on the arraignment by the Dirty Half Dozen publications below) In its fifth nugget, reporter Rachel Looker wrote that: “Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith attended Trump’s arraignment and sat in the courtroom along with a dozen other government lawyers while Trump pleaded not guilty... (marking) the first time Smith and Trump have been in the same courtroom.”

(Smith is also investigating potential election fraud from Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 election along with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. But that’s another indictment... for another day.)

A biographical portrait of the Special Counsel by Brian Bennett of Time, early Tuesday morning declared that, no matter the merits of the case, “the obstacles for Smith, a taciturn career prosecutor with a medieval-looking beard, are considerable.” The case was assigned to a federal judge (Cannon) who “has already been chided by an upper court for inappropriately favoring Trump in a ruling over documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago Club.” Jurors will be selected from a state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020 (then again, some may harbor secret longings for Saint Ron)... and then there’s the personal attacks: “Trump has already launched a campaign to impugn Smith’s motives, calling him a “Trump hater” and “deranged.”

Mister Smith’s resume includes graduation from Harvard Law, serving Manhattan district attorney’s office and then the U.S attorney’s office in Brooklyn. After stints in Nashville and a short detour into private practice, he took a job charging international war criminals at the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, Netherlands in 2018 and AyGee Garland has assigned him double duty as lead in the documents case, as well as the ginormous One Six insurrection conspiracy, yet to bear indictable fruit.

The “number one challenge” on Smith’s mind has to be that the case will be presided over by Cannon “given that she’s shown that she will be partial to him in her prior rulings,” says Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. Cannon was appointed by Trump to the bench in 2020, and after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, Cannon ordered a special master to sift through the documents to decide what should be returned to the government, but was slapped down by a higher court.

As with Bragg in the Stormy case, hostility and threats of violence against Smith and his family are spiking. Speaking to GOP supporters at the Georgia state Republican Party convention in Columbus, Georgia on Saturday, Trump went on a rambling takedown, saying: “I watched him yesterday go up and talk. He talked for about two and a half minutes. He was shaking. He was so scared. He didn’t want to be there. Because ultimately, these are cowards. They’re cowards,” Trump said. “And he’s a big Trump hater, openly he’s a Trump hater.”

But Smith is unlikely to be intimidated, according to Norm Eisen, an anti-corruption expert at Brookings Institution and the former special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee who has called for Cannon to recuse herself, which request went to the circular file. “Jack Smith has tried war criminals who have committed mass atrocities. So I don’t think he is going to be daunted by name calling by Trump.”

In disclosing what Tori Otten of the New Republic called “the stupidest defense of Trump yet,” Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fl) contended that, while Djonald UnContinent “had squirreled hundreds of documents into various rooms at his Mar-a-Lago resort, including the ballroom and a bathroom,” the hide-and-seek was legitimate in that there are thirty three water closets at Mar-a-Lago, so any Russian or Iranian spies would bump and bang about looking for the right one until the Secret Service came to take them away.

Further, the indictment did not specify whether the documents had been stored in Trump’s personal bathroom, so they may well have been kept in “some random bathroom.” What’s more, you can just walk around Mar-a-Lago on your own, so long as you pay a membership fee. Granted, the fees are exorbitant, “but there are other ways to get in too”... such as attending events including “weddings, movie premieres, and fundraisers that together drew tens of thousands of guests.”

And now we mosey on to the Arraignment itself... viewed through a fly’s eye of timelines and takeaways half a dozen different which have been reproduced in their entirety and re-sorted chronologically, in addition to being attached, unsorted, as below. Further details, including charts, graphs and those always damnable photographs can be found at the source documents, depicted (unsorted) as having been pulled from...

ATTACHMENT NINE – USA TODAY (untimed/dated)

ATTACHMENT TEN – CNN

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN (A) AND (B) GUK

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – AL JAZEERA

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN – NBC

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN - NYT (NOT LISTED)

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – fox san diego

Up and atom early was the order of the day for New York Times reporter Luke Broadwater, who posted at 5 AM Tuesday morning – the first of many timeline text nuggets and snippets following Donald Trump through his journey, arrival at the courthouse, arraignment, departure – and a strange interlude at a Cuban restaurant before flying back to Bedminster to raise money. Broadwater’s broadside,...

Essentially, Mister Trump’s wild ride began around noon, so we will now proffer our box of half a dozen timelines and takeaways, sorted chronologically, after which we shall return to narratives put forth by other media over the rest of Arraignment Day. Thus, the proceedings – as noted in...

OUR SELECT SIX TAKEAWAY and TIMELINE CACHES...

6:00 to 7:00 AM

12h ago / NBC 6:13 AM EDT

Trump to appear in federal court in Florida

By Dareh Gregorian

Amid heightened security and anticipated protests, Trump is set to appear today in federal court in Miami to face charges he misled investigators and mishandled the country’s secrets.

Trump, 76, is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge at 3 p.m. ET, when he’ll be arraigned alongside his co-defendant and aide, Walt Nauta, 40.

Trump was indicted last week on 37 federal felony counts, including willful retention of national defense information, making false statements and representations and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said yesterday that the city is bracing for the possibility of thousands of protesters at the courthouse and has been coordinating with federal, state and local partners “to ensure that we maintain not only peace and order,” but also the ability for demonstrators “to express themselves and their First Amendment rights.”

12h ago / NBC 6:15 AM EDT

A timeline of the classified documents probe

Michael Mitsanas

The federal investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents has gone on for more than two years, with numerous twists and turns.

A detailed timeline compiled by NBC News takes a close look at the origins of the investigation and what comes next.

Read the full story here.

12h ago / NBC 6:15 AM EDT

Miami Mayor Suarez says city is ‘prepared’ ahead of Trump arraignment

7:00 to 8:00 AM

11h ago / NBC 7:28 AM EDT

Christie warns against electing 'angry' and 'vengeful' Trump

Jake Traylor and Matt Korade

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ripped into Trump during a CNN town hall last night, calling the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president "angry" and "vengeful" and saying his actions demonstrate vanity and ego "run amok."

Christie, who launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, said he is convinced that if Trump is elected again, "the next four years will all be about him just settling scores."

"He has shown himself, and I think most particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view," the one-time Trump ally said.

Christie, a former federal prosecutor, also said Trump's former attorney general, William Barr, was “absolutely right” in calling the indictment against Trump “very damning.”

"It is a very tight, very detailed, evidence-laden indictment," Christie said. He added that he thought it "indefensible" that other Republican candidates for president weren't addressing Trump's indictment.

8:00 to 9:00 AM

· 8:00 AM GUARDIAN U.K.

Donald Trump set to appear at MiAM Guardian U.K. i courthouse to answer federal charges

10h ago / NBC 8:27 AM EDT

Haley: If indictment is true, Trump was 'incredibly reckless'

Summer Concepcion

Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate, said during an interview on Fox News last night that Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents was an "incredibly reckless" move that endangered the country's national security.

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration and South Carolina governor, noted that Trump’s indictment over his handling of classified documents strikes a chord with her as a military spouse. Haley’s husband is set to deploy with South Carolina’s Army National Guard for a yearlong tour of service in Africa.

Full Panel: Haley breaks from Trump, calls his potential actions ‘incredibly reckless’

0h ago / NBC 8:47 AM EDT

Black Trump supporters rally outside Miami courthouse

Katherine Doyle

Outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami where Trump is set to be arraigned later today, a group of about two dozen “Blacks for Trump” supporters, a group that included a young child, railed against the indictment.

One member, Maurice Symonette, who calls himself “Michael the Black Man,” slammed the indictment “fake” and “filled with fluff.” Symonette is a staple at Trump rallies and is a former member of the Nation of Yahweh, a Black separatist cult, and one of 16 members charged with murder and attempted murder more than two decades ago.

This is the largest demonstration so far, where for more than an hour a lone supporter dressed in royal regalia waved a Trump-DeSantis sign.

Roger Stone, a Trump ally, told NBC News that he has not been involved in any planned protests and will not be in Miami. Stone has publicly urged protestors “to act peacefully, civilly and legally,” he said.

Trump will be arraigned in the afternoon on charges of willfully retaining classified documents. The indictment has drawn outcry from supporters who accuse President Joe Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department against a political foe.

9:00 to 10:00 AM

· 9:00 AM GUARDIAN U.K.

No mugshot, handcuffs for Trump - report

· 9:00 AM GUARDIAN U.K.

Donald Trump's other legal battle: finding the right lawyer

June 13, 2023, 9:08 a.m. ET New York Times

By Eleanor Lutz, Charlie Smart and Mika Gröndahl

Here is where documents were found at Mar-a-Lago.

Former President Donald J. Trump stored classified documents not only in a storage room, but also in a shower, an office, a bedroom and a ballroom, according to the indictment unsealed on Friday. It describes how Mr. Trump moved dozens of boxes containing sensitive documents out of the White House and into Mar-a-Lago, his home and private club in Palm Beach, Fla.

Trump’s Travel Route

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:08 a.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

Unanswered in the indictment’s details on Trump’s hoarding of documents: Why?

For all the detailed evidence laid out in the 38-count indictment accusing former President Donald J. Trump of holding onto hundreds of classified documents and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, one mystery remains: Why did he take them and fight so hard to keep them?

Mr. Trump’s motive for having thousands of presidential records — including more than 300 classified documents — at Mar-a-Lago, his combination residence and members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla., was not addressed directly in the 49-page indictment filed on Thursday in Miami. The charging document did not establish that Mr. Trump had a broader goal beyond simply possessing the material.

While finding a motive could certainly be useful for prosecutors should Mr. Trump end up at trial, it may not be necessary in proving the legal elements of the case against him.

Nonetheless, why Mr. Trump held onto an extensive collection of highly confidential documents and then, prosecutors say, schemed to avoid returning them remains an unanswered question — even after nearly 15 months of investigation by the Justice Department.

The indictment did offer some hints.

Several former aides and advisers to Mr. Trump have long made the argument that he simply kept the sensitive records because he saw them as “mine,” and because he likes acquiring trophies that he can show off, whatever form those trophies may take.

The indictment describes episodes of his showing off classified material, as well as trying to stop a lawyer he hired to help him search Mar-a-Lago for any classified material still in his possession from actually going through the records he kept at the property.

“I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes,” Mr. Trump is quoted as saying, expressing a kind of personal ownership over the material. “I really don’t.”

June 13, 2023, 9:08 a.m. ET New York Times

By Eleanor Lutz, Charlie Smart and Mika Gröndahl

Here is where documents were found at Mar-a-Lago.

Former President Donald J. Trump stored classified documents not only in a storage room, but also in a shower, an office, a bedroom and a ballroom, according to the indictment unsealed on Friday. It describes how Mr. Trump moved dozens of boxes containing sensitive documents out of the White House and into Mar-a-Lago, his home and private club in Palm Beach, Fla.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:17 a.m. ET

Ashley Wu

Here is where Trump will be before and after his court appearance.

Former President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday around 3 p.m. Eastern. Afterward, he is expected to fly back to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he is planning to deliver remarks at 8:15 p.m.

9h ago / NBC 9:21 AM EDT

Reporters and spectators file into the courthouse

Katherine Doyle

Reporters and members of the public have filed into the courthouse in Miami ahead of Trump’s historic arraignment today.

A line to enter the courthouse began forming a day earlier, with the clerk expected to choose just 20 people to enter the room for Trump’s appearance. The rest will fill an overflow room that fits about 350 people.

Trump will enter his plea before a judge this afternoon. He was indicted last week on 37 federal felony counts, including the willful retention of national defense information.

The former president is accused of taking and improperly storing sensitive government secrets, then resisting a federal subpoena demanding their return. He has said he will plead not guilty to the charges.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:27 a.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

There is quite a scene at the courthouse, but it’s mostly news media. There are probably around 20 Trump supporters from various groups, equipped with signs showing their various points of view. A group called Blacks for Trump is here supporting the former president. A man carrying a “Trump for Jail” sign is wearing a fake ball and chain around his leg.

9h ago / NBC 9:31 AM EDT

Lawyers Kise and Blanche to join Trump at arraignment

Matt Korade

Trump will be joined today by lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise. Meetings with additional local attorneys continue but no new announcements are expected today, a source familiar with the discussions said.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:51 a.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

Trump’s legal team remains in flux hours before he goes into court.

Former President Donald J. Trump’s legal team remained in flux just hours before he goes to federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

Christopher M. Kise, a former solicitor general in Florida who joined Mr. Trump’s team last year, filed a formal notice with the court on Tuesday morning, that he plans to accompany the former president. Mr. Trump will also be accompanied by another member of his existing team, Todd Blanche.

Mr. Trump has been preparing to hire additional lawyers to defend him against the federal charges lodged against him last week by the special counsel, Jack Smith, stemming from his handling of classified documents after leaving office. But he has yet to settle on any of them.

Mr. Blanche represents Mr. Trump in the New York case over hush money payments to a porn star that was filed against the former president in March by the Manhattan district attorney. He is not licensed in Florida.

Mr. Kise has been working on the fraud suit brought against Mr. Trump by the New York attorney general. It is unclear if Mr. Kise will be involved in the long term or simply could be there for the purposes of the arraignment.

Another lawyer representing Mr. Trump, Lindsey Halligan, is licensed in Florida and was the favored choice of at least one of Mr. Trump’s advisers, according to one of the people briefed on the matter.

Stanley E. Woodward Jr. will also sit on the defense side, but as a lawyer for Mr. Trump’s co-defendant, Walt Nauta.

10:00 to 11:00 AM

9h ago / NBC 10:01 AM EDT

Trump campaign releases fundraising email hours before arraignment

Summer Concepcion

Hours before Trump’s scheduled arraignment, his campaign released a fundraising email asking his supporters to “say a prayer for America” because “our justice system is DEAD.”

The email this morning repeats Trump’s denial of any wrongdoing in the classified documents case, reminds his supporters that he will be arraigned this afternoon and thanks them for their support.

“I am blown away by all of your donations, your support, and your prayers,” the email says. “You know more than anyone that WE WILL PREVAIL — just like we always have.”

“We will win. We will save our country. And we will Make America Great Again!”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:06 a.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

Two lawyers have just filed formal notices of appearance to represent Donald Trump in Miami: Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche. More on that here.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:11 a.m. ET

Neil Vigdor and Shane Goldmacher

Nikki Haley and Tim Scott shift their tone, showing a new openness to criticizing Trump.

Some of Donald J. Trump’s Republican rivals in the 2024 race have made a subtle shift since the details of his federal indictment were unsealed, expressing a new eagerness to emphasize the severity of the charges he faces.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who was an ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump, simultaneously criticized her one-time boss in a Fox News interview on Monday while saying that the Justice Department had lost credibility with the American people.

“Two things can be true at the same time,” Ms. Haley said, adding that if the indictment was accurate, “President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security.”

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, another Republican seeking the presidential nomination, said on Monday it was a “serious case with serious allegations,” according to The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston, S.C.

Both Ms. Haley and Mr. Scott had initially reacted to news of the indictment by focusing almost exclusively on criticizing the special counsel and the Justice Department for bringing the charges.

“This is not how justice should be pursued in our country,” Ms. Haley wrote on Twitter on Friday. Mr. Scott had said on Fox News, “Today what we see is a justice system where the scales are weighted.”

The statements represented merely an inching away from the former president rather than a full-throated departure from a broader set of the Republican Party, whose leadership has for the most part publicly stood behind Mr. Trump. In an illustration of that delicate balancing act, Ms. Haley said on Tuesday on “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” that the charges against Mr. Trump, while serious, did not warrant his imprisonment when asked if she would pardon him.

“I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case,” she said, adding, “So I would be inclined in favor of a pardon, but I think it’s really premature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything.”

The small faction of the party that had already broken from Mr. Trump has sharpened its criticism of him in recent days, calling the facts of the indictment “very, very damning,” in the words of William P. Barr, who served as attorney general under Mr. Trump.

The unsealed indictment detailed the moving of boxes that contained classified documents, including into a bathroom, and described a taped private conversation from a meeting that Mr. Trump had.

Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus Harvard law professor and a strident defender of Mr. Trump, acknowledged in a Fox News appearance on Sunday that the Justice Department had obtained a “damning piece of evidence” when Mr. Trump told several people in the taped conservation that he was still in possession of a classified document after leaving office.

Mr. Dershowitz said that the federal indictment of Mr. Trump was a stronger case than the Manhattan hush-money indictment pending against him, but continued to assert that Mr. Trump was being singled out by the special counsel bringing the federal charges, Jack Smith.

“Can you prosecute somebody when you targeted that person and went through every hoop, dotted every i, crossed every t, gave lawyers immunity, violated the lawyer-client privilege in many respects and then came up with something?” he said.

Other Republicans running for president have been put in the difficult position of supporting Mr. Trump or focusing squarely on the Justice Department to avoid directly criticizing him and turning the pro-Trump G.O.P. base against them.

Mr. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said on Friday that his “only hope” was that the facts of the case “would meet a high standard necessary to justify the unprecedented federal indictment of a former president.” He has not spoken about the case since the facts came out.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who has staked his claim as an anti-Trump candidate, called the details of the indictment “indefensible” at a CNN town hall on Monday evening.

“Everybody, whether you like Donald Trump or you don’t like Donald Trump, this conduct is inexcusable, in my opinion, for somebody who wants to be president of the United States,” he said, accusing rivals who were dodging the specifics of “playing games.”

Paul Ryan, the former House speaker who opposes Mr. Trump, said on CBS Mornings that “there’s a timing to” criticizing Mr. Trump. During his speakership, Mr. Ryan often held his tongue over disagreements with Mr. Trump, who then and now was his party’s most popular figure.

“I don’t think you can get this nomination without going through Donald Trump,” he said. “I don’t think you can get it going around him. You have to go through him to get the nomination.”

While Mr. Christie is the first to take such a direct approach, Mr. Ryan predicted he would not be the last.

“I think the others,” he said, “will start making that kind of push.”

8h ago / NBC 10:18 AM EDT

Trump attacks special counsel on social media, calls him a 'thug'

Michael Mitsanas

Trump attacked special counsel Jack Smith in a post on his social media platform Truth Social this morning, calling Smith a "thug" and claiming he "probably" planted evidence in the boxes seized by federal agents that contained classified documents.

"This is the Thug, over turned consistently and unanimously in big cases, that Biden and his CORRUPT Injustice Department stuck on me," Trump said. "He's a Radical Right lunatic and Trump hater."

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:22 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Kevin Rodriguez, a graphic designer in Hollywood, Fla., came from about 20 miles away to protest the charges against Donald Trump. Wearing a sweatshirt that read “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president,” he waved a flag that showed Trump next to a large tank. He views the charges as a political ploy: “They’re trying to remove him from the vote because they know Donald Trump is going to win in 2024,” he said. “That’s why they’re so scared of him, because he’s the best candidate that we’ve had.”

8h ago / NBC 10:26 AM EDT

@ GET! Some Trump supporters discuss buying guns for a second Civil War

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:27 a.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

So far, the only prosecutor to formally appear in the case is Jay Bratt from the Justice Department’s national security division. Bratt has been involved in the documents investigation from its outset.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:27 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Reporters are barred from bringing phones or laptops to Trump’s hearing.

Image

A judge barred reporters from bringing cellphones or laptops into the courthouse for former President Donald J. Trump’s scheduled appearance on Tuesday, effectively limiting them to using pen and paper to document one of the highest-profile court appearances in U.S. history.

The ban was announced in a two-page administrative order issued by Cecilia M. Altonaga, the chief judge of South Florida’s federal trial courts, on the eve of Mr. Trump’s arrival at the courthouse. The order applies only to the federal courthouse in Miami and for only one day, indicating that it was tailored for the Trump proceeding.

Photographing or recording the hearing is already banned by the court’s rules. But for years, credentialed journalists covering trials and other proceedings in Miami’s federal courthouse have been allowed to use laptops and cellphones to take notes.

Judge Altonaga’s order did not include an explanation for why she thought a more stringent rule was needed in anticipation of Mr. Trump’s arrival on Tuesday afternoon, when he is set to face charges that he illegally kept sensitive documents after his presidency ended and refused to turn them over to the U.S. government.

Similar prohibitions on electronic devices are standard in some other federal courtrooms, and the rules on Tuesday will be similar to those set by a New York State judge when Mr. Trump was arraigned in Manhattan in April on separate charges that he had falsified business records.

In that case, however, the judge allowed a small group of photojournalists to take still photographs of Mr. Trump and his lawyers in the courtroom before the proceedings began. That will not be allowed on Tuesday.

Judge Altonaga has been a federal judge since 2003, when President George W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She has been the chief judge of the district for about two years. Any journalist who violates her order could face a $5,000 fine and a 30-day jail sentence.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:28 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

The security around the courthouse has been noticeably loose this morning. Most streets are open, and confused morning commuters passing by on North Miami Avenue are frequently pulling over to ask reporters what’s happening today.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:30 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

There are no conflicts outside the courthouse at the moment, and the crowd is still majority news media, but a helicopter has begun circling overhead. Every so often, Department of Homeland Security officers are walking around the perimeter of the federal courthouse where Trump will appear

8h ago / NBC 10:34 AM EDT

Donalds: 'There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago'

Megan Lebowitz

GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida defended Trump's storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago on CNN this morning, saying people cannot walk through Trump's golf club "of your own accord, because Secret Service is all over the place."

Referring to a photo of boxes of records stored in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom and shower that was included in the indictment, Donalds said: "There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago, so don't act like it's just in some random bathroom that the guests can go into."

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:37 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

Vivek Ramaswamy — who is running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination but has loudly defended him since the indictment — is about to speak outside the courthouse. He’s wearing a hat that says “TRUTH,” matching the sign on the podium set up for him.

8h ago / NBC 10:44 AM EDT

Activist Laura Loomer is outside the courthouse

Katherine Doyle and Michael Mitsanas

Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and provocateur, said she organized the protest outside the courthouse this morning, saying she hopes that at least a couple thousand Trump supporters attend, but that "any showing is a good showing."

Loomer also called on the GOP field to unite behind Trump in the wake of the indictment. “Honestly, they should drop out of the race today in unity with President Trump and they should get behind him,” she said of the other candidates.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:46 a.m. ET

Sergio Olmos

Reporting from Miami

Miami police vehicles have been cruising outside the courthouse, and officers — wearing regular uniforms, not riot gear — are directing traffic away from the street leading to the rear entrance. The Federal Protective Service has cordoned off some of the area with yellow tape, but there are no barriers or fences of the kind that the Department of Homeland Security used in Portland, Ore., during protests in 2020 or in Washington for President Biden’s inauguration.

8h ago / NBC 10:47 AM EDT

Trump will not have a mug shot taken, source says

Laura Jarrett and Rebecca Shabad

Officials will not be taking a mug shot of Trump during the booking process today, a law enforcement source told NBC News.

Instead, officials plan to upload a photo of Trump into their internal booking system. The public will not have access to this internal system.

Trump will have to provide personal data such as his telephone number, address and Social Security number, as part of the process. His hand will also be scanned digitally, without the use of ink.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:48 a.m. ET

Michael D. Shear

White House correspondent

What does the current occupant of the White House do while his predecessor is being arrested? Meet with the NATO secretary general, host a reception for American diplomats in the East Room and hold a Juneteeth concert on the South Lawn. In other words: Anything but pay attention to Donald Trump.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:56 a.m. ET

Jonathan Weisman

Political correspondent

Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and presidential candidate who has decided to make the most aggressive defense of his rival, Trump, of anyone in the field, challenged every other candidate to follow his lead and promise to pardon Trump if he is convicted.

11:00 to Noon

· 11:00 AM GUARDIAN U.K.

Trump allies suggest they will do all they can to help him in Mar-a-Lago case

8h ago / NBC 11:03 AM EDT

Trump indictment comes as GOP loses faith in FBI, DOJ

Ben Kamisar

One important backdrop for the forthcoming arraignment is that Republicans have been souring on both the Justice Department and the FBI since Trump first took office.

Pew Research Center polling from March found just 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults having a favorable view of the FBI. That's down from 49% in 2018, 65% in January 2017 (right before Trump was sworn in) and 71% in 2010.

Republicans have also soured on the Justice Department, but the trend is similar to what we saw during the Obama administration. That March Pew poll found the Justice Department with a 40% favorable rating with Republicans and Republican leaners, down from 60% in 2018, but similar to the 44% favorable rating from 2010.

Read more on the Meet the Press Blog.

8h ago / NBC 11:07 AM EDT

Graham condemns violent threats in response to indictment

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Summer Concepcion

Asked about the allegations against the former president, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a top Trump ally, told reporters that he doesn’t “like mishandling classified information by anybody.”

“I don’t like what happened with Clinton servers. I don’t like having stuff on the garage of Biden’s floor,” he said. “I don’t like compromising classified information.”

Asked about some House Republicans who have alluded to violence in retribution for Trump’s federal indictment, Graham condemned the “irresponsible” response.

“There’s no violent solution to this problem,” he said. “We have a legal system — he will be represented, there will be appeals. This will go all way to the Supreme Court.”

“There’s a belief on the Republican side that the law doesn’t apply equally to Republicans and Democrats, but that’s no reason to engage in violent activity,” he added.

Graham condemns 'irresponsible' calls for violence amid Trump indictment

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:10 a.m. ET

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Miami

Roosters roamed the courthouse grounds Tuesday morning, adding intermittent crowing to the mashup of chants for and against Mr. Trump and the occasional chorus of “God Bless America.” Roosters are regulars on these grounds, unlike the crowds of journalists and demonstrators.

7h ago / NBC 11:11 AM EDT

Who is Trump lawyer Kise?

Daniel Barnes and Megan Lebowitz

Florida-based Christopher Kise has filed a notice of appearance as Trump’s lawyer in the classified documents case. Kise, a former Florida solicitor general, practices in the state's Southern District.

Kise also previously served on DeSantis' transition team. He started representing Trump, his former boss's now-presidential rival, in 2022, shortly after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago. His legal career has taken him before the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump’s New York-based lawyer, Todd Blanche, has also filed a motion to appear “pro hac vice,” which allows out-of-town lawyers to get permission from a judge to practice in a district for the limited purposes of a particular case.

7h ago / NBC 11:24 AM EDT

'A bathroom door locks': McCarthy compares where Biden and Trump documents were found

7h ago / NBC 11:27 AM EDT

Feds would have preferred more 'hardened' security today, official says

Kelly O'Donnell

Federal officials have expressed concern that there are not hardened barriers outside the federal courthouse in Miami where Trump will be arraigned.

"We would have preferred ... a more hardened bike rack type situation," a U.S. Secret Service official told NBC News.

Officials are not concerned about Trump's safety so much as the potential safety risk generally when large crowds assemble given that Florida is a concealed carry state, the source said.

“You have a higher likelihood of people carrying weapons, so the slightest combustion point could very quickly escalate into some problems,” the official said, adding, “That’s why you want to have those pathways, which is our normal posture," referring to bike rack lanes.

While the official confirmed the security plan set up for today's court appearance is not a federal operation, Secret Service officials emphasized that the relationship between the federal agency and Miami officials is "still very strong."

"We understand that is their decision, and we respect it," the Secret Service official said. "It's Miami. They know the community best."

7h ago / NBC 11:29 AM EDT

Pressed on 'substance' of charges, Scalise points to Biden and Clinton

Scott Wong and Ali Vitali

Asked by NBC News about the “substance” of the charges against Trump, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise deflected the question and pivoted to past business and classified documents investigations into the Biden family and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Obviously, as you talk about the substance, what you first can’t get past is the fact that justice is not being carried out equally,” Scalise, R-La., told reporters at the weekly GOP leadership news conference after a meeting of House Republicans.

“Did you see a raid on Joe Biden's garage? Did you see a raid on Hillary's server? She wasn’t president of the United States, and she had classified documents on a server that she destroyed.

“Different treatment is what angers people.”

GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a Trump ally like Scalise, opened the press conference, arguing that the Trump prosecution was purely about the 2024 election.

"The Biden administration continues to egregiously weaponize the federal government against Joe Biden’s top political opponent," she said. "This abuse of power is rotting out numerous federal agencies."

7h ago / NBC 11:37 AM EDT

Blumenthal says judge in case should recuse herself

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Daniel Arkin

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said this morning that he believes the judge overseeing Trump's federal criminal case in Miami should recuse herself.

Cannon, a Trump appointee, drew scrutiny last year when she issued rulings favorable to the former president on the handling of documents in the case after his lawyers pushed back against the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, his Florida golf club and estate.

"I think there's a lot here for ordinary Americans, not to mention cynics, to doubt in the record of this judge," Blumenthal said. "But she can overcome it by being fair, impartial and straightforward, which I hope she will be."

"In the total scheme of things? I'd advise her to recuse, because I think she starts behind in light of her previous rulings," he added.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:41 a.m. ET

Adam Goldman and Charlie Savage

Prosecutors avoided one risk but took another by bringing charges in Miami.

The decision to indict former President Donald J. Trump in Miami, rather than Washington, eliminated the risk of a potentially thorny fight over where the charges should have been filed, but it created a different risk entirely: that the case would end up before a Trump-friendly judge, Aileen M. Cannon.

Indeed, the unsealing of the indictment on Friday showed that Judge Cannon, who last fall issued a series of rulings unusually favorable to Mr. Trump in a lawsuit he brought at an earlier stage of the investigation, had been assigned the case.

For months, prosecutors had used a grand jury in the nation’s capital to question witnesses and hear evidence before abruptly bringing an indictment in the Southern District of Florida.

Because Mr. Trump was holding the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, it was not clear that Washington would be the proper venue to charge crimes like unauthorized retention of national security documents and obstruction.

In federal law, “venue” refers to the proper place to hold a trial: Prosecutors cannot choose any federal courthouse in the country, but rather must charge a defendant in a district that has a sufficient connection with the events that gave rise to the matter.

There was a connection to Washington. And there would have been some advantages for prosecutors to bring a case in Washington. For one thing, that is where the team working on the investigation lives and works. For another, it would have ensured that the case stayed away from Judge Cannon.

But bringing the case in Washington would have given Mr. Trump’s defense team an argument for having the charges thrown out for being in the improper venue.

7h ago / NBC 11:41 AM EDT

Thune suggests Trump's indictment will hurt GOP candidates in 2024 elections

Frank Thorp V and Rebecca Shabad

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., suggested today that Trump's indictment won't help Republicans in the 2024 election cycle.

"I think if you look at the record, in ‘18, ‘20 and ‘22, when he’s the issue, we lose," Thune, the Senate minority whip, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"I would rather have the issue be Biden and his policies," he continued. "And I think the way that you do that is, you get a different nominee, which is why I endorsed somebody else."

Thune said last month that he was endorsing his Senate colleague, Tim Scott of South Carolina, for the GOP presidential nomination.

7h ago / NBC 11:41 AM EDT

Thune suggests Trump's indictment will hurt GOP candidates in 2024 elections

Frank Thorp V and Rebecca Shabad

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., suggested today that Trump's indictment won't help Republicans in the 2024 election cycle.

"I think if you look at the record, in ‘18, ‘20 and ‘22, when he’s the issue, we lose," Thune, the Senate minority whip, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"I would rather have the issue be Biden and his policies," he continued. "And I think the way that you do that is, you get a different nominee, which is why I endorsed somebody else."

Thune said last month that he was endorsing his Senate colleague, Tim Scott of South Carolina, for the GOP presidential nomination.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:49 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

About an hour ago, police officers around the courthouse began urgently closing off a large area as they investigated a television set that had been affixed to a pole with a message against “the Communist controlled news media.” A few minutes ago, they took the television away and reopened the area to the public, giving the all-clear.

7h ago / NBC 11:52 AM EDT

Ramaswamy reiterates he would pardon Trump if elected

ByKatherine Doyle and Megan Lebowitz

GOP long-shot presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated to reporters at a press conference that he would pardon Trump if elected and is demanding that other candidates sign a letter pledging the same.

"I respectfully request that you join me in this commitment or else publicly explain why you will not," Ramaswamy wrote in the letter, which was made public in a press release.

Ramaswamy conceded in the press conference outside the Miami courthouse that he would have made "different judgments than Donald Trump made" if he were president, but said the indictment "reeks of politicization."

He also responded to calls by Trump supporters for him to drop out of the race and endorse the former president. Ramaswamy said he is "running to win this election."

The businessman polled at just about 2% in an April NBC News survey.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:56 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

A long-shot G.O.P. hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, wants candidates to promise Trump a pardon.

Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and activist who is running against Donald J. Trump for the Republican nomination, told reporters outside the courthouse in Miami on Tuesday that he had reached out to other presidential candidates to urge them to commit to pardoning the former president if they win in 2024.

Mr. Ramaswamy, who has been among Mr. Trump’s most vocal supporters since the indictment, said he had floated the idea of such a pledge to Mr. Trump’s main Republican rivals, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, as well as Democrats challenging President Biden, like Robert Kennedy Jr.

Speaking outside the federal court building where Mr. Trump was scheduled to appear hours later, Mr. Ramaswamy was often drowned out by competing chants between Trump supporters and demonstrators who had come to celebrate the indictment.

Mr. Ramaswamy said that even though he could benefit politically from the case, he believed the prospect of the Republican front-runner facing an extended prosecution and possibly jail time was dangerous for democracy.

“It would be a lot easier for me in this race if he were eliminated,” he said.

He also announced that he had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking communications between Mr. Biden, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Jack Smith, the special counsel in the documents case, to search for evidence of wrongdoing.

Mr. Ramaswamy claimed, without evidence, that the news media had been remiss in not investigating any improper ties between the White House and the Justice Department. He said it was “a shame” that a competitor in the race had to do so.

While Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly struggled to speak over the crowd, several of Mr. Trump’s supporters who gathered to watch yelled at Mr. Ramaswamy to drop out, while others hurled taunts about his business career and his ties to corporate donors.

At one point, an aide handed Mr. Ramaswamy a microphone, which did not work. Moments later, a large group watching peeled away to watch a confrontation between demonstrators.

7h ago / NBC 11:56 AM EDT

Police sweep has ended, public being allowed back in

Erika Angulo

Police investigating a suspicious object have finished sweeping the area. Everyone is being allowed back in.

12:00 PM to 12:15 PM

· Noon GUARDIAN U.K.

The day so far

· Noon GUARDIAN U.K.

House Democrats plan gun control push – report

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:02 p.m. ET

John Koblin

Media reporter

National television networks are teeing up wall-to-wall arraignment coverage. CBS, ABC and NBC will all cut into their afternoon programming and go into special report mode at some point after 2 p.m. Cable news is turning to major event anchors like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper (CNN) and Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum (Fox News) to help lead coverage through the afternoon. Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid will oversee prime-time hours on MSNBC for what the network is calling a “post-arraignment special.”

7h ago / NBC 12:03 PM EDT

Dem leader calls out Higgins for cryptic message to Trump supporters

By Scott Wong

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar singled out Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., by name today for tweeting a cryptic message to Trump supporters that some said hinted at violence. Cryptoviolence?

House Republicans’ “posture is troubling. It’s deeply troubling to read tweets like Clay Higgins that basically tells folks to ‘stand back and stand by.’ For those of us who were in the chamber on Jan. 6, we view this from a very dangerous perspective,” said Aguilar, a California Democrat and member of the special House committee that investigated the Capitol attack.

Noting that Trump will have the chance to make his case in court, Aguilar said, "The allegations are incredibly troubling and the fact that House Republicans continue to try to come to his rescue just blows our mind.”

Some perceived Higgins' tweet as a call to war. But Higgins later said in a statement he and other conservatives are “not willing to violate our Constitution” and accused the federal government of entrapment.

“My fellow conservatives, the DOJ/FBI doesn’t expect to imprison Trump, they expect to imprison you,” Higgins said in a statement. “They want J6 again, in Miami and in your city and in mine. They want MAGA conservatives to react to this perimeter probe and in doing so, set yourselves up for targeted persecution and further entrapment.”

Higgins’ Freedom Caucus ally, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was more explicit, saying the situation had reached a “war phase. Eye for an eye.”

7h ago / NBC 12:07 PM EDT

NY AG says other Trump cases may be stalled until after docs case

By Dareh Gregorian

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in an interview last night that her $250 million lawsuit against Trump and other state cases may wind up being delayed by the federal prosecution against the former president. That’s Case #5

“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will unfortunately have to be adjourned pending the outcome of the federal case. So it all depends on the scheduling of this particular case,” James said in an interview with “Pod Save America."

James' suit alleges that Trump vastly inflated his assets in order to secure favorable loans he was not entitled to is and is scheduled to go to trial in October. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case charging Trump with felony falsification of business records in a hush money scheme is scheduled for trial next March.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election in her state, is expected to announce any charges by August. Uh…That’s criminal, not civil. _DJI

James said she expects "a flood" of motions in the federal case, which could slow it down.

How a federal case could put Trump’s New York, Georgia inquiries on hold

7h ago / NBC 12:09 PM EDT

Crenshaw on Trump: ‘I don’t owe him defense’ or ‘excessive critiques’

By Kyle Stewart and Kate Santaliz

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, called Trump's indictment “serious” but said he didn’t have all the facts.

“I’m not dismissing it,” Crenshaw said. “I’m not condemning it. I’m not his spokesperson.”

He added that if and until Trump becomes president again: “I don’t owe him defense. I don’t owe him, but I also don’t owe excessive critiques, either.”

6h ago / NBC 12:15 PM EDT

Link posted: What to expect from Trump’s arraignment in federal court

6h ago / NBC 12:21 PM EDT

Snap polling shows Republicans more skeptical than rest of U.S. of Trump charges

New polling released ahead of Trump's arraignment shows that while a majority of adults believe the allegation at the core of the charges against him is believable, Republicans are far more skeptical.

As many as 62% of U.S. adults in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll say the statement that "Donald Trump illegally removed classified documents from the White House and stored them at his home at Mar A Lago" is believable, compared to 27% who call it not believable. While majorities of Democrats and independents say the allegation is believable, 58% of Republicans say it's not.

The poll also found 50% of adults, including 81% of Republicans, believe the indictment is "politically motivated." As many as 36% of all adults disagree that politics are involved. But a similar share of adults, 48%, say that Trump, President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence have all been "treated fairly given the circumstances" surrounding the classified documents found at their homes, compared with 34% who say Trump has been treated unfairly (a majority of Republicans believe he is being treated unfairly).

Reuters and Ipsos polled 1,005 people in America online from Friday (the day the indictment was unsealed), to yesterday, with a margin of error of +/- 5.3% (the error margin for the Republican sample is +/-6.5%). While public opinion could change significantly as the public digests the charges, the poll shows Americans' early reaction to the decision to charge Trump.

6h ago / NBC 12:42 PM EDT

Nevada GOP chair spotted in D.C. courthouse where Jan. 6 grand jury is meeting

Victoria Ebner, Natasha Korecki and Ryan J. Reilly

Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., today, where the grand jury probing Jan. 6 is meeting.

McDonald and DeGraffenreid were two of the six people in Nevada who signed a document attesting that Trump had won the state’s electoral votes in the so-called fake elector scheme. McDonald has defended signing the document and the FBI seized his phone last summer, a source previously confirmed to NBC News. McDonald testified last year before the House Jan. 6 committee behind closed doors, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 200 times.

Asked about the coincidence of his making an appearance before the Jan. 6 grand jury on the same day as Trump’s indictment in Miami, McDonald replied: “Not on my bucket list.”

McDonald and DeGraffenreid re-entered the grand jury room just before 1 p.m. ET.

6h ago / NBC 12:51 PM EDT

How Biden's and Clinton's handling of classified info compares with Trump's

Michael Mitsanas

Donald Trump and some Republicans have drawn comparisons between his handling of classified information and that of President Joe Biden and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but the cases are markedly different.

The FBI investigated Clinton for months over her use of a private email account as secretary of state to determine whether she mishandled classified information by sending it over an unsecured private server. Federal investigators decided she had been “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information, but it did not rise to the level of criminality or warrant charges.

Biden's lawyers discovered a "small number" of Obama administration documents with classified markings in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, the president's special counsel said. The White House counsel’s office notified the National Archives the same day, and officials collected the documents the following day and Biden's personal attorneys cooperated with the federal officials throughout the process, Sauber said.

In Trump’s case, the National Archives contacted Trump officials soon after he left office to say some documents appeared to be missing, and after months of back and forth, Trump sent 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago, some of which contained classified documents. The FBI later obtained information that Trump had more government documents and issued a subpoena for their return, and then learned Trump had not fully complied with the subpoena. A search at Mar-a-Lago then found more than 100 documents with classified markings, ultimately leading to the charges against the former president.

Read more on how the Clinton and the Biden cases compare to Trump’s.

12:15 to 12:30 PM

12:30 to 12:45 PM

(17:33 GMT) AL JAZEERA - AL JAZEERA

Trump leaves Doral golf resort en route to Miami court

Former US President Donald Trump has left his Doral golf club, en route to the Miami court where he will be arraigned.

A small group of Trump supporters waving flags were outside the property. It’s about a 30-minute drive from the resort to the federal building.

12:45 to 1:00 PM

 (17:52 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Police block street in front of court before Trump arrival

Police have blocked the street in front of Miami federal court as Trump’s motorcade approaches.

(17:54 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump motorcade arrives at Miami court

Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Miami federal court.

The former president is expected to enter the court through an underground garage.

He is then expected to be booked and electronically fingerprinted before his appearance, which is set to start at 3pm local (19:00 GMT) AL JAZEERA . 4h ago Guardian U.K.

 (17:55 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump’s Israel policy reflected by court supporters

Elaine Quinn has brought a small Israeli flag with her to the pro-Trump rally outside the courthouse.

“We support Israel,” she told Al Jazeera, invoking Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Quinn said opponents “keep setting Trump up”, but “he’s strong”.

Asked about the protest at the court, Quinn said, “I didn’t think we’d get near the place. I thought we would be in the car park, miles back”. 4h ago Guardian U.K.

1:00 to 1:15 PM

· 1:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Trump on way to court

(18:00 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump again posts on the way to court

Trump has posted from the motorcade on the way the court in Miami.

It’s become common practice for the former president, who also posted while en route to Manhattan’s criminal court in April for his arraignment in a separate case.

“ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA” he wrote.

6h ago / NBC 1:08 PM EDT

Democrats see Scott as potentially tougher to beat than Trump

By Peter Nicholas and Alex Seitz-Wald

Trump leads the GOP presidential nomination fight — by large margins — in every Republican primary poll, but Democrats watching him appear in another courtroom are handicapping the prospects of the rest of the field.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., might be a long shot for the Republican nomination at this point, but Democratic strategists know Scott, and some worry he might pose a real threat to beat President Joe Biden in a general election if he makes it that far.

Democrats worry that as a Black man, Scott, who was elected to the Senate in 2012, would peel away voters who are crucial to Biden’s re-election — and that at age 57, Scott’s mere presence on the debate stage would call attention to the inconvenient fact that Biden is the oldest president ever to have served. With an upbeat message, Scott also might appeal to an electorate disenchanted with the sour state of American politics.

There is little doubt that, despite what hypothetical general election polls right now might find, Democrats see Trump as the easier candidate to beat.

(18:11 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump supporters cheer as convoy arrives

The convoy carrying the former president stopped outside the court. Pro-Trump demonstrators gathered let out a cheer as the vehicles arrived.

“That’s my president,” one supporter shouted. “God bless America.” 4h ago Guardian U.K.

(18:13 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump supporters outnumber opponents at Miami court

Hundreds of people have descended on Miami’s federal court, so far on the lower end of the numbers authorities had anticipated.

Still, Trump supporters vastly outnumbered those who had come to protest the former president.

“They [Trump supporters] feel this is a political prosecution, that the Justice Department is working for Joe Biden and not for independent justice. That’s the view of the people out here,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reported from Miami.

“It should be pointed out: the people who come out here are largely people who come out to support the president, but he didn’t even win Miami, he lost it by about seven percentage points even though he won the state of Florida. So this is a selective crowd, but very representative of those who support President Trump,” he said.

1:15 to 1:30 PM

 (18:16 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump protester recounts being surrounded at court

Domenic Santana, a counter-protester dressed in a jail suit who was confronted by Trump supporters outside the courthouse, said he feared for his life.

“They were spitting at me, calling me [an anti-gay slur], calling me a communist,” he told Al Jazeera.

About 10 Trump supporters had swarmed Santana earlier. He continued to carry a sign that said: “lock him up.”

Santana described Trump as a dangerous “con artist”, saying that the former president should have been jailed a long time ago. 4h ago Guardian U.K.

 (18:20 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump processed in advance of appearance

Trump has been processed before his court appearance, a court official said.

His aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who has also been charged with six criminal counts related to hiding documents, obstruction, giving false statements to investigators, has also been booked, the official said.

Trump could not be seen entering the court after his motorcade arrived.

5h ago / NBC 1:24 PM EDT

Crowds gather outside Miami courthouse ahead of Trump arraignment

Watch: Crowds gather outside Miami courthouse ahead of Trump arraignment

5h ago / NBC 1:25 PM EDT

Asked about Trump, McCarthy repeatedly invokes Biden

Ali Vitali and Kyle Stewart

A chatty House Speaker Kevin McCarthy repeatedly dodged questions about the substance of Trump’s indictment by shifting his focus to President Joe Biden.

Asked if any aspects of Trump's indictment could be damning, McCarthy fired back: 'There’s some things that could be damning against President Biden." 

Asked if he thinks the classified documents at issue belong to Trump, as the former president has asserted, McCarthy said he couldn’t answer that because he hadn’t seen the documents. “I haven’t seen the documents, I can’t tell you. But if they’re classified, they should be shipped back," he said, pivoting again to documents found at Biden's home that "don’t belong to him either.” 

McCarthy said he hasn’t spoken to Trump since last week, prior to the indictment. When asked if he planned to give Trump a call, he said, “I talk to the president quite often.”

(18:28 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump faces ‘uphill battle’: Former federal prosecutor

Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor, told Al Jazeera that Trump faces an “uphill battle” in his legal defence.

“It’s a very strong case. The former president made the mistake of taping a conversation where he admitted that he had these documents and that he knew that he wasn’t supposed to have these documents and that he shared information in the documents, so that’s obviously going to be a key piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case,” she said.

However, some factors have lined up in Trump’s favour, including the judge assigned to the case – his own appointee who had previously ruled in his favour in relation to the investigation.

She added, “It is going to be a jury trial, and that means that really Donald Trump needs just one juror to refuse to convict him.”

1:30 to 1:45 PM

5h ago / NBC 1:32 PM EDT

Trump has departed and is heading to the courthouse

Daniel Arkin

Trump has left his golf club in Doral and he’s en route to the federal courthouse in Miami.

Shortly before leaving the club, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. "One of the saddest days in the history of our country," the former president wrote in an all-caps message. "We are a nation in decline!!!"

Trump departs for arraignment at Miami federal court

5h ago / NBC 1:49 PM EDT

Cassidy rails against Trump indictment coin

Corky Siemaszko

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., posted an “outrage of the week” tweet today blasting the White House Gift Shop for putting out a commemorative coin to mark Trump’s latest indictment. 

“Now, whatever you think about it, whatever party you are, you got to admit it’s poor taste, that it’s capitalizing upon something without his permission, I’m sure,” he said. “It’s the wrong thing to do. Have a sense of decency White House Gift Shop.”

The White House Gift Shop is owned by a private company based in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and not part of the White House. It also stocks pro-Trump items like the “President Trump Defeats Covid” commemorative coin that sells for $100.

5h ago / NBC 1:51 PM EDT

Trump aide tweets from motorcade: 'President Trump on the way to fight the witch-hunt'

Rebecca Shabad

Trump aide Steven Cheung tweeted a short video clip showing the motorcade appearing to leave Trump's Doral property on the way to the Miami courthouse.

"President Trump on the way to fight the witch-hunt," he tweeted.

5h ago / NBC 1:54 PM EDT

Trump posts to Truth Social that he is en route to courthouse

Megan Lebowitz

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is on his way to the Miami courthouse.

"On my way to courthouse. Witch hunt!!! MAGA," the former president posted in all caps.

Trump posts on Truth Social from motorcade while traveling to arraignment

(18:41 GMT) AL JAZEERA

‘We want Trump’ supporters chant as former president arrives

Dozens of supporters waving flags gathered on a street by the Miami court where Trump surrendered to authorities and was being processed.

They waved flags and were perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of the former president. The vehicle carrying Trump used an underground entrance and he was not seen entering the court.

 (18:41 GMT) AL JAZEERA

White House again says Biden not involved in indictment

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has again said that President Joe Biden had no involvement in the federal indictment of Trump.

When asked in her daily press briefing if Biden influenced the indictment, she replied, “Not at all.”

“He was not involved. The president has been very very clear: The Department of Justice is independent. He wants to restore that independence of the Department of Justice. And that is what you have seen,” Jean-Pierre said.

The White House has repeatedly declined to comment on the case. Biden selected Merrick Garland as attorney general, and Garland, in turn, named the special counsel in the Trump investigation.

1:45 to 2:00 PM

 (18:46 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump lawyer speaks outside of court

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba spoke outside of the Miami federal court, where Trump is waiting to make his first appearance in the documents case.

“What we are witnessing today is the blatant and unapologetic weaponisation of the criminal justice system,” Habba said.

“The Biden-appointed special counsel has saw it fit to bring 37 federal charges against President Trump, the leading frontrunner, less than a year and a half before an election,” she said. 3h ago Guardian U.K.

 (18:56 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump enters Miami courtroom

The former president has entered the courtroom, where he is set to face 37 criminal counts related to hoarding and hiding classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements to investigators, according to the Reuters news agency and US media.

2:00 to 2:15 PM

· 2:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Mitch McConnell refuses to discuss Trump indictment

· 2:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Trump and Nauta under arrest ahead of arraignment

· 2:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Trump and indicted aide under arrest at MiAM Guardian U.K. i federal courthouse

· 2:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Trump arrives at MiAM Guardian U.K. i courthouse for arraignment on federal charges

5h ago / NBC 2:01 PM EDT

Bacon: 'It’s obvious what the president did was wrong'

By Ryan Nobles and Summer Concepcion

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said it is “obvious” that Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents is wrong, and warned that the GOP will suffer political consequences if it doesn't break from the former president soon.

“Well, I think it’s obvious what the president did was wrong,” he said. 

"And we just got to be honest, I mean, to have thousands of secrets in your house, showing them to people that were not read in, and then not giving all of it back, saying you gave it all back and then lying about it, I just, there’s no way to defend that. And I just think the emperor has no clothes,” Bacon said.

Bacon, who previously expressed concern over Trump’s hold on the GOP, then urged his Republican colleagues to “stand up and say that” because he anticipates Democrats will do that after the GOP presidential primary.

“I think Republicans have always stood on the rule of law," he said. "We can’t walk away from that."

5h ago / NBC 2:06 PM EDT

Lake is in the crowd outside the courthouse

By Emma Barnett and Daniel Arkin

Kari Lake, the failed Republican candidate in last year's Arizona gubernatorial election and one of the most vocal proponents of Trump's lies about the 2020 election, stood among a group of pro-Trump demonstrators as the former president's motorcade arrived at the courthouse in Miami.

· BIAS? Could NBC be among those whom Trump and folks like him (ideologically, if not financially) believe to be infested with liberals? - DJI!

5h ago / NBC 2:06 PM EDT

How Trump’s indictment in classified docs case could affect 2024 run

 (19:09 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump pleads not guilty

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 criminal counts against him.

(19:14 GMT) AL JAZEERA

‘Certainly entering a plea of not guilty’: Trump lawyer

Trump has formally denied the dozens of allegations laid out in an unsealed indictment against him. Prosecutors accuse Trump of willfully mishandling US government secrets and scheming to prevent their return.

“We are certainly entering a plea of not guilty,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, told the judge.

4h ago / NBC 2:14 PM EDT

Image-conscious Trump avoids the cameras on arrival

Alex Seitz-Wald

The image-conscious Trump slipped into the modern glass building of Miami's federal courthouse unseen by the throngs of cameras and supporters who had waited for hours to get a glimpse, preventing cameras from capturing — despite all his defiant boasts about the case — the indelible image of the first president in American history surrendering to federal authorities.

The former president arrived at the courthouse with the pomp typical of a world leader — a fleet of armored SUVs and police motorcycles gliding into a cordoned street  — but under unprecedented circumstances.

The street was cleared before his arrival and a phalanx of police, whose vehicles and their stern passengers with big guns blocked direct views, making it clear no one would be getting any closer. At one point, after Trump went inside, officers forcibly removed a sign-waving man who crossed the yellow police tape keeping back the hundreds of other spectators.

2:15 to 2:30 PM

 (19:22 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Anti-Trump demonstrator: Politics don’t matter

Chrissy, an anti-Trump protester who chose to be identified by her first name only, said it doesn’t matter where one stands on the former president’s politics; if he broke the law, he should be prosecuted.

She carried a sign that said “Trump 20-24 years in jail” – a play on the former president’s 2024 presidential campaign.

“If you want to support Donald Trump’s persona and policies, it’s irrelevant right now in this court case,” Chrissy said. “What we’re supporting is judicial consequences to alleged actions.”

4h ago / NBC 2:22 PM EDT

Trump and Nauta have been booked

Ken Dilanian

The booking process for Trump and his personal aide Walt Nauta has been completed, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said.

Trump booked and processed at Miami federal court

4h ago / NBC 2:22 PM EDT

McConnell sidesteps questions on Trump's indictment

Sahil Kapur and Liz Brown-Kaiser

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sidestepped two questions today about the Trump indictment — first on whether he could still support Trump in 2024 if he's the nominee, and second on the substance of the indictment.

“I’m not going to start commenting on the various candidates we have running for president,” the Senate Republican leader told reporters at his weekly press conference. "There are a lot of them. It’s going to be interesting to watch."

McConnell has not commented on Trump's federal indictment.

 (19:24 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump aide Nauta not arraigned

Trump aide Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who is also expected to pleaded not guilty, was not arraigned on Tuesday due to a lack of local legal representation.

Nauta was charged with six criminal counts related to helping Trump hide documents. He is also accused of giving false information to investigators. He was set to be arraigned at the end of the month.

4h ago / NBC 2:24 PM EDT

Link: Bolton: 'We've got to take the politics out of this business when national security is at stake'

2:30 to 2:45 PM

4h ago / NBC 2:32 PM EDT

Trump spokesperson: 'The people in charge of this country do not love America. They hate Donald Trump'

Rebecca Shabad

Alina Habba, an attorney and spokesperson for Trump who is not representing him in this case, said in brief remarks outside the courthouse in Miami that the former president is "defiant," and she lashed out against federal prosecutors who have charged him.

"Today is not about President Donald J. Trump, who is defiant," she said. "It is about the destruction of the long-standing American principles that have set this country apart for so long."

Habba said there has been a rise in "politically motivated prosecutors" in recent years. "They have been quietly but aggressively cultivating a two-tiered system of justice, where selective treatment is the norm," she said.

"The people in charge of this country do not love America. They hate Donald Trump," she said, adding that what is unfolding is a "blatant and unapologetic weaponization of the criminal justice system."

Habba compared Trump to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, saying that Trump is being held to a different standard.

"We are at a turning point in our nation’s history," she said. "The targeting prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships, like Cuba and Venezuela."

She added that what is being done to Trump should "terrify" all Americans.

4h ago / NBC 2:35 PM EDT

Christie: Trump is a "Loser. Loser. Loser."

Megan Lebowitz

Chris Christie tweeted that the GOP must "stop blaming our adversaries for the weakness of our candidates."

"It's Trump. He's a 3-time loser," Christie, who is running for president in 2024, wrote. "Loser. Loser. Loser."

 (19:43 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Supporters await Trump departure

Supporters were awaiting Trump’s departure from the Miami court as his first appearance in the case wrapped up.

One Trump supporter, Patty Berry, said the show of support for the former president outside the court was “wonderful”.

“These people are good people, and we do support him,” she told Al Jazeera.

Berry, who carried a sign referring to the Department of Justice, which is prosecuting Trump, as the “Department of Injustice”, said dialogue and civil conversations between Americans was needed to bridge the deepening political divide.

2:45 to 3:00 PM

 (19:50 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump ordered not to speak to witnesses, co-defendant

The judge also ruled that Trump is not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case, or his co-defendant Nauta.

The judge noted that Trump and Nauta, who works as Trump’s valet and aide, are together on a daily basis. Still, he said any discussions related to the case must go through lawyers.

Trump has been allowed to leave the court without conditions, with prosecutors saying they did not consider him a flight risk.

Nauta was also allowed to leave on his own recognizance, although he was not officially arraigned as he did not retain local legal representation.

 (19:53 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump’s first court appearance in documents case ends

The hearing on Tuesday lasted just under 50 minutes.

Trump is set to fly back to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is scheduled to address supporters

4h ago / NBC 2:54 PM EDT

Haley said she's 'inclined' to support a pardon for Trump

Ali Vitali, Alex Tabet and Rebecca Shabad

Nikki Haley, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said today that she would be "inclined in favor of a pardon" for Trump if he were convicted and she were elected president.

"When you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt, and more about what’s good for the country," Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, said in a podcast interview with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

"And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case. That’s something you see in a Third World country," she said.

"I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. But I think it’s really premature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything," Haley added.

Haley served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and was nominated by Trump during his presidency.

4h ago / NBC 2:54 PM EDT

Daniel Arkin

An anti-Trump protester wearing a black-and-white striped prisoner costume could be seen approaching Trump's motorcade.

Video showed Miami police officers pushing the protester away from the line of black SUVs that had lined up outside the courthouse.

3:00 to 3:15 PM

· 3:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Donald Trump hearing concludes

· 3:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Correction: Walt Nauta not arraigned

· 3:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Mike Pompeo says former boss was 'wrong' to store classified documents

· 3:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Trump pleads not guilty to charges over Mar-a-Lago documents

 (20:02 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump departs court in motorcade

Trump supporters chant “USA” and “Let’s go Brandon” – a slogan that implies an insult to President Biden – as the former president’s convoy prepares to depart.

Demonstrators erupted in cheers as Trump could be seen waving at supporters from inside his car.

  (20:02 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Man arrested as Trump motorcade departs

One man has been arrested as Trump’s motorcade departed.

The man, who was wearing a prison suit and calling for Trump’s arrest, had appeared to try to approach the motorcade, Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reported.

“The only arrest we’ve seen so far,” Hendren said, saying the low number underscored the relative peace of the day.

4h ago / NBC 3:03 PM EDT

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 federal felony counts

Adam Edelman, Ken Dilanian and Gabe Gutierrez

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 federal felony counts he was indicted on last week in connection with his alleged mishandling of classified documents. 

Those charges included willful retention of national defense information, making false statements and representations and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

15.04 EDT GUK

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.

 (20:09 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump leaves behind day largely without incident

Despite supporters – and a handful of protesters – gathering in front of the federal court in Miami, the day was largely without incident by the time Trump departed.

The number of Trump supporters swelled throughout the day, but remained far from a major display of popular support.

Protesters carried enormous flags and engaged in unusual political displays – including one demonstrator who carried a pig’s head on a spike. These political gimmicks are not unusual at Trump rallies, but they were especially prevalent outside the court.

There was some shouting and insults exchanged between Trump supporters and the few counter-protesters who showed up, but the confrontations did not turn violent. The dozens of reporters and photographers from around the world outnumbered the demonstrators at times. Law enforcement presence was felt at every corner with armed agents and vehicles securing the building.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were at the scene, including Miami Police, the county’s Miami-Dade police force, Secret Service responsible for Trump’s safety and federal marshals in charge of the court’s security.

3h ago / NBC 3:10 PM EDT

Blanche entered plea on behalf of former president

Gabe Gutierrez and Adam Edelman

During the arraignment, Blanche entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the former president.

Inside the courtroom, Trump, seated with his hands crossed, sat at the same table as Nauta, who is charged as his co-conspirator.

As of 3:07 p.m., the proceedings were ongoing.

(20:14 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump makes unannounced stop at cafe, greets supporters

Former President Donald Trump has stopped at Miami’s Versailles Famous Cuban Bakery and greeted supporters.

It was unclear if the stop was planned.

Trump shook hands with those gathered and took pictures. One man appeared to pray with him. Supporters sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday.

He then repeated his claims that he is being politically targeted: “We have a rigged country, a country that’s corrupt,” he said.

3:15 to 3:30 PM

3h ago / NBC 3:15 PM EDT

Bedminster sets up for Trump speech

Allan Smith

Trump is set to speak tonight at his golf club in Bedminster, giving his first public remarks since his court appearance in Miami.

The event is already being set up, with seats reserved for VIP guests such as adviser Kash Patel, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd

3h ago / NBC 3:17 PM EDT

Rubio: This makes a Biden indictment more likely under a GOP president

Diana Paulsen

In an appearance on Fox News today, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., denounced Trump's indictment as political and warned of retribution by Republicans.

"The next Republican president is going to be under tremendous pressure to bring charges and indict Joe Biden, his family" and his son Hunter, whom Rubio referred to as a "crackhead."

When asked about GOP presidential candidates pledging to pardon Trump or strongly consider it, Rubio said that he hadn't given much thought to it but thought that "proactive pardoning is going to be very popular" among Republican voters.

3h ago / NBC 3:18 PM EDT

Trump's sons react in defense of their father on Twitter

Nicole Acevedo

Trump's sons briefly reacted on social media as their father prepared to plead not guilty in federal court in Miami.

Eric Trump retweeted a post from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that suggested there are different standards of justice for the Trump and the Biden families.

Donald Trump Jr. shared a video post from Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, praising him for threatening to hold up Justice Department nominees over the special counsel's prosecution of Trump.

3h ago / NBC 3:27 PM EDT

Trump wore red tie, sat stone-faced as lawyer entered plea

Adam Edelman and Ken Dilanian

At his arraignment, Trump wore a red tie and sat stone-faced through the proceeding.

Entering the former president’s plea, Trump lawyer Blanche said, “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty.”

3:30 to 3:45 PM

 (20:33 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump defenders focusing on politics, not law: Legal analyst

Attorney Jason Emert told Al Jazeera that Trump’s supporters and legal representatives have tried to focus attention on the political implications of the case rather than the legal basis of the claims against the former US president.

“The indictment itself is very strong; it should be worrisome to his legal team,” he said. “They don’t seem to be taking it as seriously as I would like to see a legal defence built for a client. They try to couch this in terms of political defence rather than legal defence and that’s ultimately not going to win in front of a jury.”

Asked if there was any substance to the allegation that the case represented a form of political persecution, Emert also pushed back.

“If former President Trump was a [military] service member, he would already be arrested, he would already be in jail. If he was a former general officer in our military, he’d already be in jail,” he said. “Trump is a benefactor of a two-tiered system that favours the powerful in this country, the politically connected. So to say that this is some kind of political prosecution that goes after him because he’s a political opponent, just is a weak defence in a very serious argument.”

3h ago / NBC 3:33 PM EDT

Vance vows to block Justice Department nominees in Senate over Trump case

Frank Thorp V, Megan Lebowitz and Ryan Nobles

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, announced he will put a procedural hold on Justice Department nominees in response to Trump's prosecution over his alleged mishandling of national defense information.

Vance’s office said nominees for positions with the U.S. Marshals Service will be exempted from the senator's hold over what his office called “the unprecedented political prosecution of Donald J. Trump by Biden’s Department of Justice."

 (20:40 GMT) AL JAZEERA

At cafe, Trump invokes familiar themes

Trump spoke briefly with supporters at a Cuban cafe in Miami, making statements that would easily fit in a campaign rally.

“I think it’s a rigged deal here. We have a rigged country. We have a country that’s corrupt. We have a country that’s got no borders. We have a country that’s got nothing but problems,” said Trump, who made his first successful campaign for president in 2016 by running on the motto “Make America Great Again”.

“We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff. And you see where the people are. We love the people, and you see where they are. You see the crowds and everything else. We have a country that is in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen,” he said.

3:45 to 4:00 PM

3h ago / NBC 3:55 PM EDT

Trump departs from the courthouse

Megan Lebowitz

Trump has departed from the Miami courthouse after the conclusion of his arraignment, where he pleaded "not guilty."

He will travel to Bedminster, New Jersey, later today where he'll deliver remarks to supporters tonight.

 (20:56 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump aide Nauta to be arraigned on June 27

Trump’s aide Walt Nauta, who is also charged in the case, appeared in court alongside Trump but was not arraigned.

That was because he had not retained a local lawyer able to practise law in Florida.

Like Trump, he was released without having to post bond and was ordered not to talk to other witnesses.

He will not have to enter a plea until June 27, when he is set to be arraigned.

3h ago / NBC 3:58 PM EDT

Security tackles man wearing prison stripes who stood in front of motorcade

Two men providing security for Trump tackled a man in the street who was holding a sign, wearing a white and black prison-stripped outfit, and standing in front of Trump's motorcade as it departed the courthouse.

Security tackled the man to the ground on the sidewalk nearby.

(20:59 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Trump leaves Florida

The former president has taken off in his private Trump-branded jet as he travels from Florida to New Jersey.

He is set to host his first major fundraiser of the campaign season and address supporters later on Tuesday.

“Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our country,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform before taking off.

4:00 to 5:00 PM

· 4:00 PM GUARDIAN U.K.

Link: Donald Trump leaves court and is expected to travel to Bedminster

3h ago / NBC 4:00 PM EDT

Trump and Nauta released on their own recognizance; judge orders no contact list

Garrett Haake and Adam Edelman

As their arraignment concluded, Trump and Nauta were released on their own recognizance. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who oversaw the arraignment, did not issue any restrictions on travel for Trump and Nauta.

Rather, Goodman issued another condition: a limited contact order.

Goodman directed government prosecutors to put together a list of people whom Trump would not be able to contact to discuss the specifics of the case. The list is to include Nauta, the judge said.

The limited contact order was not requested by government lawyers. Rather, Goodman ordered it.

Enforcing such an order, however, could be challenging. Nauta remains Trump's body man and aide, and policing their interactions could prove difficult.

Trump’s next court appearance was not decided on during the hearing.

3h ago / NBC 4:07 PM EDT

Greene attributes Trump arraignment to 'weaponized government'

Michael Mitsanas

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attributed Trump’s arraignment to a “government weaponized against each of you.”

“It is so heavy on my heart that we’re doing this today when President Trump is being arraigned,” Greene said at a GOP congressional hearing in Washington, adding that the investigations into Trump "started on January 6 when we were doing our constitutional duty to object” to the 2020 election results, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s widely debunked claims of a stolen election. 

The ongoing meeting, billed as a "field hearing on January 6th," is being led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Other members of the conservative caucus, including Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., are also present.

 (21:12 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Judge rules unrelated lawsuit against Trump can continue

Donald Trump has been dealt another blow after a Manhattan judge ruled that writer E Jean Carroll can pursue a related $10m defamation case against him.

The judge’s decision comes after Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, won a $5m jury verdict in a separate civil suit against Trump in May, for sexual abuse and defamation.

Tuesday’s ruling in New York underscores the fact that Trump’s legal woes extend far beyond the Miami court where he appeared on federal charges.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan ruled in favour of Carroll. Trump, however, argued that the $10m defamation case should be dismissed because the jury in the earlier case had concluded Trump never raped her.

In that case, jurors found that Carroll had sufficiently proved Trump sexually assaulted her, although they said she had not proven that he raped her.

2h ago Guardian U.K.16.13 EDT

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 

— manny (@mannyfidel) June 13, 2023

2h ago / NBC 4:17 PM EDT

House votes for the first time in a week, just as Trump is arraigned

Scott Wong and Kyle Stewart

After a weeklong standoff on the floor, the House voted Tuesday to pass a rule along party lines that will allow multiple GOP messaging bills to come to the floor — just as Trump went in for his arraignment.

The first bill, which heads to the floor Tuesday evening, is GOP Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde’s legislation that aims to stop regulations on pistol stabilizing braces. The House will also take up a pair of bills Tuesday and Wednesday that protect gas stoves against potential bans.

The last time the House voted was exactly one week ago, June 6, when 11 conservative rebels, furious over Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt deal with President Biden, joined all Democrats to vote down the procedural rule — the first time a rule vote failed in more than two decades. That effectively blocked all GOP bills, freezing the House floor.

But on Monday, McCarthy and the conservatives negotiated a temporary deal to end the blockade, allowing the Clyde bill to come to the floor first followed by the other bills. The conservatives, however, warned that they could launch another blockade if McCarthy doesn’t seriously entertain deeper spending cuts in the upcoming appropriations process.

2h ago / NBC 4:17 PM EDT

Supporters sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump during unannounced stop at famous Cuban restaurant

Rebecca Shabad and Kelly O'Donnell

Trump made an unannounced stop at the famous Cuban restaurant Versailles in downtown Miami about 10 to 15 minutes after leaving the courthouse. Supporters sang "Happy Birthday" to the former president, whose 77th birthday is tomorrow.

“Food for everyone,” Trump said inside the restaurant, where he took photos with supporters

The Versailles Restaurant is a landmark in the Miami Cuban community and a base for Cuban exiles in earlier generations. It has been a must-visit stop for GOP candidates for many years. Both Presidents visited as well as the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., when he ran for president. Bill Clinton went as well.

2h ago / NBC 4:19 PM EDT

Nauta arraignment delayed

Alex Seitz-Wald

Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet and alleged co-conspirator, made his first appearance in court alongside his boss Tuesday, but did not enter a plea because he did not have local legal counsel.

He will be now arraigned later this month to enter a plea, though will not have to personally appear again.

2h ago / NBC 4:20 PM EDT

Jack Smith was in courtroom during arraignment

Garrett Haake and Adam Edelman

Jack Smith, the special counsel in the Trump investigations, was in the courtroom during Trump’s arraignment. Smith had a significant security presence surrounding him.

After the arraignment concluded, Smith approached the prosecutors’ table and put his arm around David Harbach, a prosecutor working with the special counsel’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, and patted him on the shoulder. Harbach and Smith walked out of the courtroom together.

Updated at 16.26 EDT

2h ago Guardian U.K.16.22 EDT

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

2h ago / NBC 4:23 PM EDT

Trump adviser appears to revel in wall-to-wall media coverage

Alex Seitz-Wald

All press is good press? That philosophy has governed much of Trump’s tumultuous four decades in the public eye, but even when the headlines are about being charged with 37 indictments?

Apparently so to Jason Miller, one of Trump’s top communications advisers, who seemed to celebrate the across-the-board coverage of his boss’s arraignment in a tweet.

2h ago / NBC 4:24 PM EDT

Trump leaves Miami restaurant

After greeting supporters at the famous Cuban restaurant Versailles in downtown Miami, Trump departed. He is headed back to New Jersey.

 (21:25 GMT) AL JAZEERA 1625

McConnell says not wading into latest Trump indictment

Some Republicans officials have seized on the federal indictment against Trump as evidence of a liberal campaign to take down the 2024 presidential candidate.

Others have said the latest legal trouble underscores why Trump remains a liability to the party.

But on Tuesday, top Republican Mitch McConnell said he would not be commenting either way.

“I’m not going to start commenting on the various candidates we have running for president,” McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, told reporters after Trump arrived at the Florida court to face charges.

Updated at 16.40 EDT

2h ago Guardian U.K.16.25 EDT

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.

2h ago Guardian U.K.16.37 EDT

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.

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)

4:30 – 5:00 PM

2h ago / NBC 4:33 PM EDT

Sen. Tuberville will attend Trump’s speech tonight in New Jersey

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Frank Thorp V

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., will attend Trump’s remarks in Bedminster, New Jersey, tonight, a source familiar tells NBC News.

As a result, Tuberville missed votes in the Senate this afternoon, preventing Republicans from forcing Vice President Kamala Harris to show up a break a tie.

The Senate is currently considering the nomination of Jared Bernstein to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, who does not have the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V. If Tuberville and all other Republican senators had been there, Harris would have been needed to come and break a 50-50 tie. But since Tuberville left for Bedminster, he missed the 2:15 p.m. procedural vote. Bernstein will now get a final confirmation vote during a 5 p.m. vote series and Harris can enjoy a day off from the Senate.

2h ago / NBC 4:37 PM EDT

Nevada 'fake electors' spotted leaving courthouse

Natasha Korecki, Ryan J. Reilly, Victoria Ebner and Michael Mitsanas

Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald and Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid were spotted exiting a federal courthouse where a grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is meeting.

McDonald, a close Trump political ally, as well as Jim DeGraffenreid, the Nevada GOP’s vice chair, were identified by NBC News entering the room where the grand jury is meeting earlier.

When asked this morning about having to appear the same day as Trump’s court date, McDonald joked to NBC News that it was not on his “bucket list.” McDonald had previously confirmed to NBC News that federal authorities seized his cell phone as part of the investigation.

The appearance comes a week after former Trump White House official Steve Bannon was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Washington in connection with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Jan. 6. The Bannon subpoena, for documents and testimony, was sent out late last month, the sources said.

2h ago / NBC 4:43 PM EDT

Whispering and scowling: MSNBC Legal Analyst's 3 observations from the arraignment

MSNBC Legal Analyst Lisa Rubin was in the courtroom during Trump’s arraignment. She made three observations of note during the proceeding:

· Trump lawyer Todd Blanche not only whispered to Trump during the hearing, but also frequently talked directly to Walt Nauta and to Nauta and Nauta’s attorney Stanley Woodward together. Rubin said that is “highly unusual.”

· When the hearing ended, all of the Secret Service agents sitting in the two rows directly behind the defense table stood up to flank Trump and then they surrounded him to escort him out. But, rather than simply looking ahead and leaving, Trump turned around and stared down all of the people in the courtroom, scowling and seemingly scanning for someone he knew.

· As Trump left, Nauta left with him, falling into the line of agents trailing him. It was as if he flipped a switch and went from being a co-defendant to resuming his duties as Trump’s aide in a heartbeat.

 (21:45 GMT) AL JAZEERA

Republican supporters pledge continued support for Trump

As Trump made his first court appearance in the federal case, his supporters re-pledged their support for the Republican leader – and claimed political persecution.

“Today is a dark day for our country as Joe Biden continues to fully weaponise the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024,” said Representative Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said: “Looking at the indictment of Donald Trump, the double standard is a massive problem for the Department of Justice. Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have done nothing to address this.”

Meanwhile, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted a picture of herself with Trump and wrote: “I stand with Trump”.

Ohio Senator JD Vance promised to hold up all Department of Justice nominations, which must be confirmed by the Senate, “until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents”.

2h ago / NBC 4:46 PM EDT

Trump thanks Miami for 'warm welcome' on 'sad day'

Megan Lebowitz and Sarah Dean

Trump thanked Miami in a Truth Social post for the city's "warm welcome," the first time he posted after his arraignment.

"Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!" he posted at 4:30 p.m. ET.

2h ago Guardian U.K.16.47 EDT

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.

01:22

Donald Trump leaves court after pleading not guilty to federal criminal charges – video

1h ago Guardian U.K. 16.59 EDT

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”.

5:00 to 6:00 PM

2h ago / NBC 5:04 PM EDT

Trump didn't look at Smith, no family accompanied him

By Garrett Haake

During the arraignment, Trump kept his focus on his side of the room. He did not make eye contact with special counsel Jack Smith and never looked over to the prosecution side, even as he was leaving.

Just like his New York arraignment, Trump did not have any friends or family there with him, just his lawyers and his personal aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta.

 (22:04 GMT) AL JAZEERA 1704 EST

Trump pleads ‘not guilty’ in historic arraignment of ex-president

Updated at 17.35 EDT

1h ago Guardian U.K .17.09 EDT

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.

1h ago / NBC 5:14 PM EDT

Trump's plane is headed to New Jersey

Alec Hernández

Trump’s plane is now wheels up to New Jersey.

With him for his departure were aides Dan Scavino and Jason Miller, adviser Boris Epshteyn, spokeswoman Alina Habba and Nauta.

Trump is expected to give a speech tonight from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Guardian UK

54m ago 17.25 EDT

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:

Donald Trump indictment: a guide to everyone mentioned in the charges

1h ago / NBC 5:35 PM EDT

Inside the courtroom: A dour Trump, a not guilty plea and an arraignment date for Nauta

Adam Reiss and Adam Edelman

Today's 47-minute court hearing in Miami kicked off at 2:55 p.m. ET. Seated at the defense table was Trump and his lawyers, Chris Kise and Todd Blanche, along with Nauta and his attorney Stanley Woodward. At the prosecution table was special counsel David Harbach, assistant special counsel Jay Bratt and federal prosecutor Julie Edelstein. Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the Trump investigation, sat with more than 40 reporters, court officers and Secret Service personnel in a packed courtroom.

Trump kept his hands in front of him clasped with a dour look on his face. Blanche and Kise told the court that they would be Trump's attorneys at trial and if there's an appeal. Trump then crossed his arms and kept them crossed for the entire hearing, appearing irritated to be there.

Blanche entered the not guilty plea, and attorneys on both sides hashed out details regarding the limited contact order list. Meanwhile, Woodward said he would represent Nauta — who still needs an attorney from the Southern District of Florida to represent him for his arraignment — only for the initial appearance. Nauta’s arraignment was scheduled for June 27 at 9:45 a.m. He does not have to appear in court that day.

Guardian U.K. 40m ago 17.40 EDT

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

Guardian U.K. 35m ago 17.45 EDT

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.

🔥🔥🔥

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

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 13, 2023

45m ago / NBC 5:55 PM EDT

Cheers and jeers: Scenes from outside the Miami courthouse

Katherine Doyle, Sam Brock and Corky Siemaszko

MIAMI — The largely peaceful protests outside the Miami federal courthouse where Trump was arraigned today consisted of several slow hours in sweltering heat — followed by a flurry of chaos when an opponent of the ex-president took off running after his motorcade.

He didn’t get anywhere near Trump.

Police officers tackled the man and Trump continued on to a famous local Cuban restaurant, Versailles, for what appeared to be a pre-planned meeting with loyalists.

It was a jarring end to what had been a somewhat sedate show of support for the embattled ex-president, as he pled not guilty to charges of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.

21m ago 17.58 EDT

Richard Luscombe

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.”

Miami catches glimpse of circus as Trump goes before judge – again

6:00 to 7:00 PM

21m ago / NBC 6:18 PM EDT

‘That’s not a reference’ to Trump: Audience laughs after Biden anecdote on government docs

Molly Roecker and Adam Edelman

President Joe Biden, speaking this afternoon to State Department officials, drew laughter from the audience after mentioning Trump following an anecdote about Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In describing the time he’d spent with Xi, Biden told the audience: “I had a lot of personal, just one-on-one conversations. And we each had a simultaneous interpreter. I turned all my notes in.”

“But that’s not a reference to the president, former president. But look, no, it really isn't,” Biden added.

The audience laughed.

As he walked out, Biden was asked by a reporter if he would comment on Trump's arrest today. "No," Biden replied.

2m ago / NBC 6:38 PM EDT

Man tackled after standing in front of Trump motorcade is questioned by authorities

Kelly O'Donnell, Juliette Arcodia and Zoë Richards

The Secret Service and police in Miami are questioning the man who held a sign that read “lock him up" and stood in front of Trump’s motorcade as the former president departed the courthouse today.

The man, who was wearing a prison-striped outfit, was removed twice from the roadway today, according to Secret Service officials.

“On both occasions, the individual was removed swiftly from the roadway by Miami police. His actions had no impact on the security of the protective movement and we thank the [Miami Police Department] for their partnership," the Secret Service said in a statement.

A Miami police spokesperson said the man, whose identity has not been released, was the only person arrested today at the courthouse, and that he has not been booked into jail.

More Tuesday takeaways continued during and after Arraignment Day, through Father’s Day and into Juneteenth. See attached comments and critiques below...

No sooner was President Trump arraigned (uncuffed, unmugged and unbailed (he was released on his own recognizance because, as many noterers noted, it would be impossible for him to hide anywhere short of... on... Murmansk) then he was on the job, dunning richfolk for financing.

Trump claimed, on his way back home, that a reporter asked him whether the Justice Department would drop its federal indictment against the former president if he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. He added in the email that this was an example of “extortion,” arguing that he would never drop out of the race.

“If I were to drop out, what precent (sic) would that set going forward?” he asked, adding “Presidents would be decided by extortion, not by elections.” (Fox San Diego, Attachment Seventeen)

“They can indict me, they can arrest me, but I know – and the American people know – that I am an innocent man,” Trump wrote in a fundraising email.

"We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty," Trump's attorney Blanche reiterated before U.S. Magistrate Judge Goodman.

Asked about her employer’s mindset, "Defiant," Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Habba told the conservative journal Newsmax outside the courthouse. (Tuesday, 13 June 2023 03:51 PM EDT, Attachment Eighteen.)

"We are at a turning point in our nation's history," she said, reading prepared remarks outside the courthouse. "The targeted, political prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela.

"It is commonplace there for rival candidates to be prosecuted, persecuted, and put into jail. What is being done to President Trump should terrify all citizens of this country. These are not the ideals that our democracy is founded upon.

"This is not our America."

But even the solidly MAGA Newsmax noted that Trump supporters were “far outnumbered by the hundreds of journalists from the U.S. and around the world who have converged on downtown Miami,” as well as by police and other government agents – downplaying the size of the crowd (a gauge that Djonald UnBailed has always couanted on as proof of his potency) perhaps because so many of his supporters seemed to be wrestling with their words of support. Rep. Byron Donalds, for instance, was awarded the “stupidest defense yet” appellation by the liberal New Republic for stating that there were thirty three bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago, so an evildoer searching for classified docs might well get confused in his or her search. (June 13, 2023/3:59 p.m. ET, Attachment Nineteen) Speaker K-Mac also raised a variation of the “random bathroom” defense because bathroom doors can be locked to prevent... uh... you know. But the N.R. pointed out that bathroom doors “typically lock on the inside, when someone’s using them, not on the outside after someone stores a bunch of classified documents inside”, which would allow the Russians or the NoKos or the janitors to wander inside and sift through the personal data of American spies – which data could get them killed.

Speaker McCarthy also raised the Biden investigation (tho’ not Mike Pence) when asked about Trump’s indictment on Capitol Hill Tuesday, telling reporters, “there’s some things that could be damning against President Biden,” while skirting questions about whether he believes Trump is guilty of wrongdoing. “I haven’t seen the documents, I can’t tell you. But if they’re classified, they should be shipped back," he reportedly said. (Forbes, Jun 13, 2023, 04:09pm EDT, Attachment Twenty). And a subsequent New Republic roundup of new, old and geriatric Republicans confirmed that, while most Presidential candidates defended King Trump... Vivek Ramaswamy even appealing to his ivoried competitors to pledge to pardon arraignee... Nikki Haley and Tim Scott waffled and former Governors Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson (June 13, 2023/4:26 p.m. ET, Attachment Twenty One) turned a thumbs down on Ol’ 45; the Hutch declaring that “Donald Trump’s actions—from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law—should not define our nation or the Republican Party.”

Reuters sought out non-candidate celebrities and dug up Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of House Republican Conference who bemoaned that: "Today is a dark day for our country as Joe Biden continues to fully weaponize the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024," and Trump’s former adversary, now turned ally Ted Cruz (R-Tx) accused prosecutors of a “double standard” (with a brush of the beard for Hunter Biden)... adding “Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have done nothing to address this."

The Rolling Stone (Attachment Twenty Two) reported that Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Oh) has vowed to “grind [the Justice Department] to a halt” in response to the indictment of Donald Trump on charges related to his treatment of classified documents after leaving office. 

Trump was arrested and arraigned in Miami on Tuesday. Vance posted a video from the steps of the Capitol earlier in the day declaring that he “will be holding all Department of Justice nominees … I think that we have to grind this department to a halt until [Attorney General] Merrick Garland promises to do his job and stop going after his political opponents.” 

The Ohio senator is not alone in pushing to punish the DOJ for charging Trump. Not surprisingly, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a bill on Monday to defund the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the probe into the former president. 

“This is a weaponized government attempt to take down the top political enemy and leading presidential candidate of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Greene said in a floor speech announcing the bill. 

Greene, who’s already endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential run, traveled to Georgia to receive Trump’s private plane as he arrived for the state’s GOP convention on Saturday, where he bashed Special Counsel Smith during his first public post-indictment appearance. 

As the former president traveled to Miami for his arraignment, Greene lent her support from afar.  “I am so sick and tired of those that can’t see the war being waged against us right now by the CORRUPT AND WEAPONIZED COMMUNISTS DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED DOJ!” she tweeted hours before Trump’s court appearance. 

“Taking them apart should be the only thing we are doing right now. We do not have a country. People hate Republicans for doing nothing,” Greene added.

The much discussed and feared One Six sequel that Trump touted by begging Miami’s MAGAworld to come and show their support (peacefully, of course, wink/nod) never manifested; instead there came a clown car of MAGAnauts, nuts and misfits signaling their... uh... whatever, and enjoying an afternoon in the Florida sun among others of “special” tendencies.

The only moment of danger occurred shortly before Trump arrived; cops clearing the area after getting word of a suspicious package on the courthouse grounds. It turned out to be a TV, reportedly planted by a man in a Trump hat, with the words “FUCK THE COMMUNIST CONTROLLED NEWS MEDIA” printed across the screen.

When the coterie of motorcycle cops accompanying Trump’s motorcade began preparing for the ex-president’s departure, a clutch of MAGA-ites began chanting, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

The former president had called on supporters to protest outside the courthouse on Tuesday, and authorities were on standby in case any of the pro-Trump rallies, including one purportedly organized by a local chapter of the Proud Boys, turned ugly. However, the turnout was lower than Trump had apparently hoped, having claimed to be expecting some 50,000 people.

Among the few hundred Trump loyalists on hand, Osmany Estrada, 40, stood draped in a Cuban and American flag with a pig’s head on a pike. He told The Daily Beast the severed head didn’t represent anything specific, but that he was simply making a “bold” statement. (Updated Jun. 13, 2023 5:08PM ET / Published Jun. 13, 2023 2:05PM ET, Attachment Twenty Three)  Asked if he would still support Trump if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee and is convicted in the case, McConnell said: "I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates.” (June 13, 2023 5:29 PM EDT, Attachment Twenty Four)

Another GUK kuk of the ExPres... this by Richard Luscombe in Miami (Tue 13 Jun 2023 17.55 EDT, Attachment Twenty Five)... deduced that the rally had degenerated into a 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. 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” were among the few braving the humid, 94° Florida sun as, circling the perimeter, “a pick-up truck pulled a box trailer painted, with no hint of irony, to resemble a jail cell, with Biden and other Democrats peering from behind bars.”

“We are taking America back” an accompanying message stated.

MAGAworld and counter-circus boys and girls argued the legality of the case, but peacefully, while disappointed adventure capitalists seeking the honey pot of marching melted away after Habba dashed their dreams by confirming that "President Trump is in a very unique position where he doesn't need to be given a mugshot, obviously. He is not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the GOP at the moment. He is going through a process that has been coordinated with Secret Service and it will all be handled seamlessly." (JUNE 13, 2023 / 5:59 PM / CBS NEWS – Attachment Twenty Six).

Inside, Trump sat with his arms folded and wore his “trademark frown” for most of the brief hearing. He largely “looked down at the floor,” Olivia Rubin of ABC News said. Trump also appeared “frustrated throughout,” according to The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell.

Trump was not handcuffed and did not have a "perp walk"; he also didn't have a booking photo taken. He let his attorneys do the pleadings, his spokesthings do the speaking and glumly departed the courthouse, to fly north with the rooks and the ravens; back to Bedminster where he livelied up as a not-so-surprising surprise party for his 77^th birthday was waiting; Djonald UnDead telling a crowd of supporters at his golf resort in New Jersey that his indictments were a “corrupt” and “political pursuit” designed to destroy him.

Donors and supporters chanted Trump’s name, cheered him on and sang “happy birthday”. “I just got charged,” joked the former president, who turned 77 on Wednesday. “A wonderful birthday.” (Maanvi Singh Tue 13 Jun 2023 22.08 EDT, Attachment Twenty Seven)

Trumps off-again, on-again Frenemies at Fox News, bolstered the once and former King’s contention that US president Joe Biden was a “wannabe dictator” who attempted to have “his political rival arrested” during a live broadcast of Donald Trump’s post-arraignment speech in Bedminster, during which Trump claimed he was the victim of political “persecution”, baselessly... those GUKky liberals accused Trump of accusing Biden of directing efforts to prosecute him and saying Biden was “the most corrupt president in the history of the United States”. (Tue 13 Jun 2023 23.43 EDT, Attachment Twenty Eight)

Towards the end of the speech, viewers were presented with a split screen carrying a separate speech from Biden at the White House. Below the image, the news chyron read: “wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested”. The text remained on screen until Sean Hannity came to air at 9pm.

Fox was the only major cable news network to carry Trump’s Tuesday evening speech live, with CNN and MSNBC choosing not to air the address.

In explaining the decision not to broadcast the speech live, CNN news anchor Jake Tapper told viewers: “frankly [Trump] says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous.”

Similar comments were made by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who said “there is a cost to us as a news organisation to knowingly broadcast untrue things.”

“We are here to bring you the news,” Maddow said. “It hurts our ability to do that if we live broadcast what we fully expect in advance to be a litany of lies and false accusations, no matter who says them.”

There had, however, been one more unscheduled Tuesday detour, leading to one more controversy as the week progressed.

According to the Independent U.K., the former President did make a detour on his way from courthouse to airyplane... he and his valet/co-defendant Walt Nauta stopped at a famous family-owned Versailles Cuban restaurant in Little Havana where supporters prayed over the ex-president and sang Happy Birthday to him. He also posed for a photo with MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal and declared, “Food for everyone!” inspiring cheers from his fans. (Independent U.K., Attachment Twenty Nine... which also noted the missing Melania, Djonald’s charge that Miami Mayor Francisco Suarez was a “swamp monster” and the near-immediate comeback from Suarez... entering the Presidential sweepstakes!) Conflicting reports arose regarding whether or not the newly arraigned Trump had promised “free food...” which would become a focus of chaos and consternation in days to come.

Mr, Nauta, who is Trump’s personal aide, was also at the federal court, as he was also accused of lying to investigators and hiding boxes with confidential paperwork. According to Variety (Attachment Thirty), Nauta did not enter a plea but was rather granted an extension until June 27 in order to find local representation.

There would be one more spark to light the fire under America... and the gasoline-bearer was Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News host and Trump adviser — and also fiancé to Donald Trump Jr — who has “joined the chorus of violent rhetoric that has erupted from the right following the indictment of the former president.” (Independent U.K., Attachment Thirty One)

On Instagram, she posted a picture of Mr Trump at his arraignment in New York after his first indictment with the ominous words: “Retribution is coming.”

She captioned the picture: “The compromised DOJ and the corrupt FBI will not stop President Trump from Making America GREAT once Again!”

Further parts of the post included screenshots of tweets from other Trump loyalist personalities including her fiancé, as well as Elon Musk.

Ms Guilfoyle’s most notorious moment in her time advising then-president Trump was at the 2020 Republican National Convention when she gave a recorded speech that was widely lampooned for rising to a crescendo in which she exclaimed with arms outstretched: “The best is yet to come!”

In much of the speech she denounced Democrat-run California — notable because she was previously married to Gavin Newsom, then Mayor of San Francisco, now the current governor of the state.

Summing up Tuesday’s busy day, the liberal Mother Jones cited “Two history-making surrenders in a little over two months”. The first US president to get impeached twice is now the first former US president to surrender to federal charges. Though he joins a small list of former presidents who sought the White House after leaving office, Trump is almost certainly the most scandal-ridden and legally perilous former president to attempt it. And with the grand jury investigation in Georgia over his alleged efforts to interfere in the 2020 election expected to wrap up this summer, Trump stands to continue the ignominious, history-making courtroom appearances. Don’t forget, he also lost a civil suit for sexual assault this month, too. (Attachment Thirty Two)

And, perhaps speaking of Trump (Joe Biden, too), Cormack McCarthy, author of “No Country for Old Men” died at 80-something... reportage on Wednesday morning recalled his famous admonition: “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.” So, America went to rest for the night, until morning... and...

THE REST of the WEEK

WEDNESDAY saw some rare good news for President Joe... the inflation rate was down to 4.0%, not the two percent that existed back in olden times (2020-1 before war and plague) but a helluva lot better than the nine percent reached at the worst of times. The Federal Reserve, accordingly, chose not to raise interest rates, affording some mortage-holders, mortgage-seekers and credit card junkies some relief and, for breakfast, egg prices fell the most in 70 years as the bird flu receded in the rear view mirror.

And morning ham n’eggers had former Speaker and failed Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan... who summed up the potential Trump versus Biden race by saying “...in 25 years, I’ll still be younger than either of them” on their breakfast plaes, as he took his place in MAGA Neverland by warning his fellow pachyderms that Trump “is not electable, and will cost ups the House and the Senate,” advising the contenders (of whom he will not be one) that: “You can’t get nominated going around Trump, you have to go through him.”

Since morning was well underway in London while America still slept in the hours of the wolves and swamp things, Margaret Sullivan, summing things up in the Guardian U.K., greeted the new day by reminding the colonials that, while Donald Trump’s arrest was ugly, it also demonstrated “democracy in action” (Wed 14 jun 2023 03.18 edt, Attachment Thirty Three).

“Trump continually tries to draw a connection where there isn’t one: between being popular and being above the law. Maybe it works like that in authoritarian countries,” Sullivan contends, “but it’s not the American way.”

Nor, as the Brits are finding out as party animal BoJo sails off into his sunset, the English way.

Trump’s facts are “twisted out of context, too,” added Sullivan, recalling that he’d lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016; and, of course, in 2020, he’d lost altogether – and decisively – to Old White Joe.

Tuesday’s day-long spectacle was inevitable. So was Trump’s victimized rhetoric – “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he insisted to one interviewer in recent days, even though we’ve all seen the images of sensitive documents sitting beneath a chandelier in a gaudy Mar-a-Lago bathroom.

“And,” Sullivan added, “some of us have read the stunning indictment, more persuasive than even that damning photograph.” (It’s down there here, below, Attachment B – DJI).

Time’s designated hitter, Phillip Elliott thwacked The Donald again on Wednesday, after the Arraignment, noting that the former President had, once again, made history: “...becoming the first U.S. President to face a federal criminal indictment. Even in such proximity to disgrace, it may have been—in Trump’s unique and narrow perspective—his best day since Election Day 2020. (JUNE 14, 2023 7:10 PM EDT, Attachment Thirty Four, originally published: JUNE 14, 2023 11:53 AM EDT)

“Trump dominated the national conversation as he pleaded not guilty through an attorney to charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction of officials trying to fetch them back. Helicopter footage carried his pilgrimage to the federal courthouse in Miami and his egress to a quasi-surprise stop at a local Cuban restaurant, where he likened his political “persecution” to Latin American nations. “Food for everyone,” Trump declared on Calle Ocho—as if his take-out stop weren’t happening right after he was placed under arrest—before fleeing back to New Jersey. There, his plane’s arrival received breaking-news status as if it were Air Force One landing in Kabul. The news choppers overhead documented his motorcade’s return to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. And, once there, a rally-like atmosphere greeted him for a campaign-style speech that brought forth his favorite Whataboutisms, $2 million in fundraising, and an impromptu singalong of Happy Birthday on the eve of his 77th.

“It was as if it were a normal day of The Trump Show. The annoyance of the court appearance seemed like merely an irksome intermission to the wall-to-wall party energy that he feeds on.”

The former reality television star knows the Show matters more than substance, “...at least in his orbit. Moments after his plea and no-bail discharge... what a surprise it would have been had he been incarcerated, even for an hour, on a cash bond of, say, a thousand bucks... his motorcade climbed from its underworld garage and ferried him to Versailles, the iconic Cuban outpost in Little Havana. “Trump’s supporters had been tipped off, and there were cameras on hand to capture his smile and quick post-game debrief, as if it were an Apprentice confessional. Trump the Producer knew he couldn’t leave the motorcade as the only video the networks would loop during his flight back to Newark, N.J.

“Meanwhile, his biggest boosters on TV began spouting his defense: “There’s no dead bodies,” Fox’s Jesse Watters said in an attempt to dismiss the seriousness of Trump’s alleged crimes. In primetime on Fox, the graphic on the lower quarter of the screen carried the caption: “Wannabe Dictator Speaks at the White House After Having His Political Rival Arrested.” (A Fox News spokesperson said in a statement that “the chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.”)

Trump’s poll numbers are, amazingly, up slightly. Partisans have rallied to his defense, parroting his talking points about an out-of-control justice system that is hounding him unfairly. “But it’s also likely this piece of Trump’s legacy could take months to play out,” Elliott points out, perhaps wistfully, and “patience can grow thin and voices of support more feeble the longer it takes. Looming potential charges in Georgia and D.C. would only complicate matters.”

On the other hand, his warnings that the government is going to come after you once they have crucified him resonates with a wide swath of middle and lower-middle class workingmen and women facing their income or property tax bills, facing denial of tornado relief (as is happening in strapped states with sticky rules and regulations for storm victims) or cuts in Medicaid or being pulled over for a broken taillight and wondering if they are going to get shot. To paraphrase the Popeye’s chicken commercial with Mardi Gras skeletons: “We don’t do @, we do paranoia.”

The campaign had scheduled the evening—the first major fundraiser of his 2024 bid for the White House, slated to pick up $2 million—before they knew the boss would have to be in Florida that day, but there were no serious talks of canceling it. If anything, the allure of seeing Trump the Rockstar on such a momentous day made it an even hotter ticket for deep-pocketed diehards. He leaned into grievance even as his allies feted his Wednesday birthday. “Some birthday! We’ve got a government that’s out of control,” Trump said.

The Man Himself spake further and further out in Bedminster, and the transcript monkeys at Rev were there to catch every word. While the mob chanted “USA! USA!” behind him, the Victim-in-Chief pleaded with his base with all the perverse passion lacking in his Miami courthouse plea... “today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abusive power in the history of our country, a very sad thing to watch. A corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he’s losing very badly. This is called election interference and yet another attempt to rig and steal a presidential election. But more importantly, it’s a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or a communist nation. This day will go down an infamy and Joe Biden will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country, but perhaps even more importantly, the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits, and Marxists, tried to destroy American democracy. But they will fail and we will win bigger and better than ever before.” (See more at the all-you-can-eat buffet of Attachment Thirty Five)

Prompting the mob to cheer for America, jeer at Jack Smith, Hillary and, of course, Hunter Biden and shed a tear for fellow victims Eric, Don Junior and Ivanka, Djonald UnAshamed invoked Venezuela and said that, when murders are allowed to roam... “murderers, these are horrible killers, murderers are allowed to roam the streets of our Democrat-run cities unchecked; murderers go out, and nobody ever even comes and knocks on their door. And they know they’re there, and they know their rooms and they know their locations, and they’re roaming our cities all over. And some of them are coming in right now through our borders. But then, you have a nation that as we are, is in serious, serious decline. We have a nation in serious decline.”

Concluding with a profusion of promises, Trump told his base that, when he was reelected, he would totally obliterate the deep state and replace it with... something... the shallow state? “We will obliterate the deep state. On November 5th, 2024, justice will be done. We will take back our country and we will make America great again.”

He’s recruiting more acolytes. Thursday, former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin emerged – intent on regaining the crazy crown that MTG and Lake and Boebert have usurped

In her appearance on Newsmax, Palin displayed old chestnuts like Hillary Clinton’s emails – then segued into a sort-of denial that, although Trump was not a cult leader, his extreme predicament in relation to assorted legal authorities represented a kind of quasi-religious purification.

“This two-tier system of justice is – Well, you know what it’s doing,” Palin said, “it’s adding fuel to the fire. And when you look at President Trump and how fired up he is, well, when you go through the fire, he come out lit [sic] and that’s exactly what we want and what we need today in order to take back our country, get government off our backs, on our side, and make America great again.”

As she spoke, another former (but successrul) talking Vice Roi turned talking candidate, Mike Pence was talking on the old fashioned radio show hosted by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show@ when Travis asked if he would pardon his old boss (and hangman); Mike asked “What are the facts?

“Look, we either believe in our judicial process in this country, or we don’t. We either stand by the rule of law, or we don’t. What I would tell you is I think as someone who is–”

Travis cut him off: “What I’m hearing is Donald Trump being put in prison, sir. And that, to me, you were his vice-president, feels pretty disrespectful.”

After some more waffling, co-host, Buck Sexton, said: “I think we’ve gotten what we’re gonna get here in terms of the answer to this one,” and that was that, according to GUK’s Martin Pengelly on Thursday morning at “3.99” AM EDT (a more reasonable nine-ish in London) and again at 07.41 EDT (Attachments Thirty Six and Thirty Seven).

But, then, the Guardian cut a thick slice of bloody red meat in and of itself by citing an exposé in the Miami New Times, to the effect that, while Trump had declared: ‘Food for everyone’ (some even contending “Free food for everyone”) at the Versailles Cuban restaurant, the paper reported that: “It turns out no one got anything. Not even a cafecito to-go.”

Another lie? Another indictment?

Trump’s entourage had arrived at the restaurant, “which he stayed at for about 10 minutes, after he had pleaded not guilty to all counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents,” the Giardian reported (Attachment Thirty Eight - Thu 15 Jun 2023 17.20 EDT) but... depending on the social media sub-reporters who picked up the stick and ran with it... the Exile and his entourage either ordered the “croquetas, pastelitos, and cubanos chased with cafecitos”, duly served and consumed, but skipped out without paying for it, or disappeared before the customers’ orders could even be filled.

Trump’s scumping of the Little Havanans swelled and swelled with the hours until no less authority than the Newsweek Fact Checkers felt compelled to launch an investigation. (See Tom Norton’s FACT CHECK site for the skinny, plus Charts and Graphs... 6/16/23 AT 3:53 PM EDT, Attachment tHIRTY NINE).

Norton cited a tweet by user @thetomzone, posted on June 16, 2023, viewed 1.1 million times, including a screengrab from an article saying: "Trump tells restaurant patrons 'Food for everyone!' then leaves without paying."

Another tweet by user @JoJoFromJerz, posted on June 16, 2023, viewed 626,000 times, said: "Wait wait... so trump went to that Cuban restaurant in Miami after he was arraigned on federal charges and promised "Food for everyone!" but then left... without paying for anyone??!!"

Commentator Tristan Snell, on June 15, 2023, tweeted: "NEW: Donald Trump STIFFED Miami restaurant where he did a publicity stunt after arrest and arraignment. He announced he was paying for everyone's food — then he left without paying for ANYTHING. Standard Trump. Fake generosity. Fake wealth. Fake everything. It's all a con.

Almost the entire visit was recorded by WPLG, whose footage (@get!!) does show Trump saying in the direction of the kitchen: "Are you ready? Are you ready? Food for everyone! Food for everyone."

However, as the FACT CHECK deduced from the video, “the eatery was packed with security, press, and supporters and did not seem to have (or be serving) any customers.”

Laine Doss, the food and spirits editor for the Miami New Times who wrote the piece told Newsweek she did not say that Trump stiffed the restaurant or placed an order, just that he left without an order being made.

"I never wrote that he didn't pay. I wrote that there was no food. That's all I wrote," Doss said. "No food was ordered, he left within 10 minutes and never got a chance to order and nobody ate because there was no ordering. So there was no ordering, and so no paying, and no bill, and he was only there for 10 minutes."

While video of Trump at the Versailles Bakery in Miami shows him saying toward the eatery's kitchen "Food for everyone!" the venue was packed with reporters, security and supporters, and did not seem to be taking orders at the time he was there.

In any case, there is no evidence that Trump left the restaurant without paying for orders, but it has not been verified by the restaurant and FACT CHECK, accordingly, rated the tempest in a coffeepot UNVERIFIED.

“Newsweek contacted Versailles Restaurant, which confirmed the president's visit but only provided an email address when asked other questions.”

Don Jones may be excused for asking whether they, perhaps, had been intimidated by the Deep State!

Cuban cuisine aside, some of the poll-watchers were swallowing their IPSOS and QUINNIPIAC with a hot cup of RASMUSSEN, according to Byron York, a syndicated columnist for numerous right-wing media organs – including the Jun 15, 2023 Norman (Ok) Transcript (Attachment Forty).

The polling data, which shows... at an admittedly early date... that the new indictment and arraignment vexed Republicans not at all, motivated York to wax strategical as to the Republican dilemma of believing “Trump has been unfairly targeted for years” and that the latest charges against Trump “are politically motivated.”

So, on one hand, the now-banker’s-dozen “serious” aspirants to the MAGAzone have an interest in “telling voters what they want to hear, which is that Trump is being politically targeted. On the other hand, they are running against Trump, not with him. If the indictment ultimately weakens Trump politically, his Republican opponents will benefit. So now, we are seeing some of those candidates try to walk a fine line — decrying what some call the weaponization of the government against Trump but at the same time acknowledging that the charges against him are serious.”

Trump defenders — “perhaps not Trump’s lawyers in court, but Trump’s defenders,” York opined — “will argue the big picture, that the Biden administration has taken a dangerous step” in indicting a former president and that “the Biden administration crossed a constitutional Rubicon this week.”

Berkeley law professor and former Bush administration Justice Department official John Yoo writes: “For the first time in our history, an executive branch held by the incumbent political party indicted the leading presidential candidate of the other main political party.”

More from Yoo: “Biden administration officials must explain why prosecuting Trump for misuse of classified documents justifies disregarding two centuries of constitutional practice.”

That is perhaps the most important question of the entire Trump prosecution: “Should it be done at all?” Were there other, less constitutionally consequential, ways of dealing with Trump’s behavior? The Biden administration has given its answer. “The final resolution of that question will take a long time,” York concluded – Team Trump largely hoping that that “long time” will extend past a trial, probable conviction and prison sentence to a nebulous time after the 2024 election, wherein Djonald can be re-elected and pardon himself. (Although the candidate himself might be mulling the pros and cons of prosecution as it applies to martyrdom and a sympathy vote from the narrow slice of undecides still existant, according to the pollsters.)

Also on Thursday, Politico reported that Aileen Cannon, the judge appointed to hear the case, has filed requirements for the attorneys to contact the Justice Department about obtaining security clearances... it being common in criminal cases involving classified documents for defense attorneys to obtain security clearances. (Attachment Forty One, 06/15/2023 03:03 PM EDT). To make its case, the government is likely going to have to share key aspects of the pilfered documents with Trump and his legal team.

Cannon ordered the attorneys to file a “notice of compliance” by June 20... a relatively rapid pace that presaged today’s announcement that the trial would begin on August 14^th, although many delays are predicted, not only to push any verdict back until after November, 2024, but because the defendant has had to scurry to replace his many layers of lawyers who quit or were fired over the past month.

Partisan journals and journalists leaning to the left have, of course, condemned the corrupt and vile actions of the former President, but have been swept up in the conundrum of voter sympathy for the accused, as has been reflected in the most recent polls showing that Trump’s second indictment and arraignment (with two more to go) has not hurt his chances for either securing the nomination or... bravado aside... mounting a credible and well-financed run for the White House (now only a sweet sixteen months away).

A couple of veteran WashPost toasties have proposed a... well... challenging way for President Joe to slice through the Spiderverse web of potentialities that are likely to arise should the documents case (or any of the others) go to trial before, during or after November 2024... contending that “BIDEN SHOULD PARDON TRUMP. REALLY!” (Marc A. Thiessen and Danielle Pletka June 15, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. Attachment Forty Two)

Another Posting of a week ago asked why Trump was charged over his handling of secret documents and Clinton, Pence were not and added that: “...the dangers this poses to our democracy are obvious.”

Selective prosecution is not a defense in a court of law, but the court of public opinion is another matter, Thiessen and Pletka argue. “Millions will see Trump’s prosecution as illegitimate, and any conviction as unjust. That will further erode public confidence in our judicial system and the principle of equal justice under law.”

Adding that a Trump trial would be “one of the most divisive events in the history of our republic” at a time when internal and external crises are legion and, it may be argued, existantial. It would set a new precedent — “and create enormous pressure on the next Republican president to go after President Biden, his family and other Democrats.”

Inasmuch as “there is nothing in the indictment to indicate evidence that the intelligence in Trump’s possession was obtained by foreign governments or intelligence services,” Thiessen and Pletka wrote, perhaps the most reasonable of the many unreasonable options that President Joe might ponder would be to do a Ford – and pardon the miscreant.

Before the matter goes to trial.

The White House has insisted that the buck stops with Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. “That’s wrong,” the Posties disagreed, “Smith works for the attorney general, who in turn works for the president. The buck stops with Biden. He is the boss, and on his order, the “weaponization” of the executive branch against a former president and political rival — and the consequent loss of faith in American government — could be stopped.”

Sure, the liberals would scream ”Nixon!” and overturn their bowls of granola in their two-year-old tantrums. But what, really, could they do? Nobody serious has even ventured a glimmer of wanting to challenge the President’s re-nomination... not Kamala, not The Bern, not The Squad. “(P)rogressive hard-liners will no doubt say the president could lose his party’s left flank if he hands a get-out-of-jail-free card to his predecessor,” the Post’s opinionators opined... but who are they gonna call? Joe (masks and vaxxes are evil plots) Kennedy Junior? Marianne Williamson?

Revenge, to be sure, may be sweet. It may be served cold. But this isn’t about Trump, the Post contended, just as in 1974. “It is about the nation. It is within Biden’s power to restore norms that have been torn apart by both Trump and his opponents. If ever there were a time to heal, this is it.”

“Anathema!” the left has answered.

As expected, GUK smells blood and is calling out the dogs – a Friday jeremiad calling out the “three tenors of showman populism, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and (the recently deceased) Silvio Berlusconi, all of whom reached the top through a combination of telegenic clownishness, “I alone can fix it” braggadocio and a shared strain of narcissistic nationalism. One now faces the judgment of the courts, another has fled the judgment of his peers, while the third contemplates the judgment of the heavens.

Being the good ittle Britons as he must be, Guardian comparator-in-chief Jonathan Freedland (Fri 16 Jun 2023 12.04 EDT, Attachment Forty Three) focused on BoJo whose sins of the flesh... the breaking of Covid regulations in Johnson’s Downing Street being not an occasional deviation from the rules imposed on the rest of the country from that very building, but rather a way of life. While the rest of the country was locked down – keeping sick and dying children apart from their parents in their final days,” Mr. Freedland waxed emotional, – No 10 Downing remained an “island oasis of normality” – replete with “wine-time Fridays”, with “birthday parties, leaving parties and end of week gatherings” all continuing as normal... with, no doubt, gluttony, badminton and masturbation always lurking behind that stiff upper lip.

As opposed to leaking the names and secret lairs of spies and exposing them to... uh... termination with extreme prejudice?

Again, harkening back to Tricky Dick and Ford, “it was the lying to parliament that matter(ed) most,” according to the straightlaced, strait-jacketed Puritans of GUK. As was reinterated often nearly half a century ago, it wasn’t the crime but the cover-up. “So of course Johnson had to be suspended from the Commons, and for long enough to trigger a recall byelection – though this supposedly fearless champion of the Great British people has run away rather than face them at the ballot box.”

Comparing Trump, Johnson and Berlusconi might sound hyperbolic, “yet it is not only democracy but civilisation itself that rests on our acceptance of the rule of law,” maintain the obedient citizens of GUK. “In some ways, it requires a suspension of disbelief: assisted by the rituals, costume and ceremonies of the courtroom, we construct “the law” as somehow above the mere whim or bias of this or that individual. We accept it instead as a system that transcends us and to which we are all subject. It is the only way we can get along, the only way we can live ordered lives. The alternative is brutal violence and competition: the law of the jungle.”

Even out of office (or, in Silvio’s case, in his grave), “these men have taken a collective reservoir of trust built up over many centuries,” Freedland raged, “and filled it with poison.”

New York Magazine’s Olivia Nuzzi compared the Indictment and Arraignment to a circus... not a big top filled with ravening, poisoning Pennywhistle, just an ordinary ring of clowns clamouring for attention. (June 16^th, Attachment Forty Four) Strolling through Miami’s “great outdoors” in the stifling heat and humidity, where “a live rooster roamed among the forest of television cameras and a man waved a dead pig’s head aloft on a spear.” In her troubled wanderings, Nuzzi could even wonder what year it was... “(i)n the Starbucks across from the courthouse, a group entered in shirts that read BLACKS FOR TRUMP 2020.”

Another left-ish journal, Slate, referred either to Stormy or the docs (nice name for a cover band), asking: (d)o you think we want to make this galoot No. 1 for the second week in a row? You think we like this? We have no choice. He deprives any of us of choice.” (Attachment Forty Five)

Or maybe they meant to ask whether we wanted to make Djonald number one for the second term in a row. “Each indictment reinforces the inescapable structure of the race: Trump is the sun, and the others are just a bunch of stupid planets. The more embattled he is, the more the primary becomes a referendum on him. And in a growing primary field, he can win that referendum with a plurality. This guy!”

The Philadelphia Sun (which covers that city’s black communities) asked why the Florida proceedings were so “invisible” (June 16^th, Attachment Forty Six), given the media blackout (npi) of audio and video recordings of the arraignment.

“In an era when people are accustomed to instantly available images and sounds of important events, Trump’s not-guilty plea to charges of hoarding classified documents was a step back in time. Hundreds of photographers and television crews were at the courthouse — many broadcasting live from outside — but they couldn’t show the key moments inside the courtroom.”

In court, Trump faced charges with no cameras present. Outside, especially at Versailles (with or without the free food) he could “bathe in the cheers of supporters” and campaign for all to see.

“This is the visual he wants — I just left the court. I’m good,” said CNN’s John King. Fox News Channel’s Mark Meredith called the media embargo “...a little bit old-fashioned.”

It was “kind of a black hole inside the building,” said David Reiter, executive producer of special events for CBS News.

The limits on journalists were quickly apparent. ABC News, for example, reported while the hearing was still ongoing that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith was in the courtroom. Yet when NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez was asked about that by anchor Lester Holt, he confessed he wasn’t certain because he was limited in what he could see.

So, the media resorted to premises and speculation. CNN’s Jake Tapper, in debriefing reporter Evan Perez, said he couldn’t ask him to be a mind-reader in assessing Trump’s mood. Then he did precisely that.

“He appeared very glum,” Perez said. “He did not seem to have a lot of energy.”

“A fellow New Yorker can spot a rat a mile away,” said Dominic Santana, who showed up wearing a black and white striped jailhouse uniform, complete with handcuffs and a plastic ball and chain to celebrate what he hoped would be Trump’s imprisonment. He carried a sign saying, “Lock Him Up.”

While the media and partisans pro and con mulled and mingled outside, Congressional insiders... with the Georgia electoral fraud investigation and the big One Six still ahead for Trump... embraced as “heroes and martyrs” the people who sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in hopes of overturning Trump’s election defeat. (WashPost, June 16, 2023 at 6:45 a.m. EDT, Attachment Forty Seven)

The embracers were the usual suspects, MTG (of course), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and four other far-right lawmakers, held a “hearing” that honored “participants in the riot, family members of Jan. 6 rioters and organizers of the attempted overthrow of the 2020 vote.” The WashPost’s Dana Milbank clarified that this was not an official “hearing”, inasmuch as Gaetz isn’t a committee chairman. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is trying to win back the support of extremists, “let it happen anyway.”

He impersonated a chairman — “you are recognized,” “thank you for your testimony,” “I’ll recognize myself [for] questions,” “her time has expired” — and the others played along as he called witnesses like the wife of Ronald McAbee, who is awaiting trial for allegedly attacking a police officer and dragging him into the mob while wearing a black vest that said “SHERIFF”, underwear model John Strand, sentenced to two years and eight months for being part of the mob that breached the Capitol, and the aunt of Matthew Perna, who killed himself while awaiting sentencing for his role in breaching the Capitol.

C-SPAN carried the proceedings live. In the hallway, keeping the peace, the Post reported, “were two Capitol Police officers, guarding the people accusing them of murder.”

“This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm, tweeted Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La), chairman of the border security subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee who has militia ties and previously threatened violence on social media, according to the WashPost.

(Most won’t recognize such QAnon codes: “rPOTUS” means Trump is the “real” president, 1/50K is a military map scale, and “know your bridges” is a reference to preparing attack points, according to author Jeff Sharlet, an authority on extremism.)

Also among the testifiers was Michelle "Micki" Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt. “This is heartbreaking,” added Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), “the way you all have been treated.”

“To all of you, my condolences,” said Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who added tenderly that “you know how I feel about Ashli” Babbitt, the woman police shot as she breached the last line of defense protecting lawmakers in the House chamber.

Gosar blamed the attack on “people undercover, whether it be antifa, FBI, whatever.” Norman suggested that the FBI was framing people who weren’t involved in the attack.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Tex.) offered his view that people in charge in the Capitol (Democrats, presumably) “hid the intelligence” showing that an attack was coming. “It’s like they wanted this to happen.” Nehls added that “I believe Ashli Babbitt was murdered that day,” and he said he hopes Trump will return to power and send the officer who shot her before a grand jury.

Speaker McCarthy called the indictment a “brazen weaponization of power” and a “grave injustice.” He threatened to block funding for a new FBI headquarters in retaliation and reiterated the claim (above) that Trump’s handling of documents (piled in a bathroom) was superior to Biden’s (in a garage) because “a bathroom door locks.”

And, in one case, the nuts bore fruit. “On the same day as Trump’s arraignment, far-right first-term representative Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) introduced a “privileged resolution” to censure and fine Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) $16 million for his role in leading Trump’s first impeachment – duly seconded by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and subsequently passed on a party line vote.

Other impeacher-ers stirring the pot of insurrection are promoting Schiffl’s BoJo-ic removal, as well as the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and, of course, President Joe.

THE WEEKEND

Two days after the Guardian U.K.’s Jonathan Freedland linked Britain, America and the EU (Attachment Forty Two, above) by terming Johnson, Trump and dead Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi as the “three tenors of showman populism”, colleague Simon Tisdall downgraded the former strongmen to “the Three Stooges (of) populist melodramas”. (Sun 18 Jun 2023 02.00 EDT, Attachment Forty Eight)

What do Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Silvio Berlusconi have in common? Tisdall asked, then answered his own question.

“Huge egos, certainly. Love of money, no doubt. Compulsive lying, untrustworthiness, predatory relationships with women, links to shady characters, media manipulation – in life and death, they shared all this and more.

“All three relied on opportunistic, hard-right populist-nationalist politics, spiced with braggadocio and sickly charm, to dazzle, woo and bamboozle voters – which they often succeeded in doing.

These Three Stooges were top of the news again last week, but for different reasons: they hit the buffers, finally came unstuck, got what was coming, were called to account – Simon says to choose whichever phrase best expresses your “inner schadenfreude.”

Djonald UnCuffed was, tho’ without bracelets, mugshot or perp walk, “criminally indicted in federal court. Johnson ran for the hills – in his case, the Chilterns – rather than face the Partygate music. And Italy’s eternally divisive Berlusconi, who believed he was immortal, went to meet his maker.

“The humbling of heroes and powerful villains makes for a great story, which is why Trump et al are box office. They sell papers, attract page views, boost ratings

“It makes for a great story, which is why Trump et al are box office. They sell papers, attract page views, boost ratings.”

GUK allowed that Berlusconi was beyond restoration and, although they claimed BoJo was plotting “a glorious restoration”, such now seems unlikely... the English conservatives have plenty of alternatives, from PM Rishi Sunak@ on down.

Not so the colonials. Tisdall noted that while thousands are dying and millions displaced in Africa, as well as the Middle East and South Asia due to “a wave of devastating wars” cited by the International Crisis Group, “rightwing populists like Johnson and Trump seem oblivious. Living a blinkered alternative reality, they act out solipsistic dramas – and indulgent media mostly play along.”

Mr. Tisdall didn’t even mention America’s southern border, nor Ukraine.

Trump, Johnson, Berlusconi (well, formerly) and likeminded charlatans of the right hijack the agenda, journalists write the headlines, and readers lap it up, Tisdall concluded. “Yet here’s the real story: those guys are bad news – for everyone, everywhere.”

Probably even the Devil.

Another GUKster, Rebecca Solnit compared Djonald’s document deviltry to the actions of a different purloiner and whistleblower of classified data... the recently deceased Daniel (Pentagon Papers) Ellsberg.

Ellsberg, who died on Friday at the age of 92, was memorialized by Solnit as “one of history’s most consequential figures.” He was also one of the most controversial... then and now.

We (the Left) “know that Daniel Ellsberg leaked documents in the hopes of stopping a war, preventing deaths, and exposing a government that had through five presidencies lied about that war in Vietnam to justify and perpetuate it. We don’t know exactly why Donald J. Trump absconded from the White House with top secret material,” but whatever the reason, the un-MAGA-fied of America, the U.K. and perhaps most of the “civilized” world believe it was a bad thing, whether for nefarious purposes or, perhaps worse, just because he could, and because he liked to collect things – like cufflinks, or golf trophies.

Praising Edward Snowden, in addition to Ellsbert, Solnit denounced Wikileaker Julian Assange, who “dumped information hacked from Democrats with the apparent intent of aiding Trump’s election.”

In an email in which he disclosed that he had only months to live Ellsberg reiterated: “When I copied the Pentagon Papers in 1969, I had every reason to think I would be spending the rest of my life behind bars. It was a fate I would gladly have accepted if it meant hastening the end of the Vietnam war, unlikely as that seemed.” Later in life, Solnit added, “he admitted that his action didn’t end the war, but it helped end the Nixon presidency, making an end to the war possible.”

Ellsberg’s death and Trump’s indictment, so close together this week, remind us that national security is regularly violated, Solnit postulated: “sometimes by idealists committed to the public good, sometimes by opportunists serving themselves.”

In full blue dudgeson, she concluded: “A great truth teller has left us. A liar whose mendacity has no equal remains for us to deal with.”

TODAY...

Finally, bringing this long overdue and overlong accounting to a merciful end, we turn back to the pundits and pollsters who speculate... not on the legalities nor likelihood of conviction... but upon its potential effect in November 2024.

In a sensation and emotion-driven culture as ours has deteriorated into, the problem for Ol’ 45’s Republican rivals is “the turn from a Trump-centric to a Trump-only” narrative, in which publicity... good or evil, but never indifferent... trumps (so to speak) issues, ideology and a candidate’s capacity to rule, let alone serve.

“No one is thinking outside the box on how to effectively message the existential threat and dilemma that the party is in with this,” said a Republican strategist who is unaffiliated with any campaign, but who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about campaign strategies as one indictment follows another and “the oxygen is getting sucked out of the room.” (Adam Wren, Meridith McGraw and Natalie Allison In Politico, 06/19/2023 07:00 AM EDT, ATTACHMENT FIFTY)

“He’s got all the right enemies,” said Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin. “And what happens is when you have an event like this, all those right enemies, especially in a Republican primary, are attacking him right now. So it helps him. When he’s gone up, DeSantis has gone down.”

Steven Cheung, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, taunted rival candidates. “What we did at Versailles restaurant and Bedminster shows that we can do this on our worst day better than they can on their best day,” he said.

“It’s almost like you’re playing pool,” a Republican strategist granted anonymity to freely discuss the campaign told Politico, “You have to break at the start, and nothing has broken the triangle. Trump is the 8 ball in the middle and he’s not going anywhere for now. I’m curious to see what the fuck people are going to do.”

AND BREAKING...

Reuters now reports that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon will issue an order setting an initial trial date of Aug. 14 in Florida on former President Donald Trump's federal charges of “willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice.”

“The date, if it holds, would put Trump on trial nine days ahead of the first Republican presidential debate scheduled for Aug. 23.

“However, the case will need to proceed under a strict and meticulous set of rules set forth in a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA): a law that aims to protect classified evidence and manage how such records can be disclosed.”

But the decision presumably gives Don Jones two months’ respite to address other personal, national and global matters – that is, unless either the Georgia or DC courts move aggressively forward to prosecute Djonald UnChained.

	Our Lesson: June Twelfth through Eighteenth, 2023
Monday, June 12, 2023 Dow: 34,066.33	While the former President was sweating out his arraignment on Tuesday, summer swimming season arrived with a ¡SPLASH! and a media pimping tragedy and terror everywhere: sharks and ripcurrents, children drowning in unfenced pools, lightning, brain-eaing amoebas and perverse swim coaches. @, @ and a black bear swam with the sunlovers (and sharks) in Destin, Florida, emerged unscathed from the waves, shook himself off and wandered off into the woods. In the political jungle, former AyGee BilBarr, the Barbarian, boffed his old boss by saying that the chares, if upheld by judge or jury, were “very damning.” Still, Trump’s approval rating climbed back up from a fearful 25% to a healthier 31% according to the survey monkeys. Outside, situations remained “dire”: a tanker truck fire caused the collapse of an overpass on crowded I-95 near Philly, gunslingers killed, corruptors corrupted and distractions abounded. The “Transformers number something” sequel speared the fishy cartoon girl turned real and out-webbed the formerly human (sort of) Spiderman turned toon. After MMA icon Conor McGregor confronted, then knocked the Miami mascot out cold (earning him the key to the city?) Denver won the NBA title and partied in the streets – where a mass shooter potted ten celebrants and a shootout at a Little Caesar’s pizzeria ended with an unexpected and unwanted cameo by Little Brutus. Two transgender actors won Tonys (Tonis?) and a Nevada State Trooper rescued a kitten stranded on a busy highway.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 Dow: 33,573.28	And then noon came and went and Trump was driven to Miami to be arrested (or arraigned) with friends and rivals either shaming or saluting him. No perp walk, no handcuffs, no inky fingerprints, no mugshot, no bail and he was outta there by 3PM, headed back North to Bedminser, NJ for more flesh–pressing, donor dunning and a banquet of crab cakes, burgers and wine Transition filled the air as last week’s orange smoke was pushed off onto the Atlantic. For some, it meant death... some 300 Kenyan cult followers, a boatload of 600 migrants shipwrecked off Greece - 79 confirmed dead, actor Treat Williams, writer Cormac McCarthy... or retirement (Wheel host Pat Sajak); others endured hope and horror as the Fed held off on raising the interest rate for the first time in over a year. Nontheless inflation persisted... eggs and gas prices finally slowed, the former actually showing the biggest drop in 70 years but, like gas. remaining worse than in 2022. As McCarthy was fond of writing: “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from.”
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 Dow: 33,666.02	Bad weather and environmental uckiness hold sway... strange atmospheric patterns lead to record heat in Texas (116° in San Antonio), flooding and tornadoes in the south and, in Nevada, a “Biblical” infestation of cannibal crickets. Some, however, think bugs are good to eat or might, at least, be caught, dried up and ground into feed to restore the chicken population. Bad word vigilantes ride out in a posse and rope President Joe’s SecPress Karine Jean-Pierre for saying “MAGA Republicans” in presumed violation of the Hatch Act. Lock her up! Litigators accuse Starbucks of homophobia. And the AMA turns on the Body Mass Index (BMI) calling its concerns for fat black women sexist and racist. Animals attack too. Add to the sharks and the bears one Gladys, a Spanish killer whale who is accused of “teaching” other orcas to kill humans. And Sir Paul turns AI into something wonderful (or ugly, depending on your view) by synthesizing old, discarded rehearsal tapes of Singing John into a “meta” version of new Beatles songs. Welcome to the future!
Thursday, June 15, 2023 Dow: 34,408.86	It’s...uh... elder abuse day. Presumably “con”. One elder not abused, except perhaps by his significant other, is Al Pacino, who celebrates Father’s Day at age 83, bringing another little Corleone into the world. As reations continue to deteriorate and slide towards WW3, SecState Blinkey will make another stab at diplomacy and visit Xi in Beijing. (Mad Vlad is beyond diplomacy.) The Russo-Chinese military alliance will top the agenda, of course, with trade and debt and the such close behind. There will also be disease. An unquiet and unpleaseant summer weather season persists – climatologists blame it on El Nino. The heat is on in Texas where temperatures are soaring into the triple digits with heat indices reaching 126° in Kingsville and 121° in San Antonio. Usually tranquil Florida is hot, too, Miami hits 105°. There are also killer tornadoes (3 dead in Perrytown, more in Abbeville AL, in NJ and in Virginia. And the smoke from Canadian wildfires is still around, this time blanketing the Great Lakes with toxic fumes... Minnesota’s air quality is the worst in 70 years. The Fed takes a look at inflation, still rising, but more slowly than before and decides to pass on interest rate hikes for another month. Mortage rates are stagnant... which is a relief... and the constricted housing stock is improved by evictions and foreclosures.
Friday, June 16, 2023 Dow: 33,292.62	It’s National Fudge Day and, consequently, lawyer and the law take center stage. A judge in Boston grants bail to a serial rapist, causing victims to claim that he will seek revenge against them. Gumment regulators and attorneys for Big Ticketing rassle over the “junk fees” for concerts (also hotels, banks, etc.) as President Joe and Congress finally settle... the corporations will be more transparent, but will still keep their fees. SCOTUS, however, throws another liberal surprise – voting 7-2 to keep the Indian Child Welfare Act, which protects the tribal identity of orphans and angers for-profit adoption agencies. A’s fans and Oakland, CA politicians accuse MLB and the owner of the team of conspiring to move to Vegas and shed expensive (and popular) players to drag the team down and foment boredom about moving. Not working. And winners, like Denver, throw million person celebrations – this one ends in an accident where a float containing their hero Joker runs over a policeman and crushes his leg, followed by gunfire that leaves two dead, But the craziest criminality of the week occurs at spiffy Harvard Medical School, which turns out to have been selling body parts from donated cadavers to collectors and cannibals (Hi, Armie!) and merchers like Kat’s Kreepy Kreations (specializing in wallets made from human skin).
Saturday, June 17th, 2023 Dow: (Closed)	It’s King Charles’ birthday. The auld English tradition of “trooping the colors” is revived after a few decades of Queenly demurral. Weather muscles into the news as flooding and tornadoes hit the East, while a solar (as opposed to polar) dome squats over the Midwest from the Dakotas to the border. Temperatures in Kingsville hit 120°, and a Street Peanut says: “Even for Texas, this is hot.” Bad foreigners do their thing as SecState Blinken prepares to go to China and tout diplomacy with a determined (as opposed to maniac) dictator. Putin, the maniac, shovels more nukes into Belarus, threatening WW3 if America gives fighter jets to Ukraine. Russian cyberhackers strike MicroSoft, just as Bill Gates goes to China in advance of Blinky and Dictator Xi calls him “my American friend”. Ugandan Islamists attack school, burn 40 children alive. The government calls it terror, and then passes more laws calling for execution of gays.
Sunday, June 18th, 2023 Dow: (Closed)	It’s Father’s Day. Holiday travel spikes, but airline passengers get a scare when a Delta and United bird get into a fender bender at Logan Airport, Boston... the FAA calls it the eighth near miss this year and proposes a solution – give them more money. No serious injuries. Not so where a crazed gunman shoots five at a Washington State music festival, or 23 are shot, one killed, at a Chicago street party. And 80 letters full of “mysterious white powder” are sent to Kansas legislators. Ordinary White Power anti-Semite in Michigan said to be “consumed” by social media account of the Pittsburgh synagogue slaughterer, awaiting Justice. Sunday talksters deconstruct Republican response to Trump indictment... DeSantis and Haley being open to pardons “for the good of the country” while Hutchinson and Christie say no way. Obama claims Haley and Scott are traitors to their race(s) while the World Bank says plague and war have set the global economy back a decade (to when it was not so volatile).
A lot of May indices on employment and its opposite came in, and... while the news might have been good for Federal Reserve regulators loathe to keep raising interest rates, it was not good for the jobless. Experts say the job outlook is tight, due to retirements and the quitting culture, but there are both geographical and skills mismatches. Debt ceiling spending will be minimum as far as goes retraining, so this problem will pop p again next month. Further, the consumer debt indices also checked in, and... with little or no reporting... topped $100 billion. Defaults, repossessions and other unpleasant side effects are on tap.

THE DON JONES INDEX

CHART of CATEGORIES w/VALUE ADDED to EQUAL BASELINE of 15,000

(REFLECTING… approximately… DOW JONES INDEX of June 27, 2013)

See a further explanation of categories here…

ECONOMIC INDICES (60%)

CATEGORY	VALUE	BASE	RESULTS			SCORE		OUR SOURCES and COMMENTS
INCOME	(24%)	6/17/13 & 1/1/22	LAST	CHANGE	NEXT	LAST WEEK	THIS WEEK
Wages (hrly. Per cap)	9%	1350 points	6/5/23	+0.42%	6/23	1,434.50	1,434.50	https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/wages   28.62 nc
Median Inc. (yearly)	4%	600	6/12/23	+0.28%	6/26/23	608.16	608.33	http://www.usdebtclock.org/   35,890
Unempl. (BLS – in mi)	4%	600	5/8/23	nc	6/23	616.52	616.52	http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000/  3.7
Official (DC – in mi)	2%	300	6/12/23	+11.00%	6/26/23	289.94	258.04	http://www.usdebtclock.org/      6,171
Unofficl. (DC – in mi)	2%	300	6/12/23	+9.20%	6/26/23	336.51	305.55	http://www.usdebtclock.org/     10,468
Workforce Particip. Number Percent	2%	300	6/12/23	-0.25% -0.13%	6/26/23	303.25	302.87	In 162,045 Out 100,052 Total: 262,097 http://www.usdebtclock.org/ 61.904
WP % (ycharts)*	1%	150	2/27/23	nc (3 mos.)	6/23	151.19	151.19	https://ycharts.com/indicators/labor_force_participation_rate 62.60
OUTGO	15%	Biggest jump: used cars
Total Inflation	7%	1050	5/22/23	+0.1%	6/23	991.90	990.91	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.1
Food	2%	300	5/22/23	+0.2%	6/23	278.78	278.22	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     +0.2
Gasoline	2%	300	5/22/23	-5.6%	6/23	246.77	260.59	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm    -5.6
Medical Costs	2%	300	5/22/23	-0.1%	6/23	296.67	296.97	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm     -0.1
Shelter	2%	300	5/22/23	+0.6%	6/23	278.25	276.58	http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm    +0.6
WEALTH	6%
Dow Jones Index	2%	300	6/12/23	+1.24%	6/2623	278.38	281.84	https://www.wsj.com/market-data/quotes/index/ 34,299.12
Home (Sales) (Valuation)	1% 1%	150 150	5/1/23	-3.60% +3.49%	6/23	134.58 283.40	134.58 283.40	https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics Sales (M):  4.28 Valuations (K):  388.8
Debt (Personal)	2%	300	6/12/23	+0.20%	6/26/23	273.71	273.45	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    74,477
NATIONAL	(10%)
Revenue (trilns.)	2%	300	6/12/23	+0.49%	6/26/23	391.46	393.39	debtclock.org/       4,693
Expenditures (tr.)	2%	300	6/12/23	+0.76%	6/26/23	334.12	331.59	debtclock.org/       6,199
National Debt tr.)	3%	450	6/12/23	+0.37%	6/26/23	423.87	422.29	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    31,959 (The debt ceiling... now kicked forward to 1/1/25... had been 31.4)
Aggregate Debt (tr.)	3%	450	6/12/23	+4.02%	6/26/23	418.04	401.23	http://www.usdebtclock.org/    100,557
GLOBAL	(5%)
Foreign Debt (tr.)	2%	300	6/12/23	+0.069%	6/26/23	344.48	344.72	http://www.usdebtclock.org/   7,264
Exports (in billions)	1%	150	6/5/23	-2.41%	7/23	154.66	154.66	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 249.0
Imports (bl.)	1%	150	6/5/23	-6.725%	7/23	159.02	159.02	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 343.5
Trade Deficit (bl.)	1%	150	6/5/23	+13.94%	7/23	265.59	265.59	https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/current/index.html 74.6
SOCIAL INDICES (40%)
ACTS of MAN	12%
World Affairs	3%	450	6/12/23	+0.2%	6/26/23	449.47	450.37	US rejoins UNESCO and pays its back dues to spite Trump and China before SecState Blinken visits the latter. In Beijing, Blink meets foreign minister Qin Gang and neither blink on Taiwan, fentanyl and military provocations, but he still hopes to meet Xi and set up a summit with President Joe.
Terrorism	2%	300	6/12/23	+0.3%	6/26/23	290.15	291.02	Russia retreating in the field, so Mad Vlad gets really mad and shells President Zelenskyy’s hometown Kryvyi Rih. But its soldiers are surrendering to... and in... drones! Michigan white power man arrested before he can carry out anti-Semitic attacks, nut mails harmless white powder to over 80 Kansas legislators.
Politics	3%	450	6/12/23	nc	6/26/23	480.15	480.15	Miami Mayor Suarez joins Presidential race as President Joe gets a key labor endorsement while Saint Ron snarls: “we’re gonna send Biden back to his basement in Delaware. Nikki Haley sees her husband off to active duty. Biden brushes off DeSantis, warning: “Whatever you think of me, Trump is the alternative.”
Economics	3%	450	6/12/23	+0.1%	6/26/23	429.62	430.05	Fed cites lower (but not low) inflation in pausing interest rate hikes. Ending of plague regulations spike rent hikes, foreclosures and homelessness. Census data calls seniors “swamped” by medical bills; plague moratoria end causes student debt rise and 56% now say college ain’t worth it. “We don’t need no education!” Besides, there are lots of summer jobs for kids that pay $15/hr. and up. Lockout still stifles Hollywood, but tentative labor deal to reopen West Coast ports?
Crime	1%	150	6/12/23	-0.3%	6/26/23	257.36	256.59	President Joe promotes gun control on 1st anniversary of Uvalde killings. Police in Minneapolis and Memphis accused of racism, murder and brutality. One U.S. tourist murdered by another in Germany, two die mysteriously in Mexico. Father’s Day celebrated by gunman shooting 23 at a Chicago parking lot party another bags five at music festival in Washington State.
ACTS of GOD	(6%)
Environment/Weather	3%	450	6/12/23	-0.3%	6/26/23	411.44	410.21	Wild, weird weather includes triple digit Miami and Texas heat, tornadoes strike everywhere from Tx to NJ, Va and Al, hail, flooding and... the smoke from the Canadian wildfires is back.
Disasters	3%	450	6/12/23	-0.3%	6/26/23	439.42	438.10	Migrant boat shipwrecked off Greect – 500 dead and rising. Tanker crash and fire shus down I-95 for perhaps months. Woman survives being shot 11 times in the head. Five dogs reported dead in (Hot?) car at AKC dog show. Nevada faces Biblical infestation of cannibal crickets.
LIFESTYLE/JUSTICE INDEX			(15%)
Science, Tech, Educ.	4%	600	6/12/23	+0.2%	6/26/23	626.59	627.84	Sir Paul uses AI apps to synthesize John from old demo tape and release a new “Beatles” song but RIAA nixes artificial music for Grammies. Russian cyberhackers attack the Department of Energy and MicroSoft, Scientists develop artificial human embryos that should grow into artificial people, lesser scientists simply develop synthesized meat. (Don’t mix up the labels in the lab!) Virgin Galactic to start space tourist flights.
Equality (econ/social)	4%	600	6/12/23	+0.1%	6/26/23	615.46	616.08	Judges, state legislators and lawyer continue rassling over anti-abortion and anti-gay laws that would do Iran proud. Starbucks settles with woman fired as manager for $25M – now faces new accusations of homophobia, Baptist convention purges two churches for having femald pastors. Special Olympics begin in Berlin with tributes to Ukraine war wounded.
Health	4%	600	6/12/23	-0.2%	6/26/23	471.09	470.15	USDA cracks down on woke labels for unwoke meat... “green”, “free range” or... well... meat! (Wait till they get going with that laboratory stuff!) Chrysler recalls 300K vehicles whose wheels keep falling off. Costco recalls frozen fruit. AMA calls BMI measurements faulty and racist.
Freedom and Justice	3%	450	6/12/23	+0.1%	6/26/23	466.83	467.30	SecPress KJP speaks the words “MAGA Repulicans” which is a violaetion of the Hatch Act. Lock her up! Latest sex criminals include Nathan Chasing Horse (“Dances with Wolves”) for chasing jailbait. NYC indicts subway vigilante stranger, Pittsburgh convicts neo-Nazi synagogue killer,
MISCELLANEOUS and TRANSIENT INDEX					(7%)
Cultural incidents	3%	450	6/12/23	+0.2%	6/26/23	495.89	496.88	Toni Toni Toni award winners include two transgender performers and the Broadway hit Kimberly Akimbo. Denver and Vegas celebrate NBA and NHL wins (the former with too much gunfire), NCAA 2024-5 football schedule released. Songwriter Hall of Fame inductees include Gloria Estefan. RIH: Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, corrupt former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, RIP: writer Cormac McCarthy, whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, actors Treat Williams and Glenda (“Women in Love”) Jackson, whale songwriter Roger Payson, Marvel comix artist John Romita
Misc. incidents	4%	450	6/12/23	-0.3%	6/26/23	481.39	479.95	“Dead” woman leaps out of coffin during wake in Ecuador, then dies again a few days later. Harvard morgue sells body parts to collectors. Animals don’t like us: black bear kills and eats a human until shot by neighbors and hangry shark devours woman’s leg in the Bahamas; “Gladys” the Spanish orca accused of teaching other killer whales to kill people.

The Don Jones Index for the week of June 12^th through June 18^th, 2023 was DOWN 80.77 points

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

The Don Jones Index is sponsored by the Coalition for a New Consensus: retired Congressman and Independent Presidential candidate Jack “Catfish” Parnell, Chairman; Brian Doohan, Administrator. The CNC denies, emphatically, allegations that the organization, as well as any of its officers (including former Congressman Parnell, environmentalist/America-Firster Austin Tillerman and cosmetics CEO Rayna Finch) and references to Parnell’s works, “Entropy and Renaissance” and “The Coming Kill-Off” are fictitious or, at best, mere pawns in the web-serial “Black Helicopters” – and promise swift, effective legal action against parties promulgating this and/or other such slanders.

Comments, complaints, donations (especially SUPERPAC donations) always welcome at feedme@generisis.com or: speak@donjonesindex.com.

ATTACHMENT ONE – From the Washington Post

OPINION: MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THIS IS ROCK BOTTOM FOR EMBARRASSING U.S. POLITICS

By George F. Will April 4, 2023 at 2:02 p.m. EDT

“Wherever I have gone in this country,” said Kansas Gov. Alf Landon, the Republicans’ 1936 presidential nominee, “I have found Americans.” Time was, the nation rejected what it now needs: banal politics. Today’s embarrassments — Donald Trump, his prosecutorial adversaries, the tribalism on both sides — might be a foretaste of degradations proving that there is no rock bottom in U.S. politics.

Before the jerry-built case brought against Trump by Manhattan’s elected Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg collapses, as it likely will in a courtroom, an elected Democratic prosecutor in Georgia might weigh in. And a federal prosecutor is considering Trump’s possession of classified documents in Mar-a-Lago and his possible obstruction of the investigation thereof. Trump might think: The more the merrier. Martyrdom might sell.

In “Three Felonies a Day,” civil libertarian Harvey A. Silverglate’s 2009 book about how easy it is in our law-clotted society to be accused of a felony, he tells of a game some prosecutors play in private: For what crime could they have indicted, say, Mother Teresa? Scofflaws such as Trump spoil the game, but in the future there will be less obvious political targets, and somewhere an elected prosecutor — always an awful idea — with a constituency as red as Bragg’s is blue might be taking notes and making plans.

The Republican nominating electorate, although not invariably farsighted, surely will recognize that if Trump is the Republican nominee, his November 2024 defeat is highly probable: A national majority of voters dislike him and hate the chaos he promises and delivers. Besides, is anyone undecided about him?

Trump, however, evidently believes, as much as he believes anything, that it is impossible for him — martyr and Superman — to lose in any unrigged process. So, if he is defeated for the Republican nomination, his inexhaustible spite might motivate him to try to doom the Republican nominee. If Trump urges his supporters not to vote, enough might obey to defeat whoever is the nominee of the party that has lost the popular vote in seven of the past eight presidential elections.

ATTACHMENT TWO – From the Guardian U.K.

‘I WILL NEVER BE DETAINED’: TRUMP DEFIANT IN FIRST SPEECH SINCE FEDERAL INDICTMENT

Former president, who faces 37 charges related to retention of secret documents, addresses Republican conventions in Georgia and North Carolina

By Maya Yang Sat 10 Jun 2023 22.46 EDT

Donald Trump delivered his first public address following the announcement of his federal indictment this week in Columbus, Georgia, on Saturday.

The former president took the stage at state Republican conventions in Georgia and North Carolina where he lashed out against the Department of Justice, the FBI and the Biden administration; called his recent indictment “a travesty of justice”; and repeated unsupported conspiratorial claims that Joe Biden had stashed secret documents in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington DC.

“We got to stand up to the … radical left Democrats, their lawless partisan prosecutors … Every time I fly over a blue state, I get a subpoena,” said Trump at the onset of the meandering speech that attempted to bridge his legal troubles with campaign promises.

“I’ve put everything on the line and I will never yield. I will never be detained. I will never stop fighting for you,” he added.

He went on to launch a tirade against federal officials, saying: “Now the Marxist left is once again using the same corrupt DoJ [justice department] and the same corrupt FBI, and the attorney general and the local district attorneys to interfere … They’re cheating. They’re crooked. They’re corrupt. These criminals cannot be rewarded. They must be defeated. You have to defeat them.

“Because in the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you and I’m just standing in their way,” he added.

Trump accused the Biden administration of weaponizing the justice department, calling the recent indictment “ridiculous and baseless” and “among the most horrific abuses of power in the history of our country”.

He went on to add that “the only good thing about [the indictment] is it’s driven my poll numbers way up”.

Trump repeated his baseless attacks against his former opponent Hillary Clinton, whom the state department investigated for several years over her use of private email before it found “no persuasive evidence of … deliberate mishandling of classified documents”.

He also lashed out at Joe Biden over the classified documents from his time as vice-president and senator which were found in his office in Washington and his Delaware home.

“Nothing happened to Crooked Joe with all that … He has so many classified documents … This is a sick nest of people that needs to be cleaned out immediately,” said Trump as the crowd in Georgia cheered fervently.

Trump also brought up his former vice-president and now presidential opponent Mike Pence, who also had marked documents discovered in his Indiana home.

“They looked at Mike Pence. He had classified documents, no problem,” said Trump.

While Biden and Pence turned over the marked documents as soon as they were discovered and allowed their lawyers to look through their properties, Trump has been accused of deliberately concealing boxes of records from his attorney, the FBI and the grand jury, according to the latest indictment.

On the plane to North Carolina after his Georgia speech, Trump told Politico he would not drop out of the presidential race, even if he was convicted on the latest charges. “I’ll never leave,” he said.

When asked if he would pardon himself should he become president again, he said: “I don’t think I’ll ever have to … I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pence also appeared at the North Carolina event, marking the first shared venue with his former boss since the former vice-president announced his own campaign. He condemned the “politicization” of the justice department and urged the US attorney general, Merrick Garland, “to stop hiding behind the special counsel and stand before the American people” to explain the basis for the federal investigation into Trump.

In an interview with the Associated Press after his speech, Pence said he had read the indictment but repeatedly declined to share his personal reaction to its contents or to criticize Trump.

“The very nature of a grand jury is that there is no defense presented,” Pence said. “That’s why I said today I’m going to urge patience, encourage people to be prayerful for the former president, but also for all those in authority and for the country going forward.”

In North Carolina, Florida governor and Trump rival Ron DeSantis didn’t mention Trump by name but compared his situation to that of Clinton.

“Is there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state versus a former Republican president?” DeSantis said. “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country ... At the end of the day, we will once and for all end the weaponization of government under my administration.”

On Saturday night, Trump said he would endorse lieutenant governor Mark Robinson in the race for governor of North Carolina. Trump said he would save his formal endorsement for another time but told Robinson from the stage: “You can count on it, Mark.” He referred to Robinson as “one of the great stars of the party, one of the great stars in politics”.

Robinson has attracted a reputation as a sharp-spoken social conservative, telling a church in 2021: “There’s no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth.”

Trump’s two speeches had been planned before the justice department indicted him on Thursday evening with 37 criminal charges regarding his alleged illegal retention of classified government documents after leaving office in 2021.

The sweeping indictment which was unsealed on Friday accuses Trump of mishandling classified documents as well as obstructing justice, making him the first US president to be federally indicted.

Trump is expected to appear in a federal court in Miami on Tuesday and may face prison if convicted.

ATTACHMENT THREE – From the Guardian U.K.

REPUBLICAN RED MEAT: RON DESANTIS BIDS TO OUTFLANK TRUMP ON THE RIGHT

From Covid to crime, from immigration to cultural issues, the Florida governor is aiming to paint Trump as too liberal

By David Smith Sun 11 Jun 2023 06.00 EDT

Donald Trump is not the most rightwing candidate running for the White House. That is a statement few would have thought possible after the former president’s brand of nativist-populism reshaped the Republican party.

But as the Republican primary election for 2024 gathers pace, Trump finds himself eclipsed on the right by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who is betting that the party’s voters are spoiling for an even more extreme agenda.

From Covid to crime, from immigration to cultural issues, DeSantis is staking out territory that leaves the 76-year-old frontrunner fending off a once unthinkable criticism: he might be a bit too liberal.

“DeSantis’s strategy for now is that he is going to try to outflank Trump to the right and there’s opportunity there,” said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution thinktank at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. “He can go after Trump’s record as president on spending. He can go after Trump on refusing to address entitlement reform, which Republicans seemed to abandon writ large.”

This week, Trump was indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. DeSantis did not attempt to capitalise but rather condemned the “weaponization of federal law enforcement”. He has been dubbed a “mini-Trump” who seeks to emulate the former president. But in his first 10 days on the campaign trail, DeSantis has assailed Trump from the right.

He told a conservative radio host “this is a different guy than 2015, 2016,” before deriding bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation that Trump championed as “basically a jailbreak bill” letting dangerous people out of prison.

On immigration, DeSantis has played to the base by flying migrants from Florida to Massachusetts and California while arguing that Trump “endorsed and tried to ram” an “amnesty” bill through Congress. The governor even claimed Trump’s signature issue for himself by asserting that he would finish building a wall on the US-Mexico border.

DeSantis can point to a hard-right record in Florida and suggest that he gets the job done in contrast to Trump’s unfulfilled promises at the White House. He has accused Trump of “turning the reins over” to Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease expert, during the Covid pandemic while he says he kept Florida open for business. “We chose freedom over Faucism,” DeSantis told voters last week.

Whalen, who served as a speechwriter for the Bush-Quayle re-election campaign, said: “What DeSantis is going to attack him on is that Donald Trump turned loose Anthony Fauci. Trump at no point fired anybody. Trump let Fauci drive children’s healthcare policy. If Trump wants to engage with this on a conversation over who handled Covid better, boy, if I’m Ron DeSantis, bring it on.”

Extraordinarily, Trump finds himself on the defensive over what many neutral observers and critics regard as one his few positive achievements: the development of coronavirus vaccines in less than a year.

Campaigning in Grimes, Iowa, he received a pointed question from a woman who claimed that “we have lost people because you supported the jab,” a reference to conspiracy theories about mRNA vaccines, which have been credited with saving millions of lives.

While Trump did not dismiss her suggestion – and stressed that he was never in favour of mandates – he explained that “there’s a big portion of the country that thinks that was a great thing, you understand that. Not a lot of the people in this room, but there is a big portion.”

DeSantis has also taken a swipe at Trump for saying he did not like the term “woke” because people struggle to define it. The governor retorted: “Woke is an existential threat to our society. To say it’s not a big deal, that just shows you don’t understand what a lot of these issues are right now.”

The skirmishes imply that DeSantis and Trump are running separate races. While the governor is aiming to woo Republican primary voters who have spent years embracing extremism, Trump is already looking ahead to a general election against Joe Biden where moderate swing state voters are critical.

Trump has repeatedly hit DeSantis from the left, arguing that his votes to cut social security and Medicare in Congress will make him unelectable in a general election – even though Trump’s proposed budgets also repeatedly called for major entitlement cuts.

Although Trump is quick to remind voters that he appointed three supreme court justices who, last year, helped end the constitutional right to abortion, he has also suggested that Florida’s new six-week abortion ban is “too harsh”.

In a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, he urged pragmatism with an eye on the general election: “I happen to be of the Ronald Reagan school in terms of exemptions, where you have the life of the mother, rape and incest. For me, that’s something that works very well and for probably 80, 85%, because don’t forget, we do have to win elections.”

Tara Setmayer, a senior adviser to the Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group, said: “Trump’s current campaign strategists know that abortion is a huge weakness for the Republicans on a national stage going into 2024, evidenced by what happened in the midterms with the issue of abortion.

“Trump is trying to thread the needle and sound more pragmatic on that because he’s actually thinking about the general at this point for that specific issue. There’s a good chunk of Republican voters who are not happy with the extreme abortion bans that are being pushed by the party.”

DeSantis’s even-harder right approach could backfire in a national race against Biden, according to Setmayer, a former Republican communications director on Capitol Hill.

“It’s a risky proposition by the DeSantis camp to try to run to the right of Trump at this point because it feels as though it’s a very myopic strategy to just get out of the primary. Given how extreme his policies have been in Florida and what he’s advocated for, if by some miracle he did defeat Trump in the primaries, how does he walk all of that back to appeal to a general election electorate in this country?

“This idea that he wants to scale up Florida is anathema to what the majority of the American people across the country actually want policy-wise. It’s not out of the ordinary that candidates tack more to the middle once they get into a general but we have never seen this level of extreme policy positions in a primary translate to a general election and be successful.”

Trump is not willing to be entirely out-Trumped.

He has pushed the death penalty for drug dealers and renewed his pledge to use the US military to attack foreign drug cartels. He also revived his pledge to end birthright citizenship, saying he would sign an executive order on the first day of his second term to change the long-settled interpretation of the 14th amendment.

The posturing from both men might come to nought. History suggests that policy can be less important to voters than personality. Larry Jacobs, director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota, said: “DeSantis is running to the right of Trump on policy. The particular niche of Trump is that his rhetoric and his populism remains further right than DeSantis.

“DeSantis has been a governor, a member of Congress. For all of his rhetorical policy stances and the policies he’s signed into law, he’s still part of the government. Sure, Trump was president, but he has carved a place for himself as a demagogue, as someone who is running both for and against the political and economic system in America.”

Jacobs added: “DeSantis would like him to run on policy and then DeSantis can run on his record of what he’s accomplished and try to win over Trump’s rightwing base.

“But I don’t think Trump is going to let him do that. He’s going to continue to mock and portray DeSantis as part of the problem, someone who’s feeble and lacks the grit and the guts of a strong leader.”

Trump allies dismiss DeSantis as an imitator who rings hollow. Roger Stone, a political consultant and self-proclaimed “dirty trickster” based in Florida, said: “He can try to sound like Trump, he can try to position himself like Trump, but I don’t think those are his real politics. He’s an establishment Republican. If you have a choice of seeing the Beatles or seeing a Beatles tribute band, which one are you going to go see?”

ATTACHMENT FOUR – From Time

THE DANGEROUS WHATABOUTISM IN THE TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE

By Barbara McQuade June 12, 2023 6:00 Am Edt

McQuade is a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan and an NBC News and MSNBC legal analyst.

The indictment of Donald Trump on charges of retaining government documents brought with it the inevitable false equivalencies of the conduct of Trump’s chief political rival. But the actions of the two men are as different as deliberately driving your car into a crowd of people and committing a fender-bender. Both acts involve cars, but the similarities end there. Whataboutism may have become a common political ploy but it is a trick straight out of the disinformation playbook.

On Thursday, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Trump with 37 counts encompassing violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice, false statements, and conspiracy. The charges are based on his months-long battle with the National Archives and the Justice Department over government documents with classified markings that Trump claims are his, even though the Presidential Records Act makes them the property of the United States. The 49-page indictment details Trump’s efforts to deceive the Archives, the FBI, and even his own lawyers.

In contrast, Biden, as well as Trump’s vice president, Mike Pence, have come forward with information in the past year that they each had inadvertently retained classified documents at the end of their terms as vice president. Both men returned the documents and allowed the FBI to search their homes for any stray records. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate Biden, and the probe into Pence was recently closed without charges.

The mishandling of classified documents is a careless act that risks our national security, to be sure, but the conduct that has been publicly attributed to Biden and Pence to date is the not the type of offense for which prosecutors typically file charges. Government employees who unintentionally mishandle government documents may be disciplined, lose their security clearances, or be fired, but criminal charges may be filed only if prosecutors can prove criminal intent. In addition, as former FBI Director James Comey stated in 2016 when he recommended no charges be filed against Hillary Clinton over her use of a private email server, prosecutors historically have elevated the response to criminal charges only when a case includes some aggravating factor, such as willfulness, obstruction of justice, exposure of vast quantities of material to individuals unauthorized to receive it, or disloyalty to the U.S. And when one or more of these factors are met, DOJ regularly charges former government employees who deliberately take or retain government documents. Just last week, a retired air force officer was sentenced to three years in prison for knowingly taking and storing more than 300 classified documents at his Florida home.

Trump’s conduct is more analogous to the former officer than to Biden or Pence. If the former president had simply brought home classified documents in the chaos of moving out of the White House at the end of his administration, the Archives likely would have been happy with their quiet return. In fact, for 18 months following Trump’s departure, the Archives persisted in their requests to retrieve the documents, and Trump rebuffed them every time. Even the August 2022 search that the FBI executed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home could have been a quiet matter that ended the dispute until Trump publicly announced it himself. Never one to miss an opportunity to label himself a victim, Trump spent the next year complaining that the search amounted to “spying” on political rivals. In November, he told a crowd of rallygoers in Iowa that “they” were “silencing dissent and using the full force of government, law enforcement, and the media to try and defeat the greatest movement in the history of our country. MAGA! MAGA!”

In light of the government’s obligation to safeguard our nation’s secrets, Trump left DOJ with little option but to indict him. Prosecutors use criminal charges to deter government employees from committing misconduct, and to hold them accountable when they do. If prosecutors had given Trump a pass on his brazen disregard for the law, DOJ would likely lose its ability to credibly prosecute less powerful government employees who mishandle classified documents. And while critics sometimes argue that the government over-classifies documents, no one would dispute that the documents at issue are incredibly sensitive. The indictment alleges that they relate U.S. nuclear programs and other sensitive military information about the United States and its allies.

Following his indictment, Trump went on the attack against Biden, posting on his Truth Social platform the news that had been charged by “the corrupt Biden Administration,” “seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.” Trump’s supporters were quick to follow suit. Stating that “Joe Biden was found to have classified information in Delaware, Philadelphia, and Boston,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) called the Trump case a “witch hunt against the Republican front runner” for president in 2024.

Whataboutism is a strategy used by authoritarian leaders to excuse their own misconduct. According to Russian analyst and writer Vadim Nikitin, whataboutism is an essential piece of Kremlin tradecraft. The goal of this tactic is not to convince the public that the leader is innocent, but to portray all politicians are dishonest. Anyone claiming to value integrity is scoffed at as duplicitous or naïve. As former White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes writes in his book, After the Fall, Vladimir Putin came to power not by convincing people that he was honest. “He simply needed to convince people that everyone was corrupt.” And if all governments are corrupt, Rhodes writes, then “Russians might as well have a strong, competent leader who shares their grievances and sense of national greatness.” Echoes of MAGA.

In court, prosecutors will certainly file a motion to preclude the defense from making any references to Biden from the case against Trump. But in the court of public opinion, beware of the cynical tactic to minimize Trump’s grave threat to our national security.

ATTACHMENT FIVE – From Time

WHAT TRUMP HAS SAID ABOUT HIS FEDERAL INDICTMENT

BY SOLCYRE BURGA UPDATED: JUNE 12, 2023 10:17 AM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JUNE 11, 2023 1:32 PM EDT

In his first public appearances since his federal indictment was unsealed on Friday, former President Donald Trump said he would “never be detained” and “never stop fighting” for his followers.

Trump, who was most recently charged with keeping hundreds of classified documents in his home—including information about sensitive military and nuclear programs—and refusing to return them to government officials, spoke at state Republican conventions in Georgia and North Carolina on Saturday.

00:13 / 00:30

“For 7 years we’ve been engaged in an epic struggle to rescue our country from the Sinister forces within who hate it,” Trump said in Columbus, Georgia. “And on November 5, 2024, we’re going to stand up to the corrupt political establishment. We’re going to evict a totally corrupt president, Joe Biden, from the White House. And we’re going to finish the job that we started.”

This indictment, for which the 45th U.S. president faces 37 federal charges, marks Trump’s second indictment. Trump separately faces criminal charges for allegedly paying hush money to former porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in 2016. He is also under federal investigation for his alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s presidential election vote in 2020, as well as his connection to the January 6, 2021, attack on the capitol.

Throughout his speeches, Trump repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, instead putting the blame for the charges he faces on “partisan prosecutors.”

“The Marxist left is once again using the same corrupt [Department of Justice] and the same corrupt FBI, and the attorney general and the local district attorneys to interfere … They’re cheating. They’re crooked. They’re corrupt. These criminals cannot be rewarded. They must be defeated. You have to defeat them,” Trump said during the Georgia conference.

The former president also called out President Joe Biden and Mike Pence, who were found to have classified documents in their offices and homes, but were not charged because they returned the documents to officials once they were discovered. “Nothing happened to Crooked Joe with all that … He has so many classified documents … This is a sick nest of people that needs to be cleaned out immediately,” Trump added.

Still, Trump remains one of the frontrunners for the 2024 presidential election, even saying during his Georgia speech that the latest indictment is increasing his polling numbers.

“It’s a horrible thing for this country,” Trump said, speaking of the indictment, “[but] the only good thing about it is it’s driven my poll numbers way up.” A CBS News poll found that Trump remains ahead of other Republican challengers in the polls, and that Republican primary voters are more worried that the indictment is a political attack against Trump instead of a national security risk. Even if he’s convicted, 80% of voters say that Trump should still be able to be president.

As he was boarding his plane to fly to North Carolina from Georgia, Trump told Politico that he planned on staying in the running for re-election even if were to be convicted. “I’ll never leave,” he said. “Look, if I would have left, I would have left prior to the original race in 2016. That was a rough one. In theory that was not doable.”

However, officials like former Attorney General Bill Barr have said that the indictment could put Trump in serious trouble, as he expressed shock at the sensitive information the former president had access to after leaving office. “If even half of it is true, he’s toast. It is a very detailed indictment and it’s very, very damning,” Barr said on Fox News Sunday.

Trump has been ordered to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday in relation to the federal charges, where his supporters have called for an uprising in his defense.

ATTACHMENT SIX – From the Washington Times ad more comments

TRUMP SCRAMBLES TO ASSEMBLE NEW LEGAL TEAM AHEAD OF ARREST AT MIAMI COURTHOUSE

Judge green-lights Trump’s dispute against niece Mary Trump over confidentiality breach

Prosecutors’ zeal shapes federal case against Trump, seen as ‘weaponizing the Justice Department’

Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges in classified documents case

America’s time of choosing: God or evil

Biden ID’d as ‘Big Guy’ in secret FBI memo alleging bribery scheme

COMMENTAR

Charles Hurt

Despite tales of Biden’s treason and bribery, Trump impeachment circus goes on

Cheryl K. Chumley

AI god on the march: Chatbot preaches to churchgoers

Newt Gingrich

Ill-advised indictments weaponize federal government against Trump

By Susan Ferrechio - The Washington Times - Monday, June 12, 2023

MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump huddled Monday with his legal team at his Doral resort ahead of his Tuesday afternoon arraignment on more than three dozen federal charges related to unlawful possession of classified documents.

He landed in Miami on Monday afternoon and headed straight to the nearby resort, where he also interviewed lawyers to represent him in what he called “the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time.”

Mr. Trump is the first president to face felony federal charges. Legal experts warned that if he is convicted of just one of the 37 counts, the 76-year-old could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Mr. Trump shook up his legal team last week. He announced that he was parting ways with attorneys Jim Trusty and John Rowley, who are not admitted to the Florida Bar.

Mr. Trump said he would be represented by Todd Blanche and a law firm to be named later.

The former president has little time to secure a new legal team. He must report to the federal courthouse in Miami at 3 p.m. Tuesday. U.S. Marshals are expected to take him into custody and fingerprint him.

It’s not clear whether Mr. Trump will pose for a mug shot. One would typically be required, but the former president did not have his mug shot taken when he was indicted on felony state charges in New York City in April. Those charges were related to suspected hush-money payments to two adult performers and a doorman in 2016.

Mr. Trump has proclaimed his innocence of all the charges he faces. He is expected to be released in Miami after entering a plea of not guilty to Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman. He plans to leave Miami immediately and return to his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club for a fundraiser.

Security at the federal courthouse was ramped up ahead of Mr. Trump’s arraignment. The former president’s supporters are expected to stage protests outside the courthouse.

One Florida group said it will bring four busloads of “MAGA” supporters from Orlando to the courthouse for a “flag- and sign-waving rally.” Other Trump backers are using social media sites to organize protests.

In an interview with Roger Stone on WABC radio on Sunday, Mr. Trump endorsed peaceful protests of his indictment and the state of the country, which he said is in decline under President Biden and congressional Democrats.

“We need strength in our country now. Our country is being taken away from us,” Mr. Trump said. “They have to go out, and they have to protest peacefully.”

The case is not likely to go to trial until next year, although special counsel Jack Smith, appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland to prosecute the case, said he is seeking a speedy trial.

Mr. Trump’s attorneys are expected to push the trial into 2024 and preferably beyond the presidential election. If Mr. Trump wins the White House, “the case goes away,” said former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.

The 49-page indictment includes 31 counts of willful retention of documents and charges Mr. Trump and his aide Walt Nauta of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The indictment alleges Mr. Trump’s stash of classified material at his Mar-a-Lago estate included nuclear secrets and papers on foreign weapons systems. The charges accuse Mr. Trump of not just storing the documents in insecure locations but at one point waving around highly sensitive U.S. military plans to people without security clearances.

The document alleges Mr. Trump conspired with Mr. Nauta to move boxes with sensitive documents around the estate — part of which operates as a social club for outside guests — and give misleading statements to investigators about whether they turned over requested papers to the FBI and grand jury.

Former Attorney General William P. Barr called the charges “very damning” and told Fox News that if half of the counts are true, “He’s toast.”

Mr. Trump’s supporters condemned the indictment as a political hit job to kneecap his 2024 run for the White House.

Mr. Trump has been soaring in the polls and is ahead of his Republican competitors by roughly 20 points in early-voting states and more than 30 points nationally.

In the WABC radio interview, Mr. Trump called Mr. Smith “a bully.” He said the indictment aims to cover up new revelations about the Biden family business deals, including an accusation by a paid FBI informant that Mr. Biden took a $5 million bribe when he was vice president in the Obama White House.

“This thing is a disgrace,” Mr. Trump said.

From the WT Peanut Gallery:

The government will likely pay for both sides of this case, prosecution and defense. Trump only had possession of the documents because of his position as former President, the boxes were packed by government employees and transported at government expense. The back and forth with the archivist seems normal government operations. It's only the raid and special prosecutor that make this unusual.

ATTACHMENT SEVEN - From the New York Times

By Luke Broadwater June 13, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET New York Times

Trump is set to appear in a Miami court on classified material charges.

Donald J. Trump is set to become the first former president to be arraigned on federal charges when he appears in a Miami courtroom on Tuesday to face charges that he illegally retained national security documents after leaving office, obstructed efforts to retrieve them and made false statements about the matter.

His appearance at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse comes a few days after an indictment that has upended historical precedent and shaken the political universe in the United States, making Mr. Trump the first former commander in chief to be charged with federal crimes.

During his arraignment, Mr. Trump is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. Mr. Trump is expected to plead not guilty.

Mr. Trump was expected to be arrested on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether U.S. marshals would take his fingerprints or photograph him. Those measures are normally used to help identify defendants, but when Mr. Trump was arraigned on unrelated state charges in New York in April, officials felt they were unnecessary given the former president’s level of fame.

Still, it was possible they could happen on Tuesday. Mr. Trump also could have to surrender his passport.

It was also unclear whether the public would get a glimpse of Mr. Trump as he arrived at the courthouse. The former president was expected to enter and exit through an underground garage. In the federal court system, there are no photographs or cameras allowed in the courtroom.

Officials were bracing for a potentially unruly scene in Miami after Mr. Trump called for crowds of his supporters to rally at his initial appearance, in a move reminiscent of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

A throng of news media organizations had gathered at the courthouse, setting up tents and crowding the perimeter, but few if any members of the public were in attendance.

Still, again, Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami, a Republican, called a news conference on Monday to instruct anyone who planned to protest that violence was not welcome in the city. Mr. Suarez said he believed in the right to protest but also in “law and order.”

Security at the courthouse was tight on Monday, with police and federal law enforcement officials sweeping the grounds.

“We encourage people to be peaceful,” Mr. Suarez said, adding, “We’re going to have the adequate forces necessary to ensure that.”

Mr. Suarez said the authorities might close roads near the courthouse depending on the size of any protests, and that commuters should expect possible disruption.

The case against Mr. Trump is the second criminal prosecution against the former president this year. Mr. Trump was already arraigned in April in a New York courthouse on state charges that he falsified business records.

In the case that has brought him to Miami, Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 counts of unauthorized retention of national security information. They relate to the former president’s hoarding of sensitive government documents after he left office and his refusal to return them, even after being subpoenaed for all remaining records in his possession that were marked as classified.

Two of Mr. Trump’s lawyers who had represented him in the classified documents investigation — James Trusty and John Rowley — resigned from his legal team last week.

Mr. Trump said he would be represented in the matter by a new lawyer, Todd Blanche. He will also be represented by Christopher M. Kise, a former solicitor general for the state of Florida who has won four cases before the United States Supreme Court.

The government is expected to be represented by Jay I. Bratt, a top official of the Justice Department’s national security division, and Julie Edelstein, the deputy chief of counterintelligence and export control.

After the court appearance, Mr. Trump is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks defending himself in the evening.

Mr. Trump has called for his supporters to rally at the courthouse in his defense: “SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!” he posted on Truth Social. Of particular concern for law enforcement is a planned rally at the courthouse, promoted on Telegram, by the far-right Proud Boys group. The Proud Boys, notably, were a major factor in the Jan. 6 attack. Members of the group were recently convicted of seditious conspiracy. Many of Mr. Trump’s most extreme supporters are reeling after more than 1,000 of them were arrested in connection with the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Mr. Trump’s arraignment in New York did not produce violence; crowds of rival protesters outside the courthouse were raucous but peaceful.

Manny Morales, the Miami police chief, said his force was prepared for a crowd of anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 protesters. Chief Morales said officers would endeavor to keep any groups of rival protesters away from each other.

“We’re taking this event extremely serious,” he said. “We know that there’s a potential of things taking a turn for the worst. But that’s not the Miami way.”

Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer and Charlie Savage contributed reporting.

A correction was made on 

June 13, 2023

An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. He is the first former commander in chief to be federally charged; he is not the first presidential candidate to face federal charges.

ATTACHMENT EIGHT – From Time

JACK SMITH FACES CHALLENGES IN PROSECUTING TRUMP

BY BRIAN BENNETT  JUNE 13, 2023 7:00 AM EDT

Bringing historic federal charges against Donald Trump was just the start. The challenge for Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, as he prepares to argue in court that the former President illegally took national defense secrets to his Florida home and willfully defied efforts to get them back, is to make the charges stick.

No matter the merits of the case, the obstacles for Smith, a taciturn career prosecutor with a medieval-looking beard, are considerable. The case was assigned to a federal judge who has already been chided by an upper court for inappropriately favoring Trump in a ruling over documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago Club. Jurors will be selected from a state that Trump won in 2016 and 2020. And then there’s the personal attacks: Trump has already launched a campaign to impugn Smith’s motives, calling him a “Trump hater” and “deranged.”

The clock is ticking. The Southern District of Florida is known for presiding over a “rocket docket” that moves cases quickly. But even the speediest federal criminal trial can drag out, and Trump, who has spent decades stalling legal challenges, could try to push a verdict out past Election Day on Nov. 5, 2024. A lengthy trial in a high profile federal case is exactly what the Justice Department doesn’t want, with the integrity of the U.S. justice system and possibly the outcome of a presidential election, hanging in the balance.

Smith has spent nearly his entire career prosecuting cases. Raised outside Syracuse, New York, he graduated from State University of New York at Oneonta, and shortly after finishing Harvard Law School was hired in the Manhattan district attorney’s office and then the U.S attorney’s office in Brooklyn. He worked his way up in the Justice Department to eventually lead the public integrity unit that brings cases against public officials accused of corruption. In that position, which he held from 2010 to 2015, he oversaw cases against Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, former Republican governor of Virginia Robert McDonnell, and former congressman Rick Renzi of Arizona.

Smith moved to the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville in 2015 and briefly became the acting U.S. attorney there in 2017 before leaving to work as vice president of litigation at the private Hospital Corporation of America. Wanting to get back to prosecutions, in 2018 Smith took a job charging international war criminals at the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, Netherlands. It was from there that Attorney General Merrick Garland brought him back to be special counsel overseeing the investigation into Donald Trump’s alleged refusal to return classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, and a separate case looking at Trump’s efforts to reverse the 2020 election results and encourage his supporters to violently storm the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021.

Smith kicked off his prosecution with the indictment he filed in federal court in Miami on June 8. The document alleged in plain, fact-based language that Trump had stored some of the country’s most closely held secrets—including information about U.S. nuclear programs, defense vulnerabilities and attack plans—in the Mar-a-Lago Club ballroom, a bathroom and shower, his bedroom, an office and a storage room. The charges highlight Trump’s alleged obstruction of federal officials when they tried to get them back. Smith charged Trump with a total of 37 counts, including 31 separate instances of “willful retention of national defense information”, as well as conspiracy to obstruct justice, and multiple counts related to withholding or concealing documents from a federal investigation, and a charge of making false statements and representations.

Peaking briefly after the charges were unveiled, Smith reminded Americans that Trump is innocent until proven guilty and that the nation’s laws apply to everyone. But when it comes to making a high-profile criminal case, the particularities of the courtroom can make all the difference. Nearly everyone in the country has an opinion about Donald Trump. It only takes one holdout juror to result in a mistrial. While the case is likely to be heard in a south Florida county that went for Biden in 2020, the whole state of Florida went for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and the juror pool in southwest Florida is likely more packed with Trump supporters than if the case had been brought in heavily Democratic Washington, D.C.

Judges have a lot of power to set the terms of jury selection and instructions to the jury, and Trump’s legal team may have caught a break there. The case has been assigned to Aileen M. Cannon, a 42-year-old Trump-appointed judge who was rebuked by a higher court for inappropriately intervening on Trump’s behalf over a Mar-a-Lago search warrant that was part of Smith’s investigation.

Judges also hold a lot of power over setting a trial date and determining how long a trial takes. Time is not on Smith’s side. Smith said in his rare public statement on Friday that he would “seek a speedy trial.” If the public deserves a verdict before the GOP formally selects a presidential nominee at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in August 2024, that’s just over 13 months away. Trump’s shown a pattern over decades of dragging out legal challenges against him.

The “number one challenge” on Smith’s mind has to be that the case will be presided over by Cannon “given that she’s shown that she will be partial to him in her prior rulings,” says Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. Cannon was appointed by Trump to the bench in 2020, and after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, Cannon ordered a special master to sift through the documents to decide what should be returned to the government, but was overruled by a higher court.

A district judge like Cannon has “very significant” power at trial, says Mariotti. For example, prosecutors would not be able to appeal if Cannon decided to throw the case out after the jury is empaneled, Mariotti says. Should Trump be convicted, Cannon would determine his sentence. Smith also “has to be concerned about jury selection,” Mariotti says. “Even one juror could potentially prevent a verdict.”

It is very unlikely Trump will go to trial before the 2024 election, says Mariotti. Even a run-of-the-mill federal case often takes a year at trial, and defense attorneys have a number of ways to delay and slow down a trial with motions and appeals. In a case involving national security documents, the process often takes even longer because defense lawyers have to go through background checks to see sensitive documents.

Norm Eisen, an anti-corruption expert at Brookings Institution and the former special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2020 during Trump’s first impeachment says that Smith’s case will face a “less favorable jury pool” than if the case had been brought in Washington, D.C. “But I think it’s to the prosecutors credit that they did not play games with venue,” Eisen said.

Eisen, who has called for Cannon to recuse herself from the case because of her prior rulings being overturned, thinks the higher courts will step in if Cannon shows too much bias toward Trump in court proceedings. “I think the judicial system will take care of business if Judge Cannon is as outrageously and lawlessly in favor of Trump as she was in her initial rulings in the dispute over the Mar-a-Lago search warrant aftermath,” Eisen says.

Trump’s defense team will likely try to slow down the trial and make it look like the prosecutors’ case is overly complex and hard to follow. “Trump may try to make this a complicated, intricate, self-justifying confusing case. Smith needs to keep it simple. This is about a President who jeopardized our national security by removing documents that were classified national defense information and extremely dangerous, and when he was caught, he covered it up,” Eisen says.

Then there’s the war of public opinion, Trump’s favorite battlefield. Trump has already begun trying to define Smith in public as “deranged” and a “Trump hater.” Speaking to GOP supporters at the Georgia state Republican Party convention in Columbus, Georgia on Saturday, Trump went on a rambling takedown of Jack Smith. “I watched him yesterday go up and talk. He talked for about two and a half minutes. He was shaking. He was so scared. He didn’t want to be there. Because ultimately, these are cowards. They’re cowards,” Trump said. “And he’s a big Trump hater, openly he’s a Trump hater.”

But Smith is unlikely to be intimidated, Eisen says. “Jack Smith has tried war criminals who have committed mass atrocities. So I don’t think he is going to be daunted by name calling by Trump.”

ATTACHMENT NINE - From

the Guardian U.K,

TRUMP FINDS NO NEW LAWYERS FOR COURT APPEARANCE IN MAR-A-LAGO CASE

Exclusive: Trump is expected to be represented by existing lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise

By Hugo Lowell Tue 13 Jun 2023 10.47 EDT

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.

Trump has also seemingly been unable to find a specialist national security lawyer, eligible to possess a security clearance, to help him navigate the Espionage Act charges.

The last-minute scramble to find a veteran trial lawyer was a familiar process for Trump, who has had difficulty hiring and keeping lawyers to defend him in the numerous federal and state criminal cases that have dogged him through his presidency and after he left the White House.

After interviewing a slate of potential lawyers at his Trump Doral resort, the former president settled on having Kise appearing as the local counsel admitted to the southern district of Florida as a one-off, with Blanche being sponsored by him to appear pro hac vice, one of the people said.

Blanche and Kise had dinner with Trump and other advisers on Monday at the BLT Prime restaurant at the Doral.

Among the Florida lawyers who turned down Trump was Howard Srebnick, who had expressed an interest in representing the former president at trial as early as last week in part due to the high fees involved, but ultimately was not allowed to after conferring with his law partners, the person said.

The other prominent lawyer who declined to work with Trump was David Markus, who recently defended the Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum against charges that he lied to the FBI and funnelled campaign contributions into his personal accounts, the person said.

Trump and his team have interviewed the corruption attorney Benedict Kuehne, who was indicted in 2008 for money laundering before the charges were dropped, the person said. But he has his own baggage as he faces disbarment for contempt of court in a recent civil suit he lost.

The other interviews are understood to have been with William Barzee, as well as Bruce Zimet, the former chief assistant US attorney in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

Donald Trump arrives in Miami a day before his scheduled arraignment on a 37-count federal indictment involving classified documents. Photograph: Kyle Mazza/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Part of the problem of recruiting new lawyers has been Trump’s reputation for being a notoriously difficult client who has a record of declining legal advice and seeking to have his lawyers act as attack dogs or political aides rather than attorneys bound by ethics rules, people close to the process said.

The other concern for the top lawyers in Florida being contacted by Trump’s advisers has been the perceived reputational damage that could come from defending the former president, the people said, not just because of his politics but also because of the strength of the indictment, which could potentially lead to years in prison.

By using Trump’s own taped admissions about retaining national defense information and the witness accounts of his employees, the indictment gave compelling evidence of Trump’s efforts to hoard the country’s most sensitive secrets and obstruct the government’s attempts to get them back.

Trump is said to still be searching for a lawyer in the mold of Roy Cohn, the ruthless New York fixer who defended and mentored him before he was later disbarred – and the fear of potentially being asked to take similar actions has been a persistent issue.

That fear has loomed large for numerous lawyers Trump’s advisers have contacted, the people said, in particular after Trump might have made Evan Corcoran, another former lawyer who withdrew from his defense in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, into a witness against him.

According to the indictment, after Trump was issued a subpoena last year seeking the return of any classified documents, Trump took steps to remove boxes of documents from a storage room that Corcoran intended to search through in order to find materials responsive to the subpoena.

The steps Trump took to have those boxes removed from the storage room, an episode now at the heart of the obstruction charge, caused Corcoran to certify a false certification to the justice department confirming that no further documents were at the property, the indictment said.

As Trump’s search for new lawyers in Florida continues, Blanche is expected to take the lead role in the Mar-a-Lago documents case in addition to leading the team defending Trump against state charges in New York for paying hush money to an adult film star in 2016.

Though Kise is expected to appear alongside Blanche in federal district court in Miami, he has primarily handled civil litigation for Trump since he came off the documents case last October and is not expected to be on the trial team proper, a person familiar with the matter said.

The scramble to find Florida lawyers came after Jim Trusty and John Rowley, the two remaining Trump lawyers after the earlier resignation of Tim Parlatore and the recusal of Corcoran, became the latest casualties of a legal team undermined by turmoil and infighting, the Guardian previously reported.

ATTACHMENT TEN – From New York Magazine

TRUMP ROBBED OF LEGENDARY MUG SHOT ONCE AGAIN

By Margaret Hartmann, UPDATED 11:46 A.M

For most people, getting a mug shot taken isn’t something to look forward to. But, of course, Donald Trump is not most people. In the days following his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, it was clear that the former president wanted his April 4 arraignment to be a massive spectacle. And a mug shot was a key element of his plan to add himself to the list of unjustly persecuted icons, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and even Jesus Christ — while making a shit ton of money in the process.

But there was one problem: New York law-enforcement officials robbed Trump of his money shot. Authorities took Trump’s fingerprints but did not handcuff or photograph him. The booking photo wasn’t necessary, as Trump isn’t considered a flight risk and has one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Plus, if the image leaked that would be illegal, and officials didn’t want to deal with the additional drama, as the New York Times reported.

Now that he’s facing 37 federal felony charges for allegedly hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago Trump has a second shot at photographic greatness — but he’s reportedly struck out again. ABC News’s Katherine Faulders reported that there will be no mug shot when Trump is arraigned for a second time in Miami on June 13.

In retrospect, maybe Trump’s cronies shouldn’t have gotten MAGA world so hyped about this photo. In the lead up to the first indictment, former Trump White House spokesman Hogan Gidley assured Time that “we’ll have a mug shot,” joking, “For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time.”

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

And Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara made a similar prediction to Sean Hannity on indictment eve:

Top members of Team Trump were even plotting how to milk the mug shot for fundraising and merchandizing dollars, as Rolling Stone reported:

Senior members of Team Trump have already casually discussed, the sources say, options for putting the ex-president’s mugshot on merchandise, hats, T-shirts, and other garments, and also for blasting out fundraising pitches to donors and Trump supporters that would include the mugshot, possibly in meme’d format. 

One of the sources reveals that Trump was recently briefed that a 2024 fundraising blitz, centered around the mugshot, would almost certainly net the Trump campaign millions of dollars. (Trump has already leaned into the infamy of his legal problems as a fundraising tool, announcing Monday his campaign raised $4 million in the first 24 hours after the indictment.)

While Trump was still in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building on April 4 his campaign sent out an email offering contributors a t-shirt featuring a fake photo:

But law-enforcement officials’ depriving Trump of his mug shot — twice —is still a hit not just to his ego but to his finances. As they say, better luck next indictment.

MORE ON THE TRUMP INDICTMENT

The Case(s) Against Donald Trump

Courthouse Staff Wept for Trump (in His Imagination)

Alvin Bragg Sues House Republicans to Block Their Counterattack

MERGED TIMELINE and TAKEAWAY COMPONENTS...

ATTACHMENT ELEVEN – From USA TODAY

ARRAIGNMENT LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP LEAVES COURTHOUSE AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY TO ALL FEDERAL CHARGES

By Bart Jansen, Josh Meyer, Miles J. Herszenhorn, Marina Pitofsky, David Jackson, Phillip M. Bailey, Rachel Looker, Sarah Elbeshbishi, Candy Woodall and Romina Ruiz-Goiriena

MIAMI−The courtroom was hushed throughout the brief hearing.

Trump, who wore his standard red tie, white shirt and blue suit, sat hunched between his lawyers at the defense table, crossing and uncrossing his arms, but never spoke.

His lawyers, Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche, offered his plea and argued about conditions of pretrial release.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Blanche said.

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith attended the hearing with a dozen other government lawyers.

The government argued Trump should have no contact with potential witnesses, but reached an agreement with the defense not to talk with witnesses about the case. Government lawyers will draw up a list of witnesses they don’t want Trump to talk to about the case.

Trump also agreed not to talk with his personal valet, Walt Nauta, who is his co-defendant, about the case. Trump brushed past Nauta without saying anything after the hearing ended.

Here's what we know:

I. Trump arrives quietly, but leaves to fanfare

Trump arrived at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse relatively quietly at a little past 1:45 p.m.

Trump's small motorcade arrived at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse to relatively no crowds at about 1:45 p.m., (you guys probably have a better exact timing then us), with more police on the street than onlookers.

That’s because virtually all of the protesters were in the front of the courthouse and Trump came in from the back, entering the rear of courthouse through what is known as the judge's entrance, a sallyport that took Trump’s and (three??) other limos into an underground garage.

But when Trump emerged, it was to mostly cheers of several hundred people, many of them decked out in Trump regalia. They were behind police lines, with dozens of police on foot, motorcycle, patrol cars and even bikes milling around. Many of the onlookers erupted in cheers and a “USA, USA!” chant as the black limousines came up from out of the garage, into the street and then made a right and headed out of town. 

--Josh Meyer

II. One Trump fan gets lucky, wins coveted seat in the courtroom, says Trump 'railroaded'

One of the onlookers was Lazaro Ecenarro, who had been among the few dozen protesters gathered outside the courthouse since the before the break of dawn.

Ecenarro, 48, said he was at the courthouse Monday too, and that he had waited in line to get a seat inside the courthouse. In a lottery overseen by courthouse officials, he succeeded along with at least eight other members of the general public. 

After sitting through the hearing for Trump and his valet Walt Nauta, Ecenarro – who has posted on social media about Trump-related conspiracy theories - said he believed Trump was being treated unfairly.

“I think he is being railroaded by the government,” Ecenarro told USA TODAY.

--Josh Meyer

III. Trump stops at Miami cafe Versailles after arraignment

Now that his arraignment is over, Trump is headed to Bedminster, N.J., for the first major fundraiser of 2024 presidential campaign. 

But he first made a pit stop at Versailles, a well-known Cuban restaurant in Miami.

Flanked by Walt Nauta, his longtime personal aide and fellow defendant, Trump greeted supporters just minutes after pleading not guilty to federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump’s efforts to use his arrest for political gain will continue later tonight when he delivers public remarks on his indictment from his golf club in Bedminster.

-Miles J. Herszenhorn

IV. Trump arrives quietly, but leaves to fanfare

Trump arrived at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse relatively quietly at a little past 1:45 p.m., with more police on the street than onlookers.

That’s because virtually all of the protesters were in the front of the courthouse and Trump came in from the back, entering the rear of courthouse through what is known as the judge's entrance, a sally port that took Trump’s and other limos in his small motorcade into an underground garage.

But when Trump emerged, it was to mostly cheers of several hundred people, many of them decked out in Trump regalia. They were behind police lines, with dozens of police on foot, motorcycle, patrol cars and even bikes milling around. Many of the onlookers erupted in cheers and a “USA, USA!” chant as the black limousines emerged from the garage and drove out of town. 

-Josh Meyer

V. Trump and DOJ special counsel Jack Smith meet in courtroom

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith attended Trump’s arraignment and sat in the courtroom along with a dozen other government lawyers while Trump pleaded not guilty.

It marks the first time Smith and Trump have been in the same courtroom.

Attorney General Merrick Garland named Smith to oversee the multi-pronged investigation into Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election and into the former president’s handling of hundreds of classified documents.

- Rachel Looker 

VI. Chaos as motorcade departs courthouse

A man was tackled by authorities and placed under arrest after he attempted to run in front of Donald Trump’s motorcade as the former president departed the courthouse.

Dominic Santana, 61, held a sign outside the courthouse reading “Lock him up,” and was dressed in a striped prisoner’s outfit. Santana, who lives in Miami but is originally from Cuba, told reporters earlier in the day that while he could not show his "disdain for Cuban government he could for the U.S. government."

The motorcade proceeded without incident after Santana was tackled and detained by law enforcement officials. 

-Romina Ruiz-Goiriena and Miles J. Herszenhorn

VII. Trump leaves federal court. What’s next?

Former President Donald Trump departed the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Courthouse in Miami after pleading not guilty to 37 federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.

He will now travel back to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he will make public remarks addressing his indictment and arraignment. Later tonight, he will host the first major fundraiser of his 2024 presidential campaign at the golf club.

While it is still unclear when the next legal development in the case will occur, special counsel Jack Smith previously said that he will seek a “speedy trial.”

-Miles J. Herszenhorn

VIII. Trump faces other legal challenges beyond federal case

Trump faces a number of legal hurdles besides the federal classified-documents case as he campaigns again for the White House:

Trump faces trial in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records for hush payments to women who claimed to have had sex with him. He pleaded not guilty.

Smith is also investigating potential election fraud from Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the 2022 election.

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is investigating potential election fraud because of Trump’s fake electors in that state and because of his call Jan. 2, 2021, asking state Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn the election results.

E. Jean Carroll won a $5 million civil verdict against Trump for sexual abuse and defamation over an encounter at a New York department store in the 1990s. Trump has appealed.

-Bart Jansen

IX. Trump's future campaign schedule is mostly blank right now

Donald Trump renews his 2024 campaign almost immediately after his arraignment with a prime time speech on Tuesday - but his campaign schedule beyond that is pretty much blank.

Trump speaks at 8:15 p.m. from his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, where he is also hosting a fundraiser that was planned before his indictment in Miami.

The future campaign rally schedule right now is blank, though Trump is scheduled to speak at a convention of anti-abortion activists to be held June 29-July 2 in Philadelphia.

−David Jackson

X. Donald Trump arrested in classified docs investigation

Former President Donald Trump turned himself in Tuesday afternoon at a federal court in Miami after being indicted last week on 37 counts related to a classified documents investigation.

Trump faces federal criminal charges for illegally retaining the nation’s classified Defense secrets. He is also accused of obstructing justice.

The former president pleaded not guilty at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami and said on Truth Social his surrender marked one of the saddest days in the country, adding unsubstantiated claims he is the victim of political persecution.

- Candy Woodall

XI. Was Trump handcuffed? 

It is unlikely.

Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities and went through the pretrial services before appearing in court today. But he did not have a mug shot taken and he probably wasn't placed in handcuffs.

Trump was, however, expected to have his fingerprints taken digitally. 

After Trump was indicted in New York in March, he was not handcuffed when he surrendered to authorities for his arraignment. That will likely remain the case when he shows up on Tuesday for his hearing in Miami.

-Miles J. Herszenhorn

XII. Trump motorcade: Aides record trip to Miami courthouse

If you want to know what a Trump motorcade is like - even one en route to an arrest-and-arraignment - some campaign aides have you covered.

At least two aides - Chris LaCivita and Steven Cheung - posted video from the motorcade as it headed to the federal courthouse in Miami.

"President Trump on the way to fight the witch-hunt," Cheung said on Twitter.

−David Jackson 

XIII. Is Donald Trump in jail?  

Trump is not in jail and will likely leave the courthouse after his arraignment. After the former president enters a plea to charges, the judge will decide if bail is required or set no bail, which would allow Trump to be released without serving jail time.  

He is scheduled to speak at a campaign event in New Jersey Tuesday evening, hours after the arraignment.  

- Rachel Looker 

XIV. No mug shot of Trump

Trump wasn't expected to have his mug shot taken as part of the processing for his initial court appearance on federal criminal charges related to classified documents, according to a senior law enforcement official.

Mug shots are traditionally taken to identify defendants in case they flee. But Trump is well enough known that authorities will upload a picture of him from the public domain, the official said. The picture won’t be released.

Trump was expected to have his fingerprints taken digitally, so no ink will be used, the official said.

The process is typical for the U.S. Marshals Service, the official said.

-Josh Meyer

XV. What time is Trump speaking tonight?

After his federal arraignment in Florida, Trump plans to return to New Jersey for an 8:15 p.m. speech at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster.

The event is billed as similar to a speech he held after his New York. In addition to the speech, Trump is holding a fundraiser at the resort that was planned before the court appearance was scheduled.

-Bart Jansen

XVI. Can Trump still run for president if he’s indicted? 

Yes, Trump can continue his 2024 presidential campaign, even after being indicted again. 

"Legally speaking, there is nothing to bar a former president from being indicted for a state crime, running for office – even convicted," said Jessica Levinson, founding director of Loyola Law School's Public Service Institute, previously told USA TODAY. "It really just becomes an issue of, practically, how could you run the country behind bars, if ever came to something like that?" 

The Constitution only lays out three requirements to serve as president. You must be: 

A natural-born citizen 

At least 35 years old 

A resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years. 

-Marina Pitofsky 

XVII. Prison garb, Uncle Sam and Cuban flags add color outside courthouse

Hours before Trump’s court appearance, a few protesters basked in the global media.

One man dressed in a prison costume. Another appeared as Uncle Sam. A third came as a circus ringmaster. Two others used Cuban flags as capes.

“What we are seeing today is a broken America,” said Kevin Caldwell of Fort Lauderdale, who stood with a U.S. flag outside the courthouse. “America is under attack. Our freedoms are under attack.”

--Stephany Matat and Antonio Fins of Palm Beach Post

XVIII. Who is Todd Blanche?

As Trump assembles his legal team to fight federal charges in Florida, he named New York lawyer Todd Blanche as a key figure on Friday.

Blanche helped defend Trump against Manhattan charges of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty in April and has a trial scheduled in March 2024.

But Blanche hasn’t been certified to represent Trump in Florida. Trump named Florida lawyer Christopher Kise to help represent him at his arraignment.

Blanche has asked the judge for permission to participate in the case after certifying he has studied the local rules for federal court in South Florida and is a member in good standing of the New York state bar.

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the case, approved Blanche's application Tuesday.

-Bart Jansen

XIX. Ramaswamy: I’ll pardon Trump

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a long-shot in the 2024 contest by most yardsticks, is pledging to pardon Donald Trump if elected.

Speaking at a press conference in Miami, Florida on Tuesday hours before Trump's arraignment, he challenged other GOP contenders to sign a petition promising the same. The Ohio entrepreneur then claimed the "donor class" is telling other candidates to "stay away" from the latest Trump drama.

“I have demanded that every other candidate in this race either sign this commitment to pardon… or else to explain why they are not,” Ramaswamy said.

— Phillip M. Bailey

XX. Who is Walt Nauta?

Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who served as a “body man” to former President Donald Trump, was charged with six counts related to Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.

Nauta, 40, is a former White House valet and longtime Trump personal aide. He was also the only person other than Trump to be charged with crimes following the Justice Department’s investigation.

The indictment charged Nauta with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations. It also alleged that Trump directed Nauta “to move boxes of documents to conceal them.”

But now, Nauta’s longtime loyalty to Trump puts him at risk of a lengthy prison sentence if he is convicted of the charges against him.

-Miles J. Herszenhorn

XXI. Trump begins arraignment day by attacking the prosecutor

Trump warmed up for his not guilty plea by launching rhetorical attacks on Special Counsel Jack Smith, a familiar tactic by a defendant who has been in legal trouble and warned about incitement.

Trump used his Truth Social account to make unsubstantiated allegations against Smith, basically arguing that the prosecutor is biased against him.

The ex-president did the same thing after his indictment in New York City in large March, that time targeting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg - and drawing an admonishment from the judge who ordered him to "refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence and civil unrest."

−David Jackson

XXII. Who is representing Trump at arraignment? Florida lawyer Christopher Kise

Trump found a Florida-certified lawyer to represent him at Tuesday’s arraignment: Christopher Kise.

Kise, a former state solicitor general, represented Trump earlier in the investigation of classified documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, when the former was fighting to have a special master review the records.

Kise will join Todd Blanche, who wasn’t credentialed in Florida. Trump has proclaimed his innocence and is expected to plead not guilty to charges he kept national defense records after leaving the White House and conspired to obstruct justice by keeping them hidden.

His previously hired lawyer, Todd Blanche, who wasn't certified to represent him in Florida, also filed a formal application asking the judge to allow him to participate in the case.

-David Jackson and Bart Jansen

XXIII. What is Biden doing today, anyway?

You might be wondering what President Joe Biden is doing while his predecessor is being arrested (again).

For starters, he’s meeting with the NATO secretary general. Biden will then hold a reception for U.S. diplomats and later host a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn.

— Phillip M. Bailey

ATTACHMENT TWELVE – From CNN

TWENTY TIMELINES FROM CNN

Donald Trump pleads not guilty to classified documents charges

By Tierney Sneed, Hannah Rabinowitz, Jeremy Herb, Holmes Lybrand and Katelyn Polantz, Updated 4:38 PM EDT, Tue June 13, 2023

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents.

Trump’s lawyers asked for a jury trial during the former president’s arraignment Tuesday at a federal courthouse in Miami. “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche told the judge.

During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He did not speak.

Trump’s aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, was also arrested, fingerprinted and processed. He had an initial appearance Tuesday but will not be arraigned until June 27.

Here’s what else happened at Tuesday’s hearing, which ended after roughly 45 minutes:

Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ruled that Trump could not communicate with Nauta about the case. The judge also told prosecutors to make a list of potential witnesses that Trump can’t communicate with about the case – except through counsel.

The judge did not, however, place any travel restrictions on either defendant.

The Justice Department recommended that both Trump and Nauta be released with no financial or special conditions. Prosecutor David Harbach said that, “the government does not view either defendant as a flight risk.”

Goodman began the hearing thanking “the entire law enforcement community” for their work on Tuesday.

Before the arraignment hearing, deputy marshals booked the former president and took electronic copies of his fingerprints. They did not take a mugshot of Trump since he is easily recognizable. The booking process took about 10 minutes.

The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. Special counsel Jack Smith attended Tuesday’s arraignment.

Trump faces 37 felony counts, alleging he illegally retained national defense information and that he concealed documents in violation of witness-tampering laws in the Justice Department’s probe into the materials.

Stops at Cuban restaurant

After the court hearing, Trump made an unannounced stop at Versailles, a well-known Cuban restaurant in Miami. Trump was surrounded by dozens of his supporters inside the restaurant, shaking hands and snapping photos with them.

“Food for everyone,” Trump told those gathered as they cheered.

At one point, Trump’s supporters sang him “happy birthday.” Trump’s birthday is on Wednesday.

“Some birthday, we got a government that is out of control,” Trump could be heard saying.

Following the restaurant stop, Trump is flying back to New Jersey where he will speak publicly Tuesday evening at his Bedminister resort.

On his social media, Trump posted before heading to court that it was “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE!!!”

Tuesday’s hearing will kickstart what will likely be a winding, dramatic judicial process, with criminal and appeal proceedings that may play out for years. US District Judge Aileen Cannon – a Trump nominee whose decision last year to order a third-party review of an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago was widely criticized and overturned by a conservative appeals court – has been assigned the case.

Attorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. However, the role Kise will play going forward is unclear, and he was sidelined during last year’s litigation over the Mar-a-Lago search amid Trump team infighting.

Another Trump attorney, Alina Habba, spoke outside the courthouse ahead of Trump’s arraignment, saying that the former president was “defiant.”

Habba ridiculed what she called a “two-tiered system of justice” and called the indictment an “unapologetic weaponization of the criminal justice system.”

The Justice Department’s counterintelligence chief Jay Bratt, who has been a key player in the documents probe so far, also attended Tuesday’s hearing, along with prosecutors Harbach and Julie Edelstein.

Seriousness of the charges

Before last week’s federal indictment, Trump also faced criminal charges brought by New York City’s local prosecutors for an alleged hush money scheme in the 2016 campaign in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records.

The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Thirty-one counts that Trump faces are for willful retention of national defense information, a charge that does not turn on whether the documents are classified. In addition to the obstruction conspiracy, he also faces four counts related to the concealment of the documents, as well as a false statements charge.

“In a case like this, obstruction and tampering help prove the main charge, that the defendant willfully engaged in the charged conduct,” said David Aaron, a former federal prosecutor in espionage section of the DOJ’s national security division and a current senior counsel at Perkins Coie. “Those facts could also affect how a judge, the jury, or the public views the case and could substantially affect sentencing.”

What happens next

Now that Tuesday’s hearing is in the rearview mirror, the case will enter a legal grind of pretrial proceedings, including likely disputes over what evidence is put before a jury and whether the case should be thrown out altogether before going to trial. The Trump team will have plenty of opportunity to drag things out – potentially until after the 2024 election.

One major x-factor in the prosecution of the case is its assignment to Cannon, who sits in Ft. Pierce, Florida, but who is part of the pool of judges who are randomly cases filed in West Palm Beach, where the new indictment was brought.

“There are few things more powerful than a district judge in a federal case,” said Alan Rozenshtein, a former attorney in the DOJ National Security Division who is now a University of Minnesota law school professor. “She could – if she wanted to – cause huge problems for the prosecution. Would they be existential problems? Probably not.”

Cannon’s approach to last year’s Trump lawsuit challenging the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago search raised eyebrows among legal experts across the ideological spectrum for how she appeared to bend over backward to create special legal rules in favor of the former president. Her rationale for why such a review was necessary was torn apart by a panel of right-leaning appellate judges, including two Trump appointees, on the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals last December.

“She got so banged up by the 11th Circuit that she might be ultra-cautious,” Kel McClanahan, a national security lawyer and an adjunct professor at the George Washington University Law School, told CNN. “We just don’t know.”

This story has been updated with additional developments.

Lucas Anson, Lucas Hudson, Janah Issa, Cassandra Pita, Evan Perez, Kristen Holmes, Paula Reid, Shimon Prokupecz and Randi Kaye contributed to this report.

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN (A) – From the Guardian U.K.

TWENTY ONE SHORT GUK-ish TIMELINES

Donald Trump heads to New Jersey after pleading not guilty to 37 counts in Miami – live

Former US president exits courthouse by car to travel to Bedminster for first speech since indictment hearing

1h ago

Judge allows E Jean Carroll to amend defamation lawsuit against Trump

2h ago

Donald Trump leaves court and is expected to travel to Bedminster

3h ago

Donald Trump hearing concludes

3h ago

Correction: Walt Nauta not arraigned

3h ago

Mike Pompeo says former boss was 'wrong' to store classified documents

3h ago

Trump pleads not guilty to charges over Mar-a-Lago documents

3h ago

Trump in courtroom for arraignment

4h ago

Mitch McConnell refuses to discuss Trump indictment

4h ago

Trump and Nauta under arrest ahead of arraignment

4h ago

Trump and indicted aide under arrest at Miami federal courthouse

4h ago

Trump arrives at Miami courthouse for arraignment on federal charges

5h ago

Trump on way to court

6h ago

The day so far

6h ago

House Democrats plan gun control push – report

7h ago

Trump allies suggest they will do all they can to help him in Mar-a-Lago case

9h ago

No mugshot, handcuffs for Trump - report

9h ago

Donald Trump's other legal battle: finding the right lawyer

10h ago

Donald Trump set to appear at Miami courthouse to answer federal charges

Léonie Chao-Fong (now) and Chris Stein (earlier) Tue 13 Jun 2023 17.58 EDT

ATTACHMENT THIRTEEN (B) – From the Guardian U.K.

TWELVE LONGER TIMELINES FROM GUK

15.04 EDT

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.

Updated at 15.31 EDT

21m ago17.58 EDT

Richard Luscombe

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.”

Miami catches glimpse of circus as Trump goes before judge – again

35m ago17.45 EDT

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.

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

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 13, 2023

Updated at 17.52 EDT

40m ago17.40 EDT

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

54m ago 17.25 EDT

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:

Donald Trump indictment: a guide to everyone mentioned in the charges

Updated at 17.35 EDT

1h ago 17.09 EDT

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.

1h ago16.59 EDT

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”.

Updated at 17.05 EDT

2h ago16.47 EDT

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 leaves court after pleading not guilty to federal criminal charges – video

2h ago16.37 EDT

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.

These are the images they want out, rather than the courtroom sketches of him sitting there scowling. https://t.co/gRYBgwDaJ3

— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) June 13, 2023

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

Updated at 16.40 EDT

2h ago16.25 EDT

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.

Updated at 16.26 EDT

2h ago16.22 EDT

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

Updated at 16.24 EDT

2h ago16.13 EDT

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

ATTACHMENT FOURTEEN – From Al Jazeera

TWENTY TWO TIMELINES FROM AL JAZEERA

Trump arraignment updates: Ex-US president pleads not guilty

What to expect from Trump’s appearance in Florida court?

By Joseph Stepansky, Ali Harb and Jennifer Glasse Published On 13 Jun 2023

31m ago

 (22:04 GMT) 1704 EST

Trump pleads ‘not guilty’ in historic arraignment of ex-president

50m ago

 (21:45 GMT)

Republican supporters pledge continued support for Trump

As Trump made his first court appearance in the federal case, his supporters re-pledged their support for the Republican leader – and claimed political persecution.

“Today is a dark day for our country as Joe Biden continues to fully weaponise the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024,” said Representative Elise Stefanik, chair of the House Republican Conference

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said: “Looking at the indictment of Donald Trump, the double standard is a massive problem for the Department of Justice. Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have done nothing to address this.”

Meanwhile, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted a picture of herself with Trump and wrote: “I stand with Trump”.

Ohio Senator JD Vance promised to hold up all Department of Justice nominations, which must be confirmed by the Senate, “until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents”.

1h ago

 (21:25 GMT)

McConnell says not wading into latest Trump indictment

Some Republicans officials have seized on the federal indictment against Trump as evidence of a liberal campaign to take down the 2024 presidential candidate.

Others have said the latest legal trouble underscores why Trump remains a liability to the party.

But on Tuesday, top Republican Mitch McConnell said he would not be commenting either way.

“I’m not going to start commenting on the various candidates we have running for president,” McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, told reporters after Trump arrived at the Florida court to face charges.

1h ago

 (21:12 GMT)

Judge rules unrelated lawsuit against Trump can continue

Donald Trump has been dealt another blow after a Manhattan judge ruled that writer E Jean Carroll can pursue a related $10m defamation case against him.

The judge’s decision comes after Carroll, a former columnist for Elle magazine, won a $5m jury verdict in a separate civil suit against Trump in May, for sexual abuse and defamation.

Tuesday’s ruling in New York underscores the fact that Trump’s legal woes extend far beyond the Miami court where he appeared on federal charges.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan ruled in favour of Carroll. Trump, however, argued that the $10m defamation case should be dismissed because the jury in the earlier case had concluded Trump never raped her.

In that case, jurors found that Carroll had sufficiently proved Trump sexually assaulted her, although they said she had not proven that he raped her.

1h ago

 (20:59 GMT)

Trump leaves Florida

The former president has taken off in his private Trump-branded jet as he travels from Florida to New Jersey.

He is set to host his first major fundraiser of the campaign season and address supporters later on Tuesday.

“Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our country,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform before taking off.

1h ago

 (20:56 GMT)

Trump aide Nauta to be arraigned on June 27

Trump’s aide Walt Nauta, who is also charged in the case, appeared in court alongside Trump but was not arraigned.

That was because he had not retained a local lawyer able to practise law in Florida.

Like Trump, he was released without having to post bond and was ordered not to talk to other witnesses.

He will not have to enter a plea until June 27, when he is set to be arraigned.

1h ago

 (20:40 GMT)

At cafe, Trump invokes familiar themes

Trump spoke briefly with supporters at a Cuban cafe in Miami, making statements that would easily fit in a campaign rally.

“I think it’s a rigged deal here. We have a rigged country. We have a country that’s corrupt. We have a country that’s got no borders. We have a country that’s got nothing but problems,” said Trump, who made his first successful campaign for president in 2016 by running on the motto “Make America Great Again”.

“We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff. And you see where the people are. We love the people, and you see where they are. You see the crowds and everything else. We have a country that is in decline like never before, and we can’t let it happen,” he said.

2h ago

 (20:33 GMT)

Trump defenders focusing on politics, not law: Legal analyst

Attorney Jason Emert told Al Jazeera that Trump’s supporters and legal representatives have tried to focus attention on the political implications of the case rather than the legal basis of the claims against the former US president.

“The indictment itself is very strong; it should be worrisome to his legal team,” he said. “They don’t seem to be taking it as seriously as I would like to see a legal defence built for a client. They try to couch this in terms of political defence rather than legal defence and that’s ultimately not going to win in front of a jury.”

Asked if there was any substance to the allegation that the case represented a form of political persecution, Emert also pushed back.

“If former President Trump was a [military] service member, he would already be arrested, he would already be in jail. If he was a former general officer in our military, he’d already be in jail,” he said. “Trump is a benefactor of a two-tiered system that favours the powerful in this country, the politically connected. So to say that this is some kind of political prosecution that goes after him because he’s a political opponent, just is a weak defence in a very serious argument.”

2h ago

 (20:14 GMT)

Trump makes unannounced stop at cafe, greets supporters

Former President Donald Trump has stopped at Miami’s Versailles Famous Cuban Bakery and greeted supporters.

It was unclear if the stop was planned.

Trump shook hands with those gathered and took pictures. One man appeared to pray with him. Supporters sang “Happy Birthday” to Trump, who turns 77 on Wednesday.

He then repeated his claims that he is being politically targeted: “We have a rigged country, a country that’s corrupt,” he said.

2h ago

 (20:09 GMT)

Trump leaves behind day largely without incident

Despite supporters – and a handful of protesters – gathering in front of the federal court in Miami, the day was largely without incident by the time Trump departed.

The number of Trump supporters swelled throughout the day, but remained far from a major display of popular support.

Protesters carried enormous flags and engaged in unusual political displays – including one demonstrator who carried a pig’s head on a spike. These political gimmicks are not unusual at Trump rallies, but they were especially prevalent outside the court.

There was some shouting and insults exchanged between Trump supporters and the few counter-protesters who showed up, but the confrontations did not turn violent. The dozens of reporters and photographers from around the world outnumbered the demonstrators at times. Law enforcement presence was felt at every corner with armed agents and vehicles securing the building.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were at the scene, including Miami Police, the county’s Miami-Dade police force, Secret Service responsible for Trump’s safety and federal marshals in charge of the court’s security.

2h ago

 (20:02 GMT)

Trump departs court in motorcade

Trump supporters chant “USA” and “Let’s go Brandon” – a slogan that implies an insult to President Biden – as the former president’s convoy prepares to depart.

Demonstrators erupted in cheers as Trump could be seen waving at supporters from inside his car.

 (20:02 GMT)

Man arrested as Trump motorcade departs

One man has been arrested as Trump’s motorcade departed.

The man, who was wearing a prison suit and calling for Trump’s arrest, had appeared to try to approach the motorcade, Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reported.

“The only arrest we’ve seen so far,” Hendren said, saying the low number underscored the relative peace of the day.

2h ago

 (19:53 GMT)

Trump’s first court appearance in documents case ends

The hearing on Tuesday lasted just under 50 minutes.

Trump is set to fly back to his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is scheduled to address supporters.

2h ago

 (19:50 GMT)

Trump ordered not to speak to witnesses, co-defendant

The judge also ruled that Trump is not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case, or his co-defendant Nauta.

The judge noted that Trump and Nauta, who works as Trump’s valet and aide, are together on a daily basis. Still, he said any discussions related to the case must go through lawyers.

Trump has been allowed to leave the court without conditions, with prosecutors saying they did not consider him a flight risk.

Nauta was also allowed to leave on his own recognizance, although he was not officially arraigned as he did not retain local legal representation.

2h ago

 (19:43 GMT)

Supporters await Trump departure

Supporters were awaiting Trump’s departure from the Miami court as his first appearance in the case wrapped up.

One Trump supporter, Patty Berry, said the show of support for the former president outside the court was “wonderful”.

“These people are good people, and we do support him,” she told Al Jazeera.

Berry, who carried a sign referring to the Department of Justice, which is prosecuting Trump, as the “Department of Injustice”, said dialogue and civil conversations between Americans was needed to bridge the deepening political divide.

3h ago

 (19:24 GMT)

Trump aide Nauta not arraigned

Trump aide Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who is also expected to pleaded not guilty, was not arraigned on Tuesday due to a lack of local legal representation.

Nauta was charged with six criminal counts related to helping Trump hide documents. He is also accused of giving false information to investigators. He was set to be arraigned at the end of the month. 3h ago

(19:22 GMT)

Anti-Trump demonstrator: Politics don’t matter

Chrissy, an anti-Trump protester who chose to be identified by her first name only, said it doesn’t matter where one stands on the former president’s politics; if he broke the law, he should be prosecuted.

She carried a sign that said “Trump 20-24 years in jail” – a play on the former president’s 2024 presidential campaign.

“If you want to support Donald Trump’s persona and policies, it’s irrelevant right now in this court case,” Chrissy said. “What we’re supporting is judicial consequences to alleged actions.”

3h ago

 (19:14 GMT)

‘Certainly entering a plea of not guilty’: Trump lawyer

Trump has formally denied the dozens of allegations laid out in an unsealed indictment against him. Prosecutors accuse Trump of willfully mishandling US government secrets and scheming to prevent their return.

“We are certainly entering a plea of not guilty,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, told the judge.

3h ago

 (19:09 GMT)

Trump pleads not guilty

Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 criminal counts against him.

3h ago

 (18:56 GMT)

Trump enters Miami courtroom

The former president has entered the courtroom, where he is set to face 37 criminal counts related to hoarding and hiding classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements to investigators, according to the Reuters news agency and US media.

3h ago

 (18:46 GMT)

Trump lawyer speaks outside of court

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba spoke outside of the Miami federal court, where Trump is waiting to make his first appearance in the documents case.

“What we are witnessing today is the blatant and unapologetic weaponisation of the criminal justice system,” Habba said.

“The Biden-appointed special counsel has saw it fit to bring 37 federal charges against President Trump, the leading frontrunner, less than a year and a half before an election,” she said.

3h ago

 (18:41 GMT)

White House again says Biden not involved in indictment

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has again said that President Joe Biden had no involvement in the federal indictment of Trump.

When asked in her daily press briefing if Biden influenced the indictment, she replied, “Not at all.”

“He was not involved. The president has been very very clear: The Department of Justice is independent. He wants to restore that independence of the Department of Justice. And that is what you have seen,” Jean-Pierre said.

The White House has repeatedly declined to comment on the case. Biden selected Merrick Garland as attorney general, and Garland, in turn, named the special counsel in the Trump investigation.

3h ago

 (18:41 GMT)

‘We want Trump’ supporters chant as former president arrives

Dozens of supporters waving flags gathered on a street by the Miami court where Trump surrendered to authorities and was being processed.

They waved flags and were perhaps hoping to catch a glimpse of the former president. The vehicle carrying Trump used an underground entrance and he was not seen entering the court.

4h ago

 (18:28 GMT)

Trump faces ‘uphill battle’: Former federal prosecutor

Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor, told Al Jazeera that Trump faces an “uphill battle” in his legal defence.

“It’s a very strong case. The former president made the mistake of taping a conversation where he admitted that he had these documents and that he knew that he wasn’t supposed to have these documents and that he shared information in the documents, so that’s obviously going to be a key piece of evidence in the prosecution’s case,” she said.

However, some factors have lined up in Trump’s favour, including the judge assigned to the case – his own appointee who had previously ruled in his favour in relation to the investigation.

She added, “It is going to be a jury trial, and that means that really Donald Trump needs just one juror to refuse to convict him.”

4h ago

 (18:20 GMT)

Trump processed in advance of appearance

Trump has been processed before his court appearance, a court official said.

His aide, Waltine “Walt” Nauta, who has also been charged with six criminal counts related to hiding documents, obstruction, giving false statements to investigators, has also been booked, the official said.

Trump could not be seen entering the court after his motorcade arrived.

4h ago

 (18:16 GMT)

Trump protester recounts being surrounded at court

Domenic Santana, a counter-protester dressed in a jail suit who was confronted by Trump supporters outside the courthouse, said he feared for his life.

“They were spitting at me, calling me [an anti-gay slur], calling me a communist,” he told Al Jazeera.

About 10 Trump supporters had swarmed Santana earlier. He continued to carry a sign that said: “lock him up.”

Santana described Trump as a dangerous “con artist”, saying that the former president should have been jailed a long time ago.

4h ago

 (18:13 GMT)

Trump supporters outnumber opponents at Miami court

Hundreds of people have descended on Miami’s federal court, so far on the lower end of the numbers authorities had anticipated.

Still, Trump supporters vastly outnumbered those who had come to protest the former president.

“They [Trump supporters] feel this is a political prosecution, that the Justice Department is working for Joe Biden and not for independent justice. That’s the view of the people out here,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reported from Miami.

“It should be pointed out: the people who come out here are largely people who come out to support the president, but he didn’t even win Miami, he lost it by about seven percentage points even though he won the state of Florida. So this is a selective crowd, but very representative of those who support President Trump,” he said.

4h ago

 (18:11 GMT)

Trump supporters cheer as convoy arrives

The convoy carrying the former president stopped outside the court. Pro-Trump demonstrators gathered let out a cheer as the vehicles arrived.

“That’s my president,” one supporter shouted. “God bless America.”

4h ago

 (18:00 GMT)

Trump again posts on the way to court

Trump has posted from the motorcade on the way the court in Miami.

It’s become common practice for the former president, who also posted while en route to Manhattan’s criminal court in April for his arraignment in a separate case.

“ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA” he wrote.

4h ago

 (17:55 GMT)

Trump’s Israel policy reflected by court supporters

Elaine Quinn has brought a small Israeli flag with her to the pro-Trump rally outside the courthouse.

“We support Israel,” she told Al Jazeera, invoking Trump’s decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

Quinn said opponents “keep setting Trump up”, but “he’s strong”.

Asked about the protest at the court, Quinn said, “I didn’t think we’d get near the place. I thought we would be in the car park, miles back”.

4h ago

 (17:54 GMT)

Trump motorcade arrives at Miami court

Trump’s motorcade has arrived at Miami federal court.

The former president is expected to enter the court through an underground garage.

He is then expected to be booked and electronically fingerprinted before his appearance, which is set to start at 3pm local (19:00 GMT).

4h ago

 (17:52 GMT)

Police block street in front of court before Trump arrival

Police have blocked the street in front of Miami federal court as Trump’s motorcade approaches.

5h ago

 (17:33 GMT)

Trump leaves Doral golf resort en route to Miami court

Former US President Donald Trump has left his Doral golf club, en route to the Miami court where he will be arraigned.

A small group of Trump supporters waving flags were outside the property. It’s about a 30-minute drive from the resort to the federal building.

ATTACHMENT FIFTEEN – From NBC

TWENTY THREE TIMELINES and TAKEAWAYS FROM NBC

Trump indictment live updates: Former president pleads not guilty to federal charges

Trump surrendered to federal authorities this afternoon and left the courthouse just before 4 p.m. ET. He has been accused of mishandling some of the nation's closely held secrets.

Updated June 13, 2023, 6:38 PM EDT

The latest news on Trump’s arraignment

Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities at the federal courthouse in Miami just before 2 p.m. ET. He pleaded not guilty and departed from the courthouse roughly two hours later.

Trump was indicted last week on 37 counts related to more than 100 classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago last August. The charges include willful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

At his initial court appearance, Trump was represented by attorney Todd Blanche and former Florida Solicitor General Chris Kise.

Walt Nauta, a personal aide to Trump and a co-defendant, did not enter a plea today because he did not have special counsel. He faces six federal criminal charges including conspiracy to obstruct, withholding a document or record and scheme to conceal.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Goodman presided over the arraignment, but the case will be overseen by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee who ruled in Trump’s favor in an earlier dispute in the investigation.

Trump is also facing criminal charges in a New York state court where he pleaded not guilty in April to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. In addition, he still faces investigations surrounding attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia and the special counsel’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

After the arraignment, Trump boarded a plane back to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he is expected to deliver remarks this evening.

Timeline:

2m ago / 6:38 PM EDT

Man tackled after standing in front of Trump motorcade is questioned by authorities

Kelly O'Donnell, Juliette Arcodia and Zoë Richards

The Secret Service and police in Miami are questioning the man who held a sign that read “lock him up" and stood in front of Trump’s motorcade as the former president departed the courthouse today.

The man, who was wearing a prison-striped outfit, was removed twice from the roadway today, according to Secret Service officials.

“On both occasions, the individual was removed swiftly from the roadway by Miami police. His actions had no impact on the security of the protective movement and we thank the [Miami Police Department] for their partnership," the Secret Service said in a statement.

A Miami police spokesperson said the man, whose identity has not been released, was the only person arrested today at the courthouse, and that he has not been booked into jail.

21m ago / 6:18 PM EDT

‘That’s not a reference’ to Trump: Audience laughs after Biden anecdote on government docs

Molly Roecker and Adam Edelman

President Joe Biden, speaking this afternoon to State Department officials, drew laughter from the audience after mentioning Trump following an anecdote about Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In describing the time he’d spent with Xi, Biden told the audience: “I had a lot of personal, just one-on-one conversations. And we each had a simultaneous interpreter. I turned all my notes in.”

“But that’s not a reference to the president, former president. But look, no, it really isn't,” Biden added.

The audience laughed.

As he walked out, Biden was asked by a reporter if he would comment on Trump's arrest today. "No," Biden replied.

45m ago / 5:55 PM EDT

Cheers and jeers: Scenes from outside the Miami courthouse

Katherine Doyle, Sam Brock and Corky Siemaszko

MIAMI — The largely peaceful protests outside the Miami federal courthouse where Trump was arraigned today consisted of several slow hours in sweltering heat — followed by a flurry of chaos when an opponent of the ex-president took off running after his motorcade.

He didn’t get anywhere near Trump.

Police officers tackled the man and Trump continued on to a famous local Cuban restaurant, Versailles, for what appeared to be a pre-planned meeting with loyalists.

It was a jarring end to what had been a somewhat sedate show of support for the embattled ex-president, as he pled not guilty to charges of mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.

Read the full story here.

1h ago / 5:35 PM EDT

Inside the courtroom: A dour Trump, a not guilty plea and an arraignment date for Nauta

Adam Reiss and Adam Edelman

Today's 47-minute court hearing in Miami kicked off at 2:55 p.m. ET. Seated at the defense table was Trump and his lawyers, Chris Kise and Todd Blanche, along with Nauta and his attorney Stanley Woodward. At the prosecution table was special counsel David Harbach, assistant special counsel Jay Bratt and federal prosecutor Julie Edelstein. Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the Trump investigation, sat with more than 40 reporters, court officers and Secret Service personnel in a packed courtroom.

Trump kept his hands in front of him clasped with a dour look on his face. Blanche and Kise told the court that they would be Trump's attorneys at trial and if there's an appeal. Trump then crossed his arms and kept them crossed for the entire hearing, appearing irritated to be there.

Blanche entered the not guilty plea, and attorneys on both sides hashed out details regarding the limited contact order list. Meanwhile, Woodward said he would represent Nauta — who still needs an attorney from the Southern District of Florida to represent him for his arraignment — only for the initial appearance. Nauta’s arraignment was scheduled for June 27 at 9:45 a.m. He does not have to appear in court that day.

1h ago / 5:14 PM EDT

Trump's plane is headed to New Jersey

Alec Hernández

Trump’s plane is now wheels up to New Jersey.

With him for his departure were aides Dan Scavino and Jason Miller, adviser Boris Epshteyn, spokeswoman Alina Habba and Nauta.

Trump is expected to give a speech tonight from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

2h ago / 5:04 PM EDT

Trump didn't look at Smith, no family accompanied him

Garrett Haake

During the arraignment, Trump kept his focus on his side of the room. He did not make eye contact with special counsel Jack Smith and never looked over to the prosecution side, even as he was leaving.

Just like his New York arraignment, Trump did not have any friends or family there with him, just his lawyers and his personal aide and co-defendant Walt Nauta.

2h ago / 4:46 PM EDT

Trump thanks Miami for 'warm welcome' on 'sad day'

Megan Lebowitz and Sarah Dean

Trump thanked Miami in a Truth Social post for the city's "warm welcome," the first time he posted after his arraignment.

"Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!" he posted at 4:30 p.m. ET.

2h ago / 4:43 PM EDT

Whispering and scowling: MSNBC Legal Analyst's 3 observations from the arraignment

MSNBC Legal Analyst Lisa Rubin was in the courtroom during Trump’s arraignment. She made three observations of note during the proceeding:

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche not only whispered to Trump during the hearing, but also frequently talked directly to Walt Nauta and to Nauta and Nauta’s attorney Stanley Woodward together. Rubin said that is “highly unusual.”

When the hearing ended, all of the Secret Service agents sitting in the two rows directly behind the defense table stood up to flank Trump and then they surrounded him to escort him out. But, rather than simply looking ahead and leaving, Trump turned around and stared down all of the people in the courtroom, scowling and seemingly scanning for someone he knew.

As Trump left, Nauta left with him, falling into the line of agents trailing him. It was as if he flipped a switch and went from being a co-defendant to resuming his duties as Trump’s aide in a heartbeat.

2h ago / 4:37 PM EDT

Nevada 'fake electors' spotted leaving courthouse

Natasha Korecki, Ryan J. Reilly, Victoria Ebner and Michael Mitsanas

Nevada GOP Chair Michael McDonald and Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid were spotted exiting a federal courthouse where a grand jury investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is meeting.

McDonald, a close Trump political ally, as well as Jim DeGraffenreid, the Nevada GOP’s vice chair, were identified by NBC News entering the room where the grand jury is meeting earlier.

When asked this morning about having to appear the same day as Trump’s court date, McDonald joked to NBC News that it was not on his “bucket list.” McDonald had previously confirmed to NBC News that federal authorities seized his cell phone as part of the investigation.

The appearance comes a week after former Trump White House official Steve Bannon was subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Washington in connection with special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Jan. 6. The Bannon subpoena, for documents and testimony, was sent out late last month, the sources said.

2h ago / 4:33 PM EDT

Sen. Tuberville will attend Trump’s speech tonight in New Jersey

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Frank Thorp V

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., will attend Trump’s remarks in Bedminster, New Jersey, tonight, a source familiar tells NBC News.

As a result, Tuberville missed votes in the Senate this afternoon, preventing Republicans from forcing Vice President Kamala Harris to show up a break a tie.

The Senate is currently considering the nomination of Jared Bernstein to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, who does not have the support of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V. If Tuberville and all other Republican senators had been there, Harris would have been needed to come and break a 50-50 tie. But since Tuberville left for Bedminster, he missed the 2:15 p.m. procedural vote. Bernstein will now get a final confirmation vote during a 5 p.m. vote series and Harris can enjoy a day off from the Senate.

2h ago / 4:24 PM EDT

Trump leaves Miami restaurant

After greeting supporters at the famous Cuban restaurant Versailles in downtown Miami, Trump departed. He is headed back to New Jersey.

2h ago / 4:23 PM EDT

Trump adviser appears to revel in wall-to-wall media coverage

Alex Seitz-Wald

All press is good press? That philosophy has governed much of Trump’s tumultuous four decades in the public eye, but even when the headlines are about being charged with 37 indictments?

Apparently so to Jason Miller, one of Trump’s top communications advisers, who seemed to celebrate the across-the-board coverage of his boss’s arraignment in a tweet.

2h ago / 4:20 PM EDT

Jack Smith was in courtroom during arraignment

Garrett Haake and Adam Edelman

Jack Smith, the special counsel in the Trump investigations, was in the courtroom during Trump’s arraignment. Smith had a significant security presence surrounding him.

After the arraignment concluded, Smith approached the prosecutors’ table and put his arm around David Harbach, a prosecutor working with the special counsel’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, and patted him on the shoulder. Harbach and Smith walked out of the courtroom together.

2h ago / 4:19 PM EDT

Nauta arraignment delayed

Alex Seitz-Wald

Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet and alleged co-conspirator, made his first appearance in court alongside his boss Tuesday, but did not enter a plea because he did not have local legal counsel.

He will be now arraigned later this month to enter a plea, though will not have to personally appear again.

2h ago / 4:17 PM EDT

Supporters sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump during unannounced stop at famous Cuban restaurant

Rebecca Shabad and Kelly O'Donnell

Supporters sing 'Happy Birthday' to Trump at Cuban restaurant after arraignment

JUNE 13, 2023 05:53

Trump made an unannounced stop at the famous Cuban restaurant Versailles in downtown Miami about 10 to 15 minutes after leaving the courthouse. Supporters sang "Happy Birthday" to the former president, whose 77th birthday is tomorrow.

“Food for everyone,” Trump said inside the restaurant, where he took photos with supporters

The Versailles Restaurant is a landmark in the Miami Cuban community and a base for Cuban exiles in earlier generations. It has been a must-visit stop for GOP candidates for many years. Both Presidents visited as well as the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., when he ran for president. Bill Clinton went as well.

2h ago / 4:17 PM EDT

House votes for the first time in a week, just as Trump is arraigned

Scott Wong and Kyle Stewart

After a weeklong standoff on the floor, the House voted Tuesday to pass a rule along party lines that will allow multiple GOP messaging bills to come to the floor — just as Trump went in for his arraignment.

The first bill, which heads to the floor Tuesday evening, is GOP Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde’s legislation that aims to stop regulations on pistol stabilizing braces. The House will also take up a pair of bills Tuesday and Wednesday that protect gas stoves against potential bans.

The last time the House voted was exactly one week ago, June 6, when 11 conservative rebels, furious over Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s debt deal with President Biden, joined all Democrats to vote down the procedural rule — the first time a rule vote failed in more than two decades. That effectively blocked all GOP bills, freezing the House floor.

But on Monday, McCarthy and the conservatives negotiated a temporary deal to end the blockade, allowing the Clyde bill to come to the floor first followed by the other bills. The conservatives, however, warned that they could launch another blockade if McCarthy doesn’t seriously entertain deeper spending cuts in the upcoming appropriations process.

3h ago / 4:07 PM EDT

Greene attributes Trump arraignment to 'weaponized government'

Michael Mitsanas

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., attributed Trump’s arraignment to a “government weaponized against each of you.”

“It is so heavy on my heart that we’re doing this today when President Trump is being arraigned,” Greene said at a GOP congressional hearing in Washington, adding that the investigations into Trump "started on January 6 when we were doing our constitutional duty to object” to the 2020 election results, referring to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and Trump’s widely debunked claims of a stolen election. 

The ongoing meeting, billed as a "field hearing on January 6th," is being led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., a member of the House Freedom Caucus. Other members of the conservative caucus, including Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., are also present.

3h ago / 4:00 PM EDT

Trump and Nauta released on their own recognizance; judge orders no contact list

Garrett Haake and Adam Edelman

As their arraignment concluded, Trump and Nauta were released on their own recognizance. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who oversaw the arraignment, did not issue any restrictions on travel for Trump and Nauta.

Rather, Goodman issued another condition: a limited contact order.

Goodman directed government prosecutors to put together a list of people whom Trump would not be able to contact to discuss the specifics of the case. The list is to include Nauta, the judge said.

The limited contact order was not requested by government lawyers. Rather, Goodman ordered it.

Enforcing such an order, however, could be challenging. Nauta remains Trump's body man and aide, and policing their interactions could prove difficult.

Trump’s next court appearance was not decided on during the hearing.

3h ago / 3:58 PM EDT

Security tackles man wearing prison stripes who stood in front of motorcade

Two men providing security for Trump tackled a man in the street who was holding a sign, wearing a white and black prison-stripped outfit, and standing in front of Trump's motorcade as it departed the courthouse.

Security tackled the man to the ground on the sidewalk nearby.

3h ago / 3:55 PM EDT

Trump departs from the courthouse

Megan Lebowitz

Trump has departed from the Miami courthouse after the conclusion of his arraignment, where he pleaded "not guilty."

He will travel to Bedminster, New Jersey, later today where he'll deliver remarks to supporters tonight.

3h ago / 3:33 PM EDT

Vance vows to block Justice Department nominees in Senate over Trump case

Frank Thorp V, Megan Lebowitz and Ryan Nobles

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, announced he will put a procedural hold on Justice Department nominees in response to Trump's prosecution over his alleged mishandling of national defense information.

Vance’s office said nominees for positions with the U.S. Marshals Service will be exempted from the senator's hold over what his office called “the unprecedented political prosecution of Donald J. Trump by Biden’s Department of Justice."

Read the full story here.

3h ago / 3:27 PM EDT

Trump wore red tie, sat stone-faced as lawyer entered plea

Adam Edelman and Ken Dilanian

At his arraignment, Trump wore a red tie and sat stone-faced through the proceeding.

Entering the former president’s plea, Trump lawyer Blanche said, “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty.”

3h ago / 3:18 PM EDT

Trump's sons react in defense of their father on Twitter

Nicole Acevedo

Trump's sons briefly reacted on social media as their father prepared to plead not guilty in federal court in Miami.

Eric Trump retweeted a post from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that suggested there are different standards of justice for the Trump and the Biden families.

Donald Trump Jr. shared a video post from Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, praising him for threatening to hold up Justice Department nominees over the special counsel's prosecution of Trump.

3h ago / 3:17 PM EDT

Rubio: This makes a Biden indictment more likely under a GOP president

Diana Paulsen

In an appearance on Fox News today, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., denounced Trump's indictment as political and warned of retribution by Republicans.

"The next Republican president is going to be under tremendous pressure to bring charges and indict Joe Biden, his family" and his son Hunter, whom Rubio referred to as a "crackhead."

When asked about GOP presidential candidates pledging to pardon Trump or strongly consider it, Rubio said that he hadn't given much thought to it but thought that "proactive pardoning is going to be very popular" among Republican voters.

3h ago / 3:15 PM EDT

Bedminster sets up for Trump speech

Allan Smith

Trump is set to speak tonight at his golf club in Bedminster, giving his first public remarks since his court appearance in Miami.

The event is already being set up, with seats reserved for VIP guests such as adviser Kash Patel, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd.

3h ago / 3:10 PM EDT

Blanche entered plea on behalf of former president

Gabe Gutierrez and Adam Edelman

During the arraignment, Blanche entered the not guilty plea on behalf of the former president.

Inside the courtroom, Trump, seated with his hands crossed, sat at the same table as Nauta, who is charged as his co-conspirator.

As of 3:07 p.m., the proceedings were ongoing.

4h ago / 3:03 PM EDT

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 federal felony counts

Adam Edelman, Ken Dilanian and Gabe Gutierrez

Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 37 federal felony counts he was indicted on last week in connection with his alleged mishandling of classified documents. 

Those charges included willful retention of national defense information, making false statements and representations and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

4h ago / 2:54 PM EDT

Anti-Trump protester in prisoner costume approaches motorcade

Daniel Arkin

An anti-Trump protester wearing a black-and-white striped prisoner costume could be seen approaching Trump's motorcade.

Video showed Miami police officers pushing the protester away from the line of black SUVs that had lined up outside the courthouse.

Anti-Trump protester wearing prisoner costume approaches Trump motorcade

JUNE 13, 202301:34

4h ago / 2:54 PM EDT

Haley said she's 'inclined' to support a pardon for Trump

Ali Vitali, Alex Tabet and Rebecca Shabad

Nikki Haley, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, said today that she would be "inclined in favor of a pardon" for Trump if he were convicted and she were elected president.

"When you look at a pardon, the issue is less about guilt, and more about what’s good for the country," Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, said in a podcast interview with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

"And I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case. That’s something you see in a Third World country," she said.

"I would be inclined in favor of a pardon. But I think it’s really premature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything," Haley added.

Haley served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and was nominated by Trump during his presidency.

4h ago / 2:35 PM EDT

Christie: Trump is a "Loser. Loser. Loser."

Megan Lebowitz

Chris Christie tweeted that the GOP must "stop blaming our adversaries for the weakness of our candidates."

"It's Trump. He's a 3-time loser," Christie, who is running for president in 2024, wrote. "Loser. Loser. Loser."

4h ago / 2:32 PM EDT

Trump spokesperson: 'The people in charge of this country do not love America. They hate Donald Trump'

Rebecca Shabad

Alina Habba, an attorney and spokesperson for Trump who is not representing him in this case, said in brief remarks outside the courthouse in Miami that the former president is "defiant," and she lashed out against federal prosecutors who have charged him.

"Today is not about President Donald J. Trump, who is defiant," she said. "It is about the destruction of the long-standing American principles that have set this country apart for so long."

Trump spokesperson addresses media ahead of arraignment

Habba said there has been a rise in "politically motivated prosecutors" in recent years. "They have been quietly but aggressively cultivating a two-tiered system of justice, where selective treatment is the norm," she said.

"The people in charge of this country do not love America. They hate Donald Trump," she said, adding that what is unfolding is a "blatant and unapologetic weaponization of the criminal justice system."

Habba compared Trump to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, saying that Trump is being held to a different standard.

"We are at a turning point in our nation’s history," she said. "The targeting prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships, like Cuba and Venezuela."

She added that what is being done to Trump should "terrify" all Americans.

4h ago / 2:24 PM EDT

Video... Bolton: 'We've got to take the politics out of this business when national security is at stake'

JUNE 13, 202311:10

4h ago / 2:22 PM EDT

McConnell sidesteps questions on Trump's indictment

Sahil Kapur and Liz Brown-Kaiser

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sidestepped two questions today about the Trump indictment — first on whether he could still support Trump in 2024 if he's the nominee, and second on the substance of the indictment.

“I’m not going to start commenting on the various candidates we have running for president,” the Senate Republican leader told reporters at his weekly press conference. "There are a lot of them. It’s going to be interesting to watch."

McConnell has not commented on Trump's federal indictment.

4h ago / 2:22 PM EDT

Trump and Nauta have been booked

Ken Dilanian

The booking process for Trump and his personal aide Walt Nauta has been completed, a U.S. Marshals Service spokesperson said.

Trump booked and processed at Miami federal court

JUNE 13, 202301:02

4h ago / 2:14 PM EDT

Image-conscious Trump avoids the cameras on arrival

Alex Seitz-Wald

The image-conscious Trump slipped into the modern glass building of Miami's federal courthouse unseen by the throngs of cameras and supporters who had waited for hours to get a glimpse, preventing cameras from capturing — despite all his defiant boasts about the case — the indelible image of the first president in American history surrendering to federal authorities.

The former president arrived at the courthouse with the pomp typical of a world leader — a fleet of armored SUVs and police motorcycles gliding into a cordoned street  — but under unprecedented circumstances.

The street was cleared before his arrival and a phalanx of police, whose vehicles and their stern passengers with big guns blocked direct views, making it clear no one would be getting any closer. At one point, after Trump went inside, officers forcibly removed a sign-waving man who crossed the yellow police tape keeping back the hundreds of other spectators.

5h ago / 2:06 PM EDT

Video... How Trump’s indictment in classified docs case could affect 2024 run

JUNE 13, 202303:01

5h ago / 2:06 PM EDT

Lake is in the crowd outside the courthouse

Emma Barnett and Daniel Arkin

Kari Lake, the failed Republican candidate in last year's Arizona gubernatorial election and one of the most vocal proponents of Trump's lies about the 2020 election, stood among a group of pro-Trump demonstrators as the former president's motorcade arrived at the courthouse in Miami.

5h ago / 2:01 PM EDT

Bacon: 'It’s obvious what the president did was wrong'

Ryan Nobles and Summer Concepcion

Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said it is “obvious” that Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents is wrong, and warned that the GOP will suffer political consequences if it doesn't break from the former president soon.

“Well, I think it’s obvious what the president did was wrong,” he said. 

"And we just got to be honest, I mean, to have thousands of secrets in your house, showing them to people that were not read in, and then not giving all of it back, saying you gave it all back and then lying about it, I just, there’s no way to defend that. And I just think the emperor has no clothes,” Bacon said.

Bacon, who previously expressed concern over Trump’s hold on the GOP, then urged his Republican colleagues to “stand up and say that” because he anticipates Democrats will do that after the GOP presidential primary.

“I think Republicans have always stood on the rule of law," he said. "We can’t walk away from that."

5h ago / 1:54 PM EDT

Trump posts to Truth Social that he is en route to courthouse

Megan Lebowitz

Trump posted on Truth Social that he is on his way to the Miami courthouse.

"On my way to courthouse. Witch hunt!!! MAGA," the former president posted in all caps.

Trump posts on Truth Social from motorcade while traveling to arraignment

5h ago / 1:51 PM EDT

Trump aide tweets from motorcade: 'President Trump on the way to fight the witch-hunt'

Rebecca Shabad

Trump aide Steven Cheung tweeted a short video clip showing the motorcade appearing to leave Trump's Doral property on the way to the Miami courthouse.

"President Trump on the way to fight the witch-hunt," he tweeted.

5h ago / 1:49 PM EDT

Cassidy rails against Trump indictment coin

Corky Siemaszko

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., posted an “outrage of the week” tweet today blasting the White House Gift Shop for putting out a commemorative coin to mark Trump’s latest indictment. 

“Now, whatever you think about it, whatever party you are, you got to admit it’s poor taste, that it’s capitalizing upon something without his permission, I’m sure,” he said. “It’s the wrong thing to do. Have a sense of decency White House Gift Shop.”

The White House Gift Shop is owned by a private company based in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and not part of the White House. It also stocks pro-Trump items like the “President Trump Defeats Covid” commemorative coin that sells for $100.

5h ago / 1:32 PM EDT

Trump has departed and is heading to the courthouse

Daniel Arkin

Trump has left his golf club in Doral and he’s en route to the federal courthouse in Miami.

Shortly before leaving the club, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. "One of the saddest days in the history of our country," the former president wrote in an all-caps message. "We are a nation in decline!!!"

Video... Trump departs for arraignment at Miami federal court

5h ago / 1:25 PM EDT

Asked about Trump, McCarthy repeatedly invokes Biden

Ali Vitali and Kyle Stewart

A chatty House Speaker Kevin McCarthy repeatedly dodged questions about the substance of Trump’s indictment by shifting his focus to President Joe Biden.

Asked if any aspects of Trump's indictment could be damning, McCarthy fired back: 'There’s some things that could be damning against President Biden." 

Asked if he thinks the classified documents at issue belong to Trump, as the former president has asserted, McCarthy said he couldn’t answer that because he hadn’t seen the documents. “I haven’t seen the documents, I can’t tell you. But if they’re classified, they should be shipped back," he said, pivoting again to documents found at Biden's home that "don’t belong to him either.” 

McCarthy said he hasn’t spoken to Trump since last week, prior to the indictment. When asked if he planned to give Trump a call, he said, “I talk to the president quite often.”

5h ago / 1:24 PM EDT

Watch: Crowds gather outside Miami courthouse ahead of Trump arraignment

6h ago / 1:08 PM EDT

Democrats see Scott as potentially tougher to beat than Trump

Peter Nicholas and Alex Seitz-Wald

Trump leads the GOP presidential nomination fight — by large margins — in every Republican primary poll, but Democrats watching him appear in another courtroom are handicapping the prospects of the rest of the field.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., might be a long shot for the Republican nomination at this point, but Democratic strategists know Scott, and some worry he might pose a real threat to beat President Joe Biden in a general election if he makes it that far.

Democrats worry that as a Black man, Scott, who was elected to the Senate in 2012, would peel away voters who are crucial to Biden’s re-election — and that at age 57, Scott’s mere presence on the debate stage would call attention to the inconvenient fact that Biden is the oldest president ever to have served. With an upbeat message, Scott also might appeal to an electorate disenchanted with the sour state of American politics.

There is little doubt that, despite what hypothetical general election polls right now might find, Democrats see Trump as the easier candidate to beat.

Read the full story here.

6h ago / 12:51 PM EDT

How Biden's and Clinton's handling of classified info compares with Trump's

Michael Mitsanas

Donald Trump and some Republicans have drawn comparisons between his handling of classified information and that of President Joe Biden and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but the cases are markedly different.

The FBI investigated Clinton for months over her use of a private email account as secretary of state to determine whether she mishandled classified information by sending it over an unsecured private server. Federal investigators decided she had been “extremely careless” in her handling of classified information, but it did not rise to the level of criminality or warrant charges.

Biden's lawyers discovered a "small number" of Obama administration documents with classified markings in a locked closet at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, the president's special counsel said. The White House counsel’s office notified the National Archives the same day, and officials collected the documents the following day and Biden's personal attorneys cooperated with the federal officials throughout the process, Sauber said.

In Trump’s case, the National Archives contacted Trump officials soon after he left office to say some documents appeared to be missing, and after months of back and forth, Trump sent 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago, some of which contained classified documents. The FBI later obtained information that Trump had more government documents and issued a subpoena for their return, and then learned Trump had not fully complied with the subpoena. A search at Mar-a-Lago then found more than 100 documents with classified markings, ultimately leading to the charges against the former president.

6h ago / 12:42 PM EDT

Nevada GOP chair spotted in D.C. courthouse where Jan. 6 grand jury is meeting

Victoria Ebner, Natasha Korecki and Ryan J. Reilly

Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald and Republican National Committeeman Jim DeGraffenreid at the E. Barrett Prettyman Courthouse in Washington, D.C., today, where the grand jury probing Jan. 6 is meeting.

McDonald and DeGraffenreid were two of the six people in Nevada who signed a document attesting that Trump had won the state’s electoral votes in the so-called fake elector scheme. McDonald has defended signing the document and the FBI seized his phone last summer, a source previously confirmed to NBC News. McDonald testified last year before the House Jan. 6 committee behind closed doors, where he invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 200 times.

Asked about the coincidence of his making an appearance before the Jan. 6 grand jury on the same day as Trump’s indictment in Miami, McDonald replied: “Not on my bucket list.”

McDonald and DeGraffenreid re-entered the grand jury room just before 1 p.m. ET.

6h ago / 12:26 PM EDT

Miami mayor calls for peace ahead of Trump's arrival

Daniel Arkin

Police vehicles outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. United States Federal Courthouse in Miami today.Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez urged residents and demonstrators to remain calm as Trump arrives at the federal courthouse for his arraignment this afternoon.

"We want to make sure that the ... former president is able to get in and out safely," Suarez said. "We want to make sure that any of the rallies that happened pertinent to this event happened in a peaceful manner, without any unnecessary confrontations, either between the police and the protesters."

"We are a city that abides by law and order, and we’re not going to tolerate anyone who hurts someone else, or who damages people’s property," Suarez added.

Miami law enforcement officials are responsible for security outside the courthouse today.

Suarez, Miami's two-term mayor, recently told Fox News that he is planning to make a "major announcement" in the coming weeks, stoking speculation that he is preparing to run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

6h ago / 12:21 PM EDT

Snap polling shows Republicans more skeptical than rest of U.S. of Trump charges

New polling released ahead of Trump's arraignment shows that while a majority of adults believe the allegation at the core of the charges against him is believable, Republicans are far more skeptical.

As many as 62% of U.S. adults in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll say the statement that "Donald Trump illegally removed classified documents from the White House and stored them at his home at Mar A Lago" is believable, compared to 27% who call it not believable. While majorities of Democrats and independents say the allegation is believable, 58% of Republicans say it's not.

The poll also found 50% of adults, including 81% of Republicans, believe the indictment is "politically motivated." As many as 36% of all adults disagree that politics are involved. But a similar share of adults, 48%, say that Trump, President Joe Biden and former Vice President Mike Pence have all been "treated fairly given the circumstances" surrounding the classified documents found at their homes, compared with 34% who say Trump has been treated unfairly (a majority of Republicans believe he is being treated unfairly).

Reuters and Ipsos polled 1,005 people in America online from Friday (the day the indictment was unsealed), to yesterday, with a margin of error of +/- 5.3% (the error margin for the Republican sample is +/-6.5%). While public opinion could change significantly as the public digests the charges, the poll shows Americans' early reaction to the decision to charge Trump.

6h ago / 12:15 PM EDT

What to expect from Trump’s arraignment in federal court

7h ago / 12:09 PM EDT

Crenshaw on Trump: ‘I don’t owe him defense’ or ‘excessive critiques’

Kyle Stewart and Kate Santaliz

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, called Trump's indictment “serious” but said he didn’t have all the facts.

“I’m not dismissing it,” Crenshaw said. “I’m not condemning it. I’m not his spokesperson.”

He added that if and until Trump becomes president again: “I don’t owe him defense. I don’t owe him, but I also don’t owe excessive critiques, either.”

7h ago / 12:07 PM EDT

NY AG says other Trump cases may be stalled until after docs case

Dareh Gregorian

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in an interview last night that her $250 million lawsuit against Trump and other state cases may wind up being delayed by the federal prosecution against the former president. That’s Case #5

“In all likelihood, I believe that my case, as well as DA Bragg and the Georgia case, will unfortunately have to be adjourned pending the outcome of the federal case. So it all depends on the scheduling of this particular case,” James said in an interview with “Pod Save America."

James' suit alleges that Trump vastly inflated his assets in order to secure favorable loans he was not entitled to is and is scheduled to go to trial in October. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case charging Trump with felony falsification of business records in a hush money scheme is scheduled for trial next March.

Fani Willis, the Fulton County, Georgia, district attorney investigating whether Trump and his allies interfered in the 2020 election in her state, is expected to announce any charges by August. (That’s criminal, not civil. – DJI)

James said she expects "a flood" of motions in the federal case, which could slow it down.

How a federal case could put Trump’s New York, Georgia inquiries on hold

7h ago / 12:03 PM EDT

Dem leader calls out Higgins for cryptic message to Trump supporters

Scott Wong

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar singled out Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., by name today for tweeting a cryptic message to Trump supporters that some said hinted at violence. Cryptoviolence?

House Republicans’ “posture is troubling. It’s deeply troubling to read tweets like Clay Higgins that basically tells folks to ‘stand back and stand by.’ For those of us who were in the chamber on Jan. 6, we view this from a very dangerous perspective,” said Aguilar, a California Democrat and member of the special House committee that investigated the Capitol attack.

Noting that Trump will have the chance to make his case in court, Aguilar said, "The allegations are incredibly troubling and the fact that House Republicans continue to try to come to his rescue just blows our mind.”

Some perceived Higgins' tweet as a call to war. But Higgins later said in a statement he and other conservatives are “not willing to violate our Constitution” and accused the federal government of entrapment.

“My fellow conservatives, the DOJ/FBI doesn’t expect to imprison Trump, they expect to imprison you,” Higgins said in a statement. “They want J6 again, in Miami and in your city and in mine. They want MAGA conservatives to react to this perimeter probe and in doing so, set yourselves up for targeted persecution and further entrapment.”

Higgins’ Freedom Caucus ally, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., was more explicit, saying the situation had reached a “war phase. Eye for an eye.”

7h ago / 11:56 AM EDT

Police sweep has ended, public being allowed back in

Erika Angulo

Police investigating a suspicious object have finished sweeping the area. Everyone is being allowed back in.

7h ago / 11:52 AM EDT

Ramaswamy reiterates he would pardon Trump if elected

Katherine Doyle and Megan Lebowitz

GOP long-shot presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy reiterated to reporters at a press conference that he would pardon Trump if elected and is demanding that other candidates sign a letter pledging the same.

"I respectfully request that you join me in this commitment or else publicly explain why you will not," Ramaswamy wrote in the letter, which was made public in a press release.

Ramaswamy conceded in the press conference outside the Miami courthouse that he would have made "different judgments than Donald Trump made" if he were president, but said the indictment "reeks of politicization."

He also responded to calls by Trump supporters for him to drop out of the race and endorse the former president. Ramaswamy said he is "running to win this election."

The businessman polled at just about 2% in an April NBC News survey.

7h ago / 11:49 AM EDT

Miami police respond to suspicious object near federal courthouse

Anthony Cusumano, Erika Angulo and Katherine Doyle

Miami police assisted Homeland Security in responding to a suspicious object found near the federal courthouse where Trump is set to be arraigned this afternoon, according to the police department. Traffic in the area has been temporarily shut down.

Police moved reporters near the courthouse to investigate, and law enforcement and police dogs are sweeping the area.

Miami police respond to suspicious object near Trump arraignment courthouse

7h ago / 11:41 AM EDT

Thune suggests Trump's indictment will hurt GOP candidates in 2024 elections

Frank Thorp V and Rebecca Shabad

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., suggested today that Trump's indictment won't help Republicans in the 2024 election cycle.

"I think if you look at the record, in ‘18, ‘20 and ‘22, when he’s the issue, we lose," Thune, the Senate minority whip, told reporters on Capitol Hill.

"I would rather have the issue be Biden and his policies," he continued. "And I think the way that you do that is, you get a different nominee, which is why I endorsed somebody else."

Thune said last month that he was endorsing his Senate colleague, Tim Scott of South Carolina, for the GOP presidential nomination.

7h ago / 11:37 AM EDT

Blumenthal says judge in case should recuse herself

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Daniel Arkin

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said this morning that he believes the judge overseeing Trump's federal criminal case in Miami should recuse herself.

Cannon, a Trump appointee, drew scrutiny last year when she issued rulings favorable to the former president on the handling of documents in the case after his lawyers pushed back against the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, his Florida golf club and estate.

"I think there's a lot here for ordinary Americans, not to mention cynics, to doubt in the record of this judge," Blumenthal said. "But she can overcome it by being fair, impartial and straightforward, which I hope she will be."

"In the total scheme of things? I'd advise her to recuse, because I think she starts behind in light of her previous rulings," he added.

7h ago / 11:29 AM EDT

Pressed on 'substance' of charges, Scalise points to Biden and Clinton

Scott Wong and Ali Vitali

Asked by NBC News about the “substance” of the charges against Trump, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise deflected the question and pivoted to past business and classified documents investigations into the Biden family and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“Obviously, as you talk about the substance, what you first can’t get past is the fact that justice is not being carried out equally,” Scalise, R-La., told reporters at the weekly GOP leadership news conference after a meeting of House Republicans.

“Did you see a raid on Joe Biden's garage? Did you see a raid on Hillary's server? She wasn’t president of the United States, and she had classified documents on a server that she destroyed.

“Different treatment is what angers people.”

GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., a Trump ally like Scalise, opened the press conference, arguing that the Trump prosecution was purely about the 2024 election.

"The Biden administration continues to egregiously weaponize the federal government against Joe Biden’s top political opponent," she said. "This abuse of power is rotting out numerous federal agencies."

7h ago / 11:27 AM EDT

Feds would have preferred more 'hardened' security today, official says

Kelly O'Donnell

Federal officials have expressed concern that there are not hardened barriers outside the federal courthouse in Miami where Trump will be arraigned.

"We would have preferred ... a more hardened bike rack type situation," a U.S. Secret Service official told NBC News.

Officials are not concerned about Trump's safety so much as the potential safety risk generally when large crowds assemble given that Florida is a concealed carry state, the source said.

“You have a higher likelihood of people carrying weapons, so the slightest combustion point could very quickly escalate into some problems,” the official said, adding, “That’s why you want to have those pathways, which is our normal posture," referring to bike rack lanes.

While the official confirmed the security plan set up for today's court appearance is not a federal operation, Secret Service officials emphasized that the relationship between the federal agency and Miami officials is "still very strong."

"We understand that is their decision, and we respect it," the Secret Service official said. "It's Miami. They know the community best."

7h ago / 11:24 AM EDT

'A bathroom door locks': McCarthy compares where Biden and Trump documents were found

7h ago / 11:11 AM EDT

Who is Trump lawyer Kise?

Daniel Barnes and Megan Lebowitz

Florida-based Christopher Kise has filed a notice of appearance as Trump’s lawyer in the classified documents case. Kise, a former Florida solicitor general, practices in the state's Southern District.

Kise also previously served on DeSantis' transition team. He started representing Trump, his former boss's now-presidential rival, in 2022, shortly after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago. His legal career has taken him before the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Trump’s New York-based lawyer, Todd Blanche, has also filed a motion to appear “pro hac vice,” which allows out-of-town lawyers to get permission from a judge to practice in a district for the limited purposes of a particular case.

8h ago / 11:07 AM EDT

Graham condemns violent threats in response to indictment

Liz Brown-Kaiser and Summer Concepcion

Asked about the allegations against the former president, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a top Trump ally, told reporters that he doesn’t “like mishandling classified information by anybody.”

“I don’t like what happened with Clinton servers. I don’t like having stuff on the garage of Biden’s floor,” he said. “I don’t like compromising classified information.”

Asked about some House Republicans who have alluded to violence in retribution for Trump’s federal indictment, Graham condemned the “irresponsible” response.

“There’s no violent solution to this problem,” he said. “We have a legal system — he will be represented, there will be appeals. This will go all way to the Supreme Court.”

“There’s a belief on the Republican side that the law doesn’t apply equally to Republicans and Democrats, but that’s no reason to engage in violent activity,” he added.

Graham condemns 'irresponsible' calls for violence amid Trump indictment

8h ago / 11:03 AM EDT

Trump indictment comes as GOP loses faith in FBI, DOJ

Ben Kamisar

One important backdrop for the forthcoming arraignment is that Republicans have been souring on both the Justice Department and the FBI since Trump first took office.

Pew Research Center polling from March found just 38% of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults having a favorable view of the FBI. That's down from 49% in 2018, 65% in January 2017 (right before Trump was sworn in) and 71% in 2010.

Republicans have also soured on the Justice Department, but the trend is similar to what we saw during the Obama administration. That March Pew poll found the Justice Department with a 40% favorable rating with Republicans and Republican leaners, down from 60% in 2018, but similar to the 44% favorable rating from 2010.

Read more on the Meet the Press Blog.

8h ago / 10:47 AM EDT

Trump will not have a mug shot taken, source says

Laura Jarrett and Rebecca Shabad

Officials will not be taking a mug shot of Trump during the booking process today, a law enforcement source told NBC News.

Instead, officials plan to upload a photo of Trump into their internal booking system. The public will not have access to this internal system.

Trump will have to provide personal data such as his telephone number, address and Social Security number, as part of the process. His hand will also be scanned digitally, without the use of ink.

8h ago / 10:44 AM EDT

Activist Laura Loomer is outside the courthouse

Katherine Doyle and Michael Mitsanas

Laura Loomer, a far-right activist and provocateur, said she organized the protest outside the courthouse this morning, saying she hopes that at least a couple thousand Trump supporters attend, but that "any showing is a good showing."

Loomer also called on the GOP field to unite behind Trump in the wake of the indictment. “Honestly, they should drop out of the race today in unity with President Trump and they should get behind him,” she said of the other candidates.

8h ago / 10:34 AM EDT

Donalds: 'There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago'

Megan Lebowitz

GOP Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida defended Trump's storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago on CNN this morning, saying people cannot walk through Trump's golf club "of your own accord, because Secret Service is all over the place."

Referring to a photo of boxes of records stored in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom and shower that was included in the indictment, Donalds said: "There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago, so don't act like it's just in some random bathroom that the guests can go into."

8h ago / 10:26 AM EDT

Some Trump supporters discuss buying guns for a second Civil War

8h ago / 10:18 AM EDT

Trump attacks special counsel on social media, calls him a 'thug'

Michael Mitsanas

Trump attacked special counsel Jack Smith in a post on his social media platform Truth Social this morning, calling Smith a "thug" and claiming he "probably" planted evidence in the boxes seized by federal agents that contained classified documents.

"This is the Thug, over turned consistently and unanimously in big cases, that Biden and his CORRUPT Injustice Department stuck on me," Trump said. "He's a Radical Right lunatic and Trump hater."

9h ago / 10:01 AM EDT

Trump campaign releases fundraising email hours before arraignment

Summer Concepcion

Hours before Trump’s scheduled arraignment, his campaign released a fundraising email asking his supporters to “say a prayer for America” because “our justice system is DEAD.”

The email this morning repeats Trump’s denial of any wrongdoing in the classified documents case, reminds his supporters that he will be arraigned this afternoon and thanks them for their support.

“I am blown away by all of your donations, your support, and your prayers,” the email says. “You know more than anyone that WE WILL PREVAIL — just like we always have.”

“We will win. We will save our country. And we will Make America Great Again!”

9h ago / 9:31 AM EDT

Lawyers Kise and Blanche to join Trump at arraignment

Matt Korade

Trump will be joined today by lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise. Meetings with additional local attorneys continue but no new announcements are expected today, a source familiar with the discussions said.

9h ago / 9:21 AM EDT

Reporters and spectators file into the courthouse

Katherine Doyle

Reporters and members of the public have filed into the courthouse in Miami ahead of Trump’s historic arraignment today.

A line to enter the courthouse began forming a day earlier, with the clerk expected to choose just 20 people to enter the room for Trump’s appearance. The rest will fill an overflow room that fits about 350 people.

Trump will enter his plea before a judge this afternoon. He was indicted last week on 37 federal felony counts, including the willful retention of national defense information.

The former president is accused of taking and improperly storing sensitive government secrets, then resisting a federal subpoena demanding their return. He has said he will plead not guilty to the charges.

10h ago / 8:47 AM EDT

Black Trump supporters rally outside Miami courthouse

Katherine Doyle

Outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami where Trump is set to be arraigned later today, a group of about two dozen “Blacks for Trump” supporters, a group that included a young child, railed against the indictment.

One member, Maurice Symonette, who calls himself “Michael the Black Man,” slammed the indictment “fake” and “filled with fluff.” Symonette is a staple at Trump rallies and is a former member of the Nation of Yahweh, a Black separatist cult, and one of 16 members charged with murder and attempted murder more than two decades ago.

This is the largest demonstration so far, where for more than an hour a lone supporter dressed in royal regalia waved a Trump-DeSantis sign.

Roger Stone, a Trump ally, told NBC News that he has not been involved in any planned protests and will not be in Miami. Stone has publicly urged protestors “to act peacefully, civilly and legally,” he said.

Trump will be arraigned in the afternoon on charges of willfully retaining classified documents. The indictment has drawn outcry from supporters who accuse President Joe Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department against a political foe.

10h ago / 8:27 AM EDT

Haley: If indictment is true, Trump was 'incredibly reckless'

Summer Concepcion

Nikki Haley, a Republican presidential candidate, said during an interview on Fox News last night that Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents was an "incredibly reckless" move that endangered the country's national security.

Haley, a former United Nations ambassador in the Trump administration and South Carolina governor, noted that Trump’s indictment over his handling of classified documents strikes a chord with her as a military spouse. Haley’s husband is set to deploy with South Carolina’s Army National Guard for a yearlong tour of service in Africa.

Video... Full Panel: Haley breaks from Trump, calls his potential actions ‘incredibly reckless’

“This puts all our military men and women in danger if you are going to talk about what our military is capable of, or how we would go about invading or doing something with one of our enemies,” she said. “And if that’s the case, it’s reckless, it’s frustrating, it causes problems.”

Haley expressed concerns that Trump’s legal issues could help President Joe Biden win re-election.

“My concern is not as much how this plays out and what we do with it. My concern is about the direction of the country, the fact that we cannot have Biden win this election,” she said. “We cannot go through Biden or Kamala Harris winning this election. We’ve gotta have someone who can win a general election.”

11h ago / 7:28 AM EDT

Christie warns against electing 'angry' and 'vengeful' Trump

Jake Traylor and Matt Korade

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ripped into Trump during a CNN town hall last night, calling the front-runner for the Republican nomination for president "angry" and "vengeful" and saying his actions demonstrate vanity and ego "run amok."

Christie, who launched his 2024 presidential campaign last week, said he is convinced that if Trump is elected again, "the next four years will all be about him just settling scores."

"He has shown himself, and I think most particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view," the one-time Trump ally said.

Christie, a former federal prosecutor, also said Trump's former attorney general, William Barr, was “absolutely right” in calling the indictment against Trump “very damning.”

"It is a very tight, very detailed, evidence-laden indictment," Christie said. He added that he thought it "indefensible" that other Republican candidates for president weren't addressing Trump's indictment.

12h ago / 6:15 AM EDT

Video... Miami Mayor Suarez says city is ‘prepared’ ahead of Trump arraignment

12h ago / 6:15 AM EDT

A timeline of the classified documents probe

Michael Mitsanas

The federal investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents has gone on for more than two years, with numerous twists and turns.

A detailed timeline compiled by NBC News takes a close look at the origins of the investigation and what comes next.

Read the full story here.

12h ago / 6:13 AM EDT

Trump to appear in federal court in Florida

Dareh Gregorian

Amid heightened security and anticipated protests, Trump is set to appear today in federal court in Miami to face charges he misled investigators and mishandled the country’s secrets.

Trump, 76, is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge at 3 p.m. ET, when he’ll be arraigned alongside his co-defendant and aide, Walt Nauta, 40.

Trump was indicted last week on 37 federal felony counts, including willful retention of national defense information, making false statements and representations and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

Miami Police Chief Manny Morales said yesterday that the city is bracing for the possibility of thousands of protesters at the courthouse and has been coordinating with federal, state and local partners “to ensure that we maintain not only peace and order,” but also the ability for demonstrators “to express themselves and their First Amendment rights.”

ATTACHMENT SIXTEEN – From the New York Times

TRUMP ARRAIGNMENT: TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN DOCUMENTS CASE

Donald J. Trump, the first former president to be charged with federal crimes, was arraigned on 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents. After his court appearance in Miami, he spoke to supporters at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

Glenn Thrush, Nicholas Nehamas and Eileen Sullivan Published June 13, 2023 Updated June 15, 2023

Here is the latest on Trump’s court appearance.

Donald J. Trump, twice impeached as president and now twice indicted since leaving the White House, surrendered to federal authorities in Miami on Tuesday and was arraigned on charges that he had put national security secrets at risk and obstructed investigators.

Mr. Trump was booked, fingerprinted and led to a courtroom on the 13th floor of the Federal District Court, where his lawyer entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.

Sitting among the spectators about 20 feet away was Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing the investigation that led to the 38-count indictment of Mr. Trump and his personal aide, Walt Nauta, who was also present for the proceedings but did not enter a plea.

Mr. Trump, who spent much of the arraignment with his arms folded and a grim expression, and Mr. Smith, a flinty former war crimes prosecutor rarely seen in public since taking charge of the case, did not talk to each other at the hearing, or even exchange glances.

The 50-minute hearing, both mundane and momentous, marked the start of what is sure to be at least a monthslong process of bringing Mr. Trump to trial against the backdrop of a presidential race in which he is the front-runner for the Republican nomination.

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Mr. Trump has also been indicted in an unrelated case by the Manhattan district attorney, who has charged him in connection with a hush money payment to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. He faces a separate inquiry by a prosecutor in Fulton County, Ga., who is scrutinizing his efforts to reverse his election loss in Georgia in 2020, and Mr. Smith is pressing ahead with a federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s efforts to retain power and the ensuing Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Outside the courthouse, amid a heavy police presence, small groups of pro-Trump demonstrators voiced their support for the former president, who has denounced the indictment as the latest installment in a long-running and politically inspired witch hunt against him.

Inside, Mr. Trump was moved briskly through the process of becoming a defendant in a federal criminal case, with the authorities seeking to minimize anything that could be interpreted as an attempt to further embarrass the former president.

He was not required to have his mug shot taken, the government did not ask for travel restrictions often imposed on those accused of serious crimes, and prosecutors seemed willing to grant him generous bond terms, without demanding cash bail.

Mr. Trump did not speak in the courtroom except for whispered chatter with his two new lawyers before the arraignment began, and asides to them once it got underway.

When asked for his plea, one of his lawyers, Todd Blanche, spoke for Mr. Trump.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” he said.

Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 criminal counts covering seven different violations of federal law, alone or in conjunction with Mr. Nauta.

The former president was charged with 31 counts of willfully retaining national defense information under the Espionage Act and one count of making false statements stemming from his interactions with federal investigators and one of his lawyers.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta were jointly charged with single counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding government documents, corruptly concealing records, concealing a document in a federal investigation and scheming to conceal their efforts. Mr. Nauta was charged with a separate count of making false statements to investigators.

Mr. Trump’s case has been assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who earlier handled a lawsuit he filed challenging the F.B.I.’s court-authorized search of his Florida estate and club, Mar-a-Lago. A ruling in Mr. Trump’s favor in that case by Judge Cannon, who was nominated by Mr. Trump, was later overturned by an appeals court that was sharply critical of her legal reasoning.

But Tuesday’s hearing was overseen by Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman. Magistrate judges handle many of the routine and procedural aspects of court cases.

Mr. Nauta was unable to enter a plea because he still lacked local counsel. Judge Goodman set a hearing for June 27 for Mr. Nauta to enter a plea.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta were ordered by Judge Goodman not to discuss their criminal case, even though the two work closely and see each other practically every day. Judge Goodman said that any discussions related to the case must go through their lawyers.

The restrictions — which do not apply to other topics of conversation — are common for co-defendants in a criminal matter, but they could be particularly difficult to uphold given that Mr. Nauta’s job is to follow the former president through his days, attending to various needs. To underscore Mr. Nauta’s proximity to Mr. Trump, Mr. Nauta was riding with him from Mr. Trump’s club, Doral, to the courthouse for Tuesday’s hearing.

The two men talk frequently and have for most of the past two years; Mr. Nauta first served as a valet in the White House and now serves as an aide to Mr. Trump in his post-presidential life. The former president tends to treat his close personal aides as sounding boards for all manner of topics.

Mr. Trump is hardly known for his restraint under typical circumstances, but especially when told to do something by a person in a position of authority. An edict not to discuss a case that has consumed Mr. Trump’s thinking for weeks poses even more of a challenge.

The same restriction on the defendants’ communications was also applied to witnesses in the case, a list of which the government is expected to draw up. That presents a similar challenge to the situation with Mr. Nauta: A number of Mr. Trump’s advisers, current and former Mar-a-Lago staff members, and even some of his lawyers have been interviewed as part of the investigation.

The exchange also provided a glimpse into what has not yet become public about the government’s investigation — namely that a significant number of witnesses in the case, working on the president’s campaign, security detail and personal staff remain unknown to the defense.

One of the prosecutors, David Harbach, conceded that the “elephant in the room” was that the Justice Department had not yet been able to produce a comprehensive list of witnesses.

Mr. Trump’s day highlighted the challenges of being both a defendant in a criminal case that could send him to prison and a presidential candidate. And it demonstrated that Mr. Trump has no intention of muting himself as the case plays out or to abandon his instinct to fight as much in the court of public opinion as in the court of law.

Mr. Trump posted several times on his social media platform throughout the day, many of them half-sentences in which he denounced the case against him. In one post, he attacked Mr. Smith as a “thug,” while in others he kept up his long-running efforts to frame the inquiries as a partisan effort to prevent him from facing President Biden next year.

“ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!!” he wrote at one point.

Once the court proceedings ended, Mr. Trump headed to a campaign-style stop in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, where his support has always been strong among Cuban Americans, and especially older Cuban exiles. “Donald Trump,” the crowd cheered. “Viva el presidente!”

He stopped into Versailles, the self-proclaimed “world’s most famous Cuban restaurant,” where he greeted a crowd of supporters, including a rabbi and a nondenominational minister who prayed on his behalf.

He then boarded his jet for a flight back to New Jersey, where he held a fund-raiser, with donors who raise at least $100,000 for his campaign invited to a “candlelight dinner,” and gave remarks at his golf club in Bedminster.

“I did everything right and they indicted me,” Mr. Trump said, subdued but barely containing his anger.

He asserted, in defiance of the clear meaning of the law, that he was entitled under the Presidential Records Act to keep the documents he took. “I had every right” to keep them, he said.

The 49-page indictment of Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta laid out in vivid detail Mr. Trump’s casual, at times haphazard handling of highly sensitive documents from his White House. It said those documents included details of sensitive nuclear programs, intelligence on foreign adversaries, Pentagon battle plans and other documents that detailed the country’s potential vulnerabilities to military attack.

In some cases, prosecutors said, he displayed them to people without security clearances and stored them in a haphazard manner at Mar-a-Lago, even stacking a pile of boxes in a bathroom at his private club and residence in Florida.

Tuesday’s hearing also marked a milestone — it was the first time Mr. Trump and Mr. Smith, adversaries in a legal battle with enormous implications, crossed paths publicly.

After the hearing ended, Mr. Trump took a brief look over his shoulder at the reporters who crammed the courtroom, before exiting through a side door.

Mr. Smith and his prosecutors left through a door on the opposite side of the courtroom about a minute later.

Reporting was contributed by Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, Zach Montague, Shane Goldmacher, Nick Madigan, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Frances Robles, Luke Broadwater, William K. Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Gaya Gupta.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:25 p.m. ET

By Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

It’s striking how little energy this speech — and this crowd — had. This was essentially a rally, yet he barely walked the stage. He pumped his fist and mouthed, “Thanks.” I’ve never seen him linger for such a short amount of time.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:05 p.m. ET

By Reid Epstein

Campaigns and elections reporter

Trump has invoked the Hillary Clinton email server saga, which Republicans have taken as a rallying cry since his indictment was announced last week. Yesterday, we wrote about this phenomenon, including how Democrats and Mrs. Clinton herself have leaned into the public's remembering of it.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:01 p.m. ET

Shane Goldmacher

This is the Trump playbook: claim selective prosecution. Then blame Democrats for doing the same or worse. He has already invoked Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:00 p.m. ET

Reid Epstein

Campaigns and elections reporter

This speech is unsurprisingly focused on Trump’s own legal travails, but it is remarkable how much of what he has been saying in recent weeks has focused on himself, rather than on making any kind of case about what he’d do if elected for a second term.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:00 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump is making fun of Biden’s Corvette and how “proud” he is of it. Some documents that Biden had from his VP and Senate days were in his garage.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:57 p.m. ET

Shane Goldmacher

During his detailed legal defense, the crowd here at Bedminster has grown very quiet.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:57 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump appears to be trying to keep a lid on his anger, which people in touch with him say has been coming in episodes over the last few days.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:56 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

As we’ve reported before, Trump is really bothered by the photographs that were included in the indictment and the one the Justice Department released of documents in his office months ago. He keeps discussing it.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:54 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump said that “many people have asked me why I had these boxes, why did you want them?” He said that the boxes were “containing all types of personal belongings.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:53 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump is giving a dry recitation of what will essentially be his legal argument in the case against him: that he had a right to keep the documents under the Presidential Records Act. He is misstating what the act says, but this will be a key argument his team makes as the case goes forward.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:45 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump was just announced and is about to speak.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:39 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump’s motorcade is rolling into Bedminster as “Suspicious Minds” by Elvis Presley plays over the loudspeakers

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:38 p.m. ET

Jonathan Swan

Political reporter

Before the Trump indictment was released, Mike Pence said on CNN that he hoped Trump would not be charged because it would “be terribly divisive to the country.” When he talked to The Wall Street Journal’s Editorial Board this afternoon, he said, “These are very serious allegations. And I can’t defend what is alleged. But the president is entitled to his day in court. He’s entitled to bring a defense, and I want to reserve judgment until he has the opportunity to respond.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 8:10 p.m. ET

Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman and Ben Protess

Trump has legal options in the case, but they might face challenges.

Even when former President Donald J. Trump figures out who will represent him, the lawyers will face a more significant challenge: how to rebut the charges in a criminal case in which their options may be limited.

While no one knows precisely how Mr. Trump will go about attacking the most serious charges he has faced, his options for using the legal system to delay the case, turn it into a political circus or paint himself as a victim of federal prosecutors are numerous and varied.

Even before his indictment, Mr. Trump, his allies and his lawyers had hinted at some of the arguments they could raise.

They include asserting that Mr. Trump had a right to take the documents from the White House and that he had declassified them before leaving office. They could accuse the prosecutors of misconduct or try to show that he was a victim of selective prosecution. And they could seek to have potentially damning evidence excluded from the trial or try to force the government to disclose classified material that it wants to keep secret.

But all of those claims could be difficult to sustain in court.

Samuel Buell, a former federal prosecutor and a law professor at Duke University, said that it was difficult in general to have a federal indictment dismissed before trial, and that Mr. Trump and his lawyers would face an uphill battle in trying to prevent the case from moving forward.

“Their options here are extremely limited,” Mr. Buell said, “and highly unlikely to prevent the case getting to a jury.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 7:54 p.m. ET

Neil Vigdor and Frances Robles

In visit to Little Havana in Miami, Trump plays for sympathy and votes.

Former President Donald J. Trump visited Little Havana in Miami on Tuesday immediately after his arraignment, his latest attempt to cast himself as a man persecuted by his political enemies.

It was a not-subtle attempt to seek the sympathies of Latinos, in Florida and beyond.

Mr. Trump’s visit to Versailles Restaurant, a landmark that is emblematic of the Cuban diaspora, came as Republicans have increasingly likened his indictment to corruption and political oppression in Latin American countries.

Outside the federal courthouse where the arraignment took place in Miami, Alina Habba, a lawyer and spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, suggested that he was no different than political dissidents from Latin America.

“The targeting, prosecution, of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela,” she said. “It is commonplace there for rival candidates to be prosecuted, persecuted and put into jail.”

The day before his arraignment, Mr. Trump said he believed Hispanics in South Florida were sympathetic to him because they are familiar with governments targeting rivals.

“They really see it better than other people do,” he said in an interview with Americano Media, a conservative Spanish-language outlet in South Florida.

Mr. Trump has enjoyed relatively strong support in some Latino communities, particularly those in South Florida. Eduardo A. Gamarra, a professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University who is also part of its Cuban Research Institute, said the narrative woven by Mr. Trump and his surrogates, while false, was a shrewd one.

“It’s reinforced by local media, by much of what of the Trump campaign and other Republicans are saying: that this administration, the Biden administration, is behaving like the banana republics behave, so that’s resonated very intensely here,” he said. “It’s great politics, but it’s not true.”

Mr. Gamarra, who was born in Bolivia, noted that Mr. Trump had also tried to win support from Latino voters by railing against socialism and communism. He lamented the way that Mr. Trump and his allies had repeatedly mentioned Latin America.

“It’s a very unfortunate narrative,” he said. “I think it just sort of propagates the stereotypes about Latin America. It’s much more complex than simply the banana republic image.”

Mr. Trump’s cameo at the restaurant was the latest for him and a long line of politicians that includes former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In 2016, the restaurant hosted Mr. Trump and Rudolph W. Giuliani together after Mr. Trump’s first debate against Hillary Clinton.

Paloma Marcos, a native of Nicaragua who has been a U.S. citizen for 15 years, rushed to Versailles with a Trump hat and a sign that said, “I stand with Trump.”

She said many Nicaraguans like her had an affinity for the former president, because he is against communism. She added that people like her, as well as Cuban and Venezuelans, saw how that form of government destroyed their home countries.

“He knows we support him. The Latino community has had an awakening,” Ms. Marcos said. “The curtain has been pulled back.”

The Rev. Yoelis Sánchez, a pastor at a local church and a native of the Dominican Republic, said she did not hesitate when asked to go to Versailles Restaurant to pray with Mr. Trump. Several religious people, including evangelicals and Catholics, prayed with him while her daughter sang.

“We prayed for God to give him strength and for the truth to come out,” she said. “We are really concerned for his welfare.”

Ms. Sánchez, who lives in Doral, Fla., which is part of Miami-Dade County and is where Mr. Trump owns a golf resort, was not yet a citizen in 2020. She would not say whether she plans to vote for him in 2024.

“I don’t think he came here just because of the Latino vote,” she said. “He came because he wanted to meet with people who have biblical thinking — he’s pro-life and pro-family and Latinos identify with that.”

Mr. Trump is facing criminal charges related to mishandling classified documents and then obstructing the government’s attempts to retrieve them. The federal indictment of a former president is unprecedented in the United States, but many Latin American presidents have been prosecuted after leaving office.

Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, served more than a year in prison after he left office the first time. Argentina’s former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sentenced to six years for corruption last year. In Peru, Alejandro Toledo was recently extradited to face a bribery charge. Its former leader, Alberto Fujimori, is serving 25 years in prison.

Arnoldo Alemán of Nicaragua is one of the few former presidents who was arrested in a corruption case despite his own party being in power.

“This is something you see a lot in Latin America, especially in Peru and now in El Salvador,” said Mario García, a regular at Versailles who was tickled to see Mr. Trump visit the restaurant. “But in those countries, they do it for a good reason: because the presidents get caught robbing money.” Mr. García said he believed the government was targeting Mr. Trump “because they don’t have any other way to get him.”

Mr. García said he didn’t think Mr. Trump came to Versailles to court the Latino vote. “The votes here at Versailles are ones he already has,” he said. “He needs support. It’s nice to surround yourself with love when everyone is attacking you.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 7:50 p.m. ET

Michael D. Shear and Adam Goldman

Previous Espionage Act cases offer clues and warning signs for Trump.

Like former President Donald J. Trump, Lt. Col. Robert Birchum was accused in Florida of mishandling classified documents. Like the former president, he was charged with violating the Espionage Act.

But unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Birchum, 55, a highly decorated Air Force intelligence officer, took full responsibility. His lawyer said he expressed “true remorse.” He even cooperated with investigators, providing information about how he kept hundreds of secret papers for almost a decade in his home, an overseas office and a storage pod.

Despite all that, Mr. Birchum still got three years in prison when he was sentenced this month.

Mr. Birchum’s sentence was most likely reduced because he cooperated with prosecutors and was not charged with orchestrating a cover-up, while Mr. Trump has signaled no willingness to cede any ground. He has so far said he did nothing wrong and is waging a full-throated attack against federal prosecutors.

Mr. Birchum’s case and others like it are warning signs for Mr. Trump, who faces 31 counts of willfully retaining national defense secrets, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 7:42 p.m. ET

Glenn Thrush

In Court, a Tense Trump and a Poker-Faced Smith Finally Cross Paths

A grim Donald J. Trump leaned back from the defendant’s table inside a jammed 13th-floor courtroom in Miami on Tuesday, jaw set, arms crossed, his back muscles tensing visibly under his dark suit jacket.

About 20 feet away, in the second row of the visitors’ gallery, was Jack Smith, the special counsel who had put him there, alert and poker-faced. Mr. Smith looked on as three Justice Department lawyers under his supervision offered Mr. Trump a bond agreement to release him on his own recognizance, without bail, that was respectful and accommodating, but profoundly humbling.

After a 50-minute courtroom encounter unlike any other in the country’s history, Mr. Trump exited by a side door recessed in dark wood paneling, but not before allowing himself a curious peek over his shoulder at the 40 or so reporters crammed into the room.

About a minute later, Mr. Smith and his team walked to the opposite side of the room and left wordlessly. He did not look back.

The first-ever arraignment of a former president on federal charges coincided with the first public encounter between the two men, Mr. Trump and Mr. Smith, at the center of the Mar-a-Lago documents case. The two did not say a word to each other. But these most dissimilar of adversaries are locked in a legal battle with immense political and legal implications for a polarized nation.

Mr. Trump’s body language in the courtroom suggested he understood the gravity of the situation. A former president who thrives on being in control seemed uncomfortable with having so little as a defendant.

Mr. Trump, who has denounced his indictment as a witch hunt and called Mr. Smith a “thug,” did not say a word at the hearing. Nor did the magistrate judge, Jonathan Goodman, ask him a single question, as sometimes happens in criminal arraignments.

Mr. Trump has promised to have more to say later. Several of his political aides were seen outside the courthouse mixing with a small but vocal group of supporters, who were shouting their support over the chopping of a helicopter hovering above.

Inside, the hearing itself was a quiet and strikingly civil affair.

The former president, flanked by his two lawyers, Christopher M. Kise and Todd Blanche, waited patiently for at least 15 minutes for Judge Goodman to enter the courtroom. While Mr. Kise absorbed himself in paperwork, Mr. Trump and Mr. Blanche leaned in close to whisper in each other’s ears, once or twice sharing a laugh. The former president seemed for a moment or two to be at ease.

But the atmosphere changed abruptly at 2:45 p.m. A court official announced that the closed-circuit camera, which piped the hearing into a fifth-floor jury assembly room taken over for the day by the news media, had been turned on. The former president stiffened and stared directly into the camera, as if to recognize the power of the lens.

Mr. Trump, who liked to appear at the White House flanked by flags, often in front of the presidential seal, found himself on the opposite end of the visual on Tuesday. Judge Goodman sat atop a marble dais, elevated several feet above everybody else, next to an American flag in the largest, most modern hearing room in the Wilkie D. Ferguson courthouse.

It is not clear how long Mr. Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, spent in the courtroom after being booked and electronically fingerprinted by U.S. marshals in the building earlier. But the nation’s 45th president was sitting at his table, along with dozens of court and security workers, when reporters were led into the room shortly after 2:40 p.m.

Most of the substance of the hearing centered on the details of the bond agreement for Mr. Trump. Mr. Smith’s senior prosecutors waived demands for bail, or any other precondition that might be deemed as undignified or overly restrictive. They insisted that Mr. Trump not discuss the case with Mr. Nauta, who remains on the former president’s payroll as a personal aide.

Judge Goodman pressed for a tougher deal, suggesting that Mr. Trump be blocked from having any contact at all with important witnesses. His lawyers responded that the witnesses included people on Mr. Trump’s personal staff and security detail, and that it was not realistic to ask him to cut off contact with them.

The prosecution appeared willing to go along. David Harbach, one of Mr. Smith’s senior prosecutors, asked the court to let the two sides work out the details at a later date. Two earlier drafts of a bond agreement had already been discarded, but a third draft of the deal was printed and Mr. Trump signed it. “Third time’s the charm,” Judge Goodman said.

The judge seemed to be the only participant who appeared truly relaxed, perhaps because he was the only one walking away from the case. Another magistrate judge will preside over preliminary hearings before Judge Aileen M. Cannon takes over for the trial.

“The good news is it will not be me,” Judge Goodman said just before dismissing the parties.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 7:39 p.m. ET

Ben Shpigel

Live editor

According to CNN, Trump’s plane just landed at Newark Liberty International Airport. He is scheduled to go directly to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., about 35 miles west, where he will give a speech and hold a fund-raiser with top donors.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 7:30 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman, Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer and Ben Protess

This is what we learned from the Trump indictment.

Indictments against former President Donald J. Trump and a personal aide, Walt Nauta, unsealed on Friday reveal a host of embarrassing and potentially devastating details about a yearlong investigation previously cloaked in secrecy.

The 49-page indictment, containing 37 counts and seven separate charges against the former president and one against his aide, gave the clearest picture yet of the breadth of sensitive materials Mr. Trump removed from the White House, the comically haphazard way he and his staff handled documents — and, most significantly, what prosecutors described as a pattern of obstruction and false statements intended to block the F.B.I. and grand jury.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:47 p.m. ET

Benjamin Weiser

Judge to allow Trump’s new comments in Carroll defamation suit.

A Manhattan judge on Tuesday granted E. Jean Carroll’s request to revise a defamation lawsuit she has filed against former President Donald J. Trump, stemming from derogatory comments he made about her in 2019, to include similar comments he made recently on CNN.

The order by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of Federal District Court came over Mr. Trump’s objections. He had asked the judge to stop Ms. Carroll’s defamation lawsuit since, he said, he could not have defamed her in 2019 when he denied her allegation of a decades-old rape. That’s because, Mr. Trump said, a jury in a separate case recently found him liable only for sexually abusing Ms. Carroll, and not for raping her, as she had long insisted.

Mr. Trump’s CNN diatribe against Ms. Carroll, 79, followed a civil jury’s verdict last month finding Mr. Trump, 76, liable in the separate case for sexually abusing Ms. Carroll in the mid-1990s. It also found that he defamed her last year when he went on his Truth Social website and called her case a “complete con job” and “a Hoax and a lie.” The jury, after a two-week trial, awarded Ms. Carroll $5 million in damages.

Mr. Trump, in response to questions from the CNN moderator, called Ms. Carroll a “wack job,” said that her claim of a decades-old assault was “fake” and a “made-up story” and that her civil trial was “a rigged deal.”

Ms. Carroll’s revised lawsuit seeks at least $10 million in compensatory damages for Mr. Trump’s statements in 2019, after Ms. Carroll first went public with her rape accusation. At the time, he called her allegation “totally false” and said he could not have raped her because she was not his “type.”

The revised lawsuit, citing Mr. Trump’s CNN comments, says his post-verdict conduct also “supports a very substantial punitive damages award” in her favor, “to deter him from engaging in further defamation.”

Ms. Carroll’s lawyer, Roberta A. Kaplan, said on Tuesday, “We look forward to moving ahead expeditiously on E. Jean Carroll’s remaining claims.”

Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said, “We maintain that she should not be permitted to retroactively change her legal theory, at the 11th hour, to avoid the consequences of an adverse finding against her.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:45 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer and Ben Protess

The indictment shows that critical evidence came from one of Trump’s own lawyers.

The two indictments filed so far against former President Donald J. Trump — one brought by the Manhattan district attorney, the other by a Justice Department special counsel — charge him with very different crimes but have something in common: Both were based, at least in part, on the words of his own lawyers.

In the 49-page federal indictment accusing him of retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and scheming to block government efforts to retrieve them, some of the most potentially damning evidence came from notes made by one of those lawyers, M. Evan Corcoran.

Mr. Corcoran’s notes, first recorded into an iPhone and then transcribed on paper, essentially gave prosecutors a road map to building their case. According to the indictment, Mr. Trump, who appeared in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, pressured Mr. Corcoran to thwart investigators from reclaiming reams of classified material and even suggested to him that it might be better to lie to investigators and withhold the documents altogether.

Earlier this year, over Mr. Trump’s objections, the special counsel overseeing the investigation, Jack Smith, obtained the notes through an invocation of the crime-fraud exception. That exception is a provision of the law that allows prosecutors to work around the normal protections of attorney-client privilege if they have reason to believe and can demonstrate to a judge that a client used legal advice to further a crime.

Mr. Trump’s legal fate could now hinge on testimony and evidence from two men he paid to defend him: Mr. Corcoran, who is still a member of his legal team, and Michael D. Cohen, a former lawyer for Mr. Trump who has helped prosecutors in New York with their case related to the former president’s payment of hush money to a porn star before the 2016 election. Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges, including one related to that hush money payment, in 2018. Mr. Corcoran has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Their complicated involvement in the two cases reflects the perils of the former president’s long habit of viewing lawyers as attack dogs or even political bosses rather than as advocates bound by ethical rules.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:25 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Sergio Olmos and Alan Feuer

Trump’s arraignment draws a colorful crowd, but no major conflicts.

In the days leading up to his arraignment in Miami, former President Donald J. Trump and several of his allies called on supporters to rally to his side.

Roger J. Stone Jr., Mr. Trump’s longtime political adviser, called for protests, insisting that they should be peaceful. A Miami chapter of the Proud Boys — long associated with Mr. Stone — echoed the invitation, posting a flier on its Telegram page last week advertising an event at the federal courthouse on Tuesday morning.

All of this raised the level of concern among civic leaders in the city, who issued calls for protesters to remain peaceful. In the end, their fears did not materialize. It did not appear that any Proud Boys showed up and about 500 people, including one with a pig’s head on a spear, answered Mr. Trump’s call to action.

The atmosphere outside the building was circuslike. There was the Uncle Sam who sped around the courthouse grounds on a two-wheeled hoverboard singing pro-Trump songs, the woman with a unicorn horn affixed to her forehead who wore an “Aunt-ifa” shirt and chanted derisively about the former president, and the man in a black-and-white jail jumpsuit carrying a sign that read, “Lock Him Up.”

That man in the jumpsuit later instigated the most hectic moment of the day, when he ran in front of Mr. Trump’s S.U.V. as it left the courthouse. The man, who was not immediately identified, was pushed out of the way by the police and later taken into custody. As officers took him away, a crowd of Trump supporters used the message on his sign to taunt him: “Lock him up!”

As he left, Mr. Trump, sitting in the back seat of the S.U.V., flashed a thumbs up to supporters, some of whom sprinted after the vehicle as they cheered. He headed to the famous Cuban restaurant Versailles, where a smaller crowd of supporters awaited him, a rabbi and minister prayed for him and he briefly shook hands and posed for photos.

It was the second time this year that Mr. Trump had called for protests at a court appearance, only to have his summons receive a kind of fizzled response. When he was arraigned in a separate case in April in Manhattan, the New York City Police Department mobilized in force over concerns about unrest, but the chaos never occurred.

In Miami, too, on a blazingly hot day thick with humidity, the crowd was calmer than some had feared. Miami’s police chief, Manuel Morales, faced tough questions from reporters a day earlier on whether he was doing enough to keep the area safe during the court proceeding and why he did not plan to separate anti-Trump and pro-Trump demonstrators.

“We know there is a potential of things taking a turn for the worse, but that’s not the Miami way,” he said in response.

The Proud Boys, who were founded during Mr. Trump’s first campaign for office, have rallied for years on his behalf, often violently. During the 2020 election, Mr. Trump notably called out the group, urging them during a presidential debate to “stand back and standby.”

Scores of Proud Boys took part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and federal investigators cracked down hard on them in the aftermath. The group’s former leader, Enrique Tarrio, who is from Miami, was convicted of seditious conspiracy along with three of his lieutenants for their role in the attack. Dozens of other Proud Boys have either been charged or questioned by the authorities.

It is possible that the group never intended to take part in an event in Miami. It is also possible that the group has simply had enough of supporting Mr. Trump and suffering the consequences. After the violence at the Capitol, some high-ranking Proud Boys disavowed Mr. Trump, expressing anger at him for having left them standing on a limb.

As temperatures reached nearly 90 degrees by lunchtime, trucks circled around the courthouse with flags and loudspeakers, and several people on foot with selfie sticks broadcast live video streams to thousands of viewers while weaving in and out of the crowds.

“This is craaaazy,” shouted one pro-Trump streamer, Rafael Gomez, as he walked among the palm trees in front of the tall, shimmering courthouse. “Welcome to the banana republic of Miami!”

Also seeking to capture an audience were more established conservative figures, such as the Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who held a news conference in front of the courthouse defending Mr. Trump and said that he would pardon his campaign rival if elected.

In an interview after his news conference, Mr. Ramaswamy said that despite his defense, he would not have done what Mr. Trump is accused of. “I wouldn’t have taken the boxes,” he said. “I’m not a memento guy. Not my style.”

The police largely stayed out of the way of the demonstrators, observing from close by while a helicopter circled overhead and jumping into the crowd only a few times when more hostile arguments sprouted up.

At one point, however, Homeland Security and Miami Police Department officers urgently closed in and began clearing a large area of the courthouse grounds. They investigated a large TV that had been affixed to a pole on the sidewalk and that bore a message criticizing what it called “the Communist-controlled news media.” About an hour later, the police removed the television and reopened the area.

Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami, a Republican who is mulling his own presidential bid, arrived in the early afternoon wearing a Miami Police Department polo shirt. He hugged several Trump supporters before shaking hands with a line of police officers. “I think, up until now, it’s a peaceful demonstration for people exercising their constitutional rights to express themselves, which we love about this country,” he said.

Nearby, Carlos Brito, 66, sold American flags for $5. Mr. Brito, who immigrated from Cuba in 1980, said he supported Mr. Trump and criticized President Biden for sending money to support Ukraine while Americans struggled financially. “Look how much a cup of coffee costs here,” he said. “We need help here at home.”

Scott Linnen, 61, a Trump critic from Miami, said he came to the courthouse because he had grown distraught over the direction of the country. As a gay man, he said he had seen a rise in anti-L.G.B.T.Q. rhetoric, hate speech and extremist behavior on the right.

“This man tried to overthrow the 247-year-old American experiment,” he said of Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “I don’t understand why more people’s hair isn’t on fire.”

Luke Broadwater and Nick Madigan contributed reporting.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:17 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Another guest at Trump’s event at Bedminster: Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner who Trump pardoned in 2020, and who was among those working to prove Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud after Trump lost the election.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:14 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Miami’s federal court has a long history of high-profile cases.

Former President Donald J. Trump is joining a list of high-profile defendants whose legal fates have been entwined with the federal court in downtown Miami, including a famous rapper whom Mr. Trump pardoned.

The modern building is the main federal courthouse in the Southern District of Florida and is named for Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr., a former judge. It reportedly cost more than $160 million to build, and The Miami New Times in 2007 named it the best new building of the year, saying it looked “as if a crystal ship is plowing through the waves at Fourth Street.”

But even before the new courthouse was built, Miami was the backdrop for a number of high-profile federal cases. Here are three famous cases that played out in Miami federal court:

· In 1992, Manuel Noriega, the former leader of Panama, was convicted of drug trafficking and money laundering following a seven-month trial. The New York Times reported that Mr. Noriega gave a two-hour speech — quoting Hillary Clinton, Socrates, and others — before a judge sentenced him to 40 years in prison. He later was sent to Panama and served a prison term there. Mr. Noriega died in 2017.

· Jose Padilla, a Brooklyn man who was accused of being associated with Al Qaeda, was tried in Miami in a high-profile and hotly debated terrorism trial that was closely watched in the post-9/11 era. He was found guilty of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people and remains imprisoned in a federal prison in Colorado.

· The rapper Lil Wayne was charged in the district with illegally possessing a gold-plated gun. He pleaded guilty in December 2020 — in a virtual hearing — only to be pardoned by Mr. Trump a month later. Following the pardon, Lil Wayne, born Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., expressed his appreciation in a tweet: “I want to thank President Trump for recognizing that I have so much more to give to my family, my art, and my community.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:02 p.m. ET

Zolan Kanno-Youngs

White House correspondent

During a White House reception for diplomats, President Biden declined to comment on Trump’s courtroom appearance. The White House has committed to contrasting Biden with Trump by ensuring that his week shows him governing while Trump faces legal trouble.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 6:01 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Donors are beginning to drift in at Bedminster. So are Trump allies, including Kash Patel, who worked as chief of staff at the Pentagon at the end of the Trump administration. Patel has been endorsing the idea that Trump declassified the documents, despite what prosecutors say.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:52 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

Just nine members of the public saw Trump’s arraignment in person.

Raj Abhyanker, a lawyer from California, slept in a folding chair overnight outside a federal courthouse in Miami to make sure he could witness former President Donald J. Trump’s arraignment on Tuesday in person.

Like many of the nine members of the public who were granted access to the afternoon hearing, Mr. Abhyanker, 47, showed up on something of a whim. He happened to be in South Florida this week accompanying his daughter to a high school basketball camp and decided he wanted to see Mr. Trump in court.

“This is a big event, it’s a historic event,” said Mr. Abhyanker, as he waited in a jury overflow room at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse with nearly a hundred members of the news media, who were also hoping to be let into the courtroom through a lottery. “I want to be part of that history.”

It required sacrifice. Mr. Abhyanker — a Republican who said he no longer supported Mr. Trump and called the evidence provided in the indictment against the former president “very strong” — was rained on late at night, and suffered unfortunate dousing by the sprinklers in the grass outside the courthouse.

He had prepared for a long night, raiding his hotel’s minifridge for Pringles, M&Ms and bottled water, which he shared with Lazaro Ecenarro, a South Florida native who now lives in Oklahoma but had returned to the area for eye surgery.

Mr. Ecenarro, 48, proudly displayed his allegiance to Mr. Trump, wearing a red Make America Great Again hat and a Trump 2024 T-shirt, as well as a gray patch over his left eye.

“These are fabricated charges,” he said.

The jury room at the courthouse is normally a place for jurors to have coffee and refreshments as they wait to see if they will be called. On Tuesday, in addition to housing members of the public, it held a group of news reporters who entered their business cards in a lottery for a chance to sit in the 13th-floor courtroom where Mr. Trump would appear. After more than six hours, roughly three dozen reporters were selected to attend. The remainder stayed in the jury room to watch the hearing on closed-circuit television monitors.

Janie Jackson, a Democrat from Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood, said she was willing to spend hours waiting in the jury room simply to catch a glimpse of Mr. Trump up close. There wasn’t much to do in the meantime, except talk and read the courthouse’s selection of old magazines. Nobody was allowed to have electronic devices with them: no phones, no tablets, no internet. Not even smart watches.

Like Mr. Abhyanker and Mr. Ecenarro, Ms. Jackson was eventually called into the courtroom.

Mr. Trump was already seated at the defense table when she walked in.

“I looked up and I saw the hair and I almost screamed out: ‘That’s him,’” Ms. Jackson, 52, said after the hearing. “But they told us they would kick us out if we made any noise. That’s what kept me from yelling his name out.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:43 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

In Jack Smith, Trump has a legal adversary unlike anyone he has encountered before.

The special counsel Jack Smith, who led the investigation that resulted in the 38-count indictment against former President Donald J. Trump and one of his aides, is unlike any adversary Mr. Trump has faced in the federal government.

Mr. Smith made a point of showing up on Tuesday in the Miami courtroom where Mr. Trump was arraigned, a sign of support for his prosecutors in the case and an indication that he was not cowed by taking his case directly to the former president.

Mr. Smith and Mr. Trump are in a way familiar figures to each other. Mr. Smith was raised in New York State and worked for years in Brooklyn, toiling in the borough whose politics helped Mr. Trump develop a transactional view of business, politics and human relations.

Mr. Smith worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, which covers Brooklyn. That’s where Mr. Trump’s father, Fred Trump Sr., worked the Democratic political machine and became a deeply connected real estate developer who used the levers of power to help his business.

Mr. Trump was just a fading casino magnate and publicity hound when Mr. Smith was working in Brooklyn, at the U.S. attorney’s office. But the prosecutor’s proximity to the streets of Brooklyn — he worked on general violent crimes early in his career — and the politics of New York City provided him insight into the worldview and forces that shaped Mr. Trump.

One veteran defense lawyer who has known Mr. Smith for years, and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he was a Boy Scout-like prosecutor out of central casting. And Mr. Trump, the lawyer said, represented everything that Mr. Smith disdained about people who flout the rule of law.

Among the cases that Mr. Smith worked on was the prosecution of a New York City police officer, Charles Schwarz, involved in sodomizing a Haitian immigrant with a broom handle in a police precinct in 1997. The case Mr. Smith prosecuted, which was tried in 2002, stemmed from an incident that roiled the city and threatened the re-election of the city’s mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, who later became Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer.

Mr. Smith later married his experience with gritty street crimes with working on public corruption cases involving crimes committed by crooked elected officials, including some prominent Democrats. Later, he prosecuted war crime cases at The Hague.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:21 p.m. ET

By Charlie Savage

Here’s how a judge whom Trump appointed could influence his case.

Jack Smith, the special counsel handling the documents investigation into former President Donald J. Trump, vowed to seek “a speedy trial.” But that will be up to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who will wield considerable power over its calendar, evidence and jury.

Last year, Judge Cannon, a Trump appointee, briefly disrupted the documents investigation by issuing rulings favorable to him when he challenged the F.B.I.’s search of his Florida club and estate, Mar-a-Lago, before a conservative appeals court ruled that she never had legal authority to intervene.

It remains to be seen how she will handle her second turn in the spotlight. It is also not clear whether she will refer some pretrial motions to a magistrate judge who works under her. But here is a closer look at how her decisions as the judge presiding over the trial — like on what can be included and excluded — could affect the case.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:04 p.m. ET

Frances Robles

Reporting from Miami

Pastor Yoelis Sánchez, a native of the Dominican Republic who became a U.S. citizen after the 2020 election, has never voted for Trump. But, when asked, she still felt moved to go to Versailles restaurant on Tuesday to pray with him. “We prayed for God to give him strength and for the truth to come out,” she said. “We are really concerned for his welfare.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:05 p.m. ET

Frances Robles

Reporting from Miami

Sanchez, who would not say whether she plans to vote for him in 2024, added, “I don’t think he came here just because of the Latino vote. He came because he wanted to meet with people who have biblical thinking – he’s pro-life and pro-family, and Latinos identify with that.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 5:13 p.m. ET

Frances Robles

Reporting from Miami

Paloma Marcos, a native of Nicaragua who has been a U.S. citizen for 15 years, rushed to Versailles with a Trump hat and a sign that reads, “I stand with Trump.” She said many Nicaraguans support the former president because he is against communism. “The Latino community has had an awakening,” Marcos said. “The curtain has been pulled back.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:50 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

On Fox News, Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, criticized Trump for holding onto the documents — but with a caveat: if the allegations against him are true, Pompeo said. “Some of these were pretty serious, important documents, so that’s wrong,” Pompeo said.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:46 p.m. ET

John Koblin

Media reporter

TV news covered the court hearing with wall-to-wall coverage.

It’s becoming a familiar playbook.

Two months after exhaustively covering former President Donald J. Trump’s arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom in a separate case, the national television news media was back in force in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

Three of the major broadcast networks — ABC, NBC and CBS — interrupted their usual afternoon programming to cover the news. NBC sent its evening news anchor, Lester Holt, to Miami, as did CBS with Norah O’Donnell.

The cable news networks turned to its top news anchors. Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper oversaw coverage on CNN, and Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum helped lead coverage on Fox News.

Like Mr. Trump’s trip to a Manhattan courthouse, the six major broadcast and cable news networks all used overhead shots to show Mr. Trump’s motorcade making the roughly 20-minute trip to downtown Miami, where the former president was arraigned.

The wall-to-wall coverage represented yet another day in which Mr. Trump dominated the airwaves. Many of the panelists who took part in the coverage discussed the momentous nature of the day.

“Whenever politics and law clash, there’s always a tension because they are both places where fighting takes place,” John Dickerson of CBS said from a makeshift set on a balcony overlooking the courthouse in Miami. “Politics is the fighting of the barroom, and the law is more like a boxing match — there are some rules.”

Unlike the arraignment in April, there was decidedly a lack of useful footage. There were no shots of Mr. Trump entering the courthouse — his motorcade entered a garage — nor were there any images inside the federal building. The networks relied instead on images of demonstrators outside the courthouse.

Fox News broadcast live images of a person the network’s anchors described as Melania Trump, the former first lady — though within a few minutes the network said it was, in fact, not her. “A day like this, with so many comings and goings, it’s easy from a distance to mistake two people,” said John Roberts, the Fox anchor, who clarified it was actually Margo Martin, a Trump aide.

Earlier in the day, Fox News carried a news conference outside the Miami courthouse by Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, in which he asked other candidates to commit to pardoning Mr. Trump. Five hours later, Mr. Ramaswamy sat for a live Fox News interview with Ms. MacCallum, this time in studio in New York. “You’re moving around quickly today,” she observed, before he denounced a “politicized indictment.”

All day long, MSNBC seemed to be looking ahead, displaying a graphic in the lower-right hand corner of its screen, featuring an image of Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid, billing an 8 p.m. prime-time “post-arraignment special.”

The news about Mr. Trump has been good for MSNBC’s ratings. Last week, the network finished No. 1 among the cable news networks in total viewers in prime time for the full calendar week — the first time it had achieved that in more than two years. The network averaged 1.52 million viewers, narrowly besting Fox News’s 1.51 million viewers and overwhelming CNN’s average of 677,000 viewers.

It was also MSNBC’s highest viewership during weekday prime-time hours since Mr. Trump’s April arraignment.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:44 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

It’s worth remembering that one of Trump’s instincts as he dealt with the fallout of the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape in 2016 was to immerse himself in a crowd of his supporters outside of Trump Tower. It is part of his playbook now.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:36 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump did not eat anything while at Versailles, according to our photographer Doug Mills. There was a very brief prayer, and Trump answered a question from the right-wing network OANN. Doug said that at least 200 people were waiting for Trump outside the restaurant.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:33 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

Judge orders Trump and Nauta not to discuss their criminal case, even though they work closely.

Former President Donald J. Trump and his personal aide, Walt Nauta, were ordered by a federal magistrate judge on Tuesday to not discuss their criminal case, even though the two work closely and see each other practically every day.

Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, who oversaw the hearing, said that any discussions related to the case must go through their lawyers. Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta have been charged with conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of dozens of classified documents after he left office.

Mr. Nauta did not enter a plea. A lawyer for Mr. Nauta, who is charged with lying to investigators and scheming with Mr. Trump to conceal boxes containing classified documents from the F.B.I. and federal prosecutors, asked for a two-week extension because he needed a local lawyer to sponsor him.

The restrictions — which do not apply to other topics of conversation — are common for co-defendants in a criminal matter, but they could be particularly challenging to uphold given that Mr. Nauta’s job is to follow the former president through his days, attending to various needs. To underscore Mr. Nauta’s proximity to Mr. Trump, Mr. Nauta was riding with him from Mr. Trump’s club, Doral, to the courthouse for Tuesday’s hearing.

The two men talk frequently and have for most of the last two years as Mr. Nauta first served as a valet in the White House and now serves as an aide to Mr. Trump in his post-presidential life. The former president tends to treat his close personal aides as sounding boards for all manner of topics.

Mr. Trump is hardly known for his restraint under typical circumstances, but especially when told to do something by a person in a position of authority. And an edict not to discuss a case that has consumed Mr. Trump’s thinking for weeks poses even more of a challenge.

The same restriction on the defendants’ communications was also applied to witnesses in the case, a list of which the government is expected to draw up. That poses a similar challenge to the situation with Mr. Nauta: A number of Mr. Trump’s advisers, current and former Mar-a-Lago staff members, and even some of his lawyers have been interviewed in the case.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:32 p.m. ET

Shane Goldmacher

Guests who have seats reserved for them tonight at Trump’s event in Bedminster, N.J., include Mike Lindell, the pillow magnate and prominent conservative advertiser; Ed Cox, the New York Republican Party chairman; and Bernie Moreno, a Republican candidate for Senate in Ohio. After he speaks, Trump is holding a fund-raiser, with donors who raise at least $100,000 for his campaign invited to a “candlelight dinner.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:26 p.m. ET

Nick Madigan

Reporting from Miami

Trump greeted a crowd of supporters inside a room at Versailles, including a rabbi and a nondenominational minister who prayed on his behalf.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:20 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

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 his co-defendant and aide Walt Nauta staffing him Tuesday.

ET New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:18 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump’s visit to the restaurant Versailles comes a day after he called in to a Spanish-language media outlet, Americano Media, and agreed with the host’s comparison of his indictment to investigations of political leaders in Latin America. Trump’s team sees a political opportunity to increase his vote share, especially in Florida, with Cuban exiles.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:15 p.m. ET

Adam Goldman

Here’s what is known about the classified documents Trump kept.

Former President Donald J. Trump faces 31 counts of violating the Espionage Act, but in laying out their case against him, prosecutors offered scant detail about the national security secrets he had taken to his Mar-a-Lago estate.

In a 49-page indictment unsealed last week, the government listed a slew of classified documents that Mr. Trump had in his possession relating to the military and nuclear abilities of the United States and foreign countries.

Other records covered information about military contingency planning, including “military contingency planning of the United States," American nuclear programs and “plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”

In describing Mr. Trump’s approach toward classified documents, prosecutors disclosed a recording they obtained of the former president in July 2021 in which he refers to a document he had on hand, saying that it had been compiled by a senior military official and was related to attacking a country the indictment leaves unnamed. Reporting suggests that the document may be a summary of highly classified military options for confronting Iran.

He was recorded talking at his home in Bedminster, N.J., with a writer and a publisher working on a book related to Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s former chief of staff.

Prosecutors said Mr. Trump described the document as a “plan of attack” that, according to the recording, he described as “highly confidential” and “secret.”

In total, the government has recovered more than 300 documents with classified markings from Mr. Trump since he left office. Typically the intelligence agencies have to agree to allow the classified documents to be used as a part of prosecution; even though they will not be made public, they will be available to defense lawyers.

The government was alerted to the absence of those materials when it discovered that Mr. Trump’s original correspondence with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, was missing, but those letters were eventually returned.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:12 p.m. ET

Nick Madigan

Reporting from Miami

Trump has entered Versailles, the self-proclaimed “world’s most famous Cuban restaurant,” on Calle Ocho in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:08 p.m. ET

Nick Madigan

Reporting from Miami

Sirens are audible as the motorcade heads west on SW 8th Street, in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, where Trump’s support has always been strong among Cuban Americans, and especially older Cuban exiles. “Donald Trump,” the crowd is cheering. “Viva el presidente!”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:06 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

As Trump was being driven away, an anti-Trump protester dressed in a jail jumpsuit — who had gotten into several conflicts earlier today — ran into the street in front of Trump’s motorcade, carrying a large sign. The authorities pushed him to the ground and then took him away as a large crowd followed, chanting, “Lock him up!” Trump, sitting in the back seat of an S.U.V., flashed a thumbs-up to his supporters.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 4:00 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Trump’s motorcade has left the federal courthouse in downtown Miami where he just pleaded not guilty to dozens of criminal charges that he kept and refused to return sensitive government documents after leaving office.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:55 p.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

While it is uncommon for a defendant like Walt Nauta to delay entering a plea, the issue had to do with finding a local lawyer to stand in for Nauta’s Washington-based lawyer, Stanley Woodward Jr. In the Southern District of Florida, local counsel cannot appear for an arraignment alone — they need to commit for the entire trial. Woodward apparently could not find someone like that, or he chose to wait to find the right person.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:54 p.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

Jack Smith, the special counsel, was in the courtroom for Trump’s arraignment, per his spokesman, Peter Carr.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:54 p.m. ET

Frances Robles

Reporting from Miami

Police officers on motorcycles appear to be preparing to leave with the motorcade.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:53 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

Walt Nauta, Trump’s aide and co-defendant, does not necessarily have to appear at his arraignment in two weeks, which will be handled by another magistrate judge. “The good news is it will not be me,” the magistrate judge overseeing Tuesday’s arraignment, Jonathan Goodman, said jokingly.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:51 p.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

Reporters are running out of the courthouse now as the crowd chants, “We want Trump!”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:50 p.m. ET

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Miami

Walt Nauta, Trump’s co-defendant and aide, did not enter a plea. He requested an extension on his arraignment, now set for June 27. Nauta’s lawyer needs local counsel to sponsor him.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:48 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

The hearing for Trump and Nauta has ended, after roughly 47 minutes.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:43 p.m. ET

Ben Protess

Investigative reporter

It is common for judges to restrict defendants from discussing the facts of a criminal case with witnesses and co-defendants, but that is easier said than done in this case. Trump and Nauta work side by side, and Trump is not known for biting his tongue about subjects that enrage him.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:43 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

At Bedminster, in the parallel universe that will serve as a political rally of sorts, club workers have set up bunting, American flags, roughly 150 white chairs for attendees and the type of blue podium that Trump used as president.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:43 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

The work is going on under blistering sunshine and to the dulcet tones of “Bennie and the Jets,” by Elton John, over the speaker system.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:40 p.m. ET

Shane Goldmacher

Trump is still in Florida. But at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he is set to speak later tonight and where reporters have already gathered, the sound system just briefly played a clip of Johnny Cash singing, “Ghost Riders in the Sky.” The song, according to the website Ballad of America, is a "cautionary tale warning a cowboy that if he doesn‘t change his ways, he will one day join the damned cowboys doomed to try to 'catch the Devil’s herd across these endless skies.’”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:37 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

The magistrate judge ruled that as a special condition of the bond, Trump should have no contact with witnesses about the facts of the case except through their counsel. The government will generate a list of such witnesses at a later date.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:35 p.m. ET

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Miami

The magistrate judge overseeing the arraignment, Jonathan Goodman, ordered Trump not to discuss the case with his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, a personal aide. The judge said he understood that the two men must speak on a daily basis, but said anything related to the case must go through their lawyers.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:26 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

A brief chant of “U.S.A.!” just broke out as motorcade motorcycles returned to the garage ramp that Trump’s motorcade used to enter the courthouse.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:19 p.m. ET

Ben Protess

Investigative reporter

This might not be Trump’s last arraignment. He is also under investigation in Georgia for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in that state; he could face charges later this year.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:19 p.m. ET

Ben Protess

Investigative reporter

Much of what happens at an arraignment is a legal formality. A judge describes the charges, the defendant enters a plea, some scheduling issues are typically discussed. As my colleague Alan Feuer noted, things will heat up in the coming months, when we’ll start to get a better sense of when a trial might take place — and what Trump’s defense might be.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:16 p.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

Now that Trump has entered his plea of not guilty, his case will, barring the unforeseen, follow a familiar path. The government will begin to reveal its evidence through the discovery process. Pretrial motions will be filed and argued. All of that is likely to take months.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:14 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

Jay Bratt, David Harbach and Julie Edelstein were among the prosecutors present for the Justice Department.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:13 p.m. ET

Ben Protess

Investigative reporter

This is the second time in about two months that Trump has been in court to enter a not guilty plea. In April, also with his lawyer Todd W. Blanche by his side, Trump was arraigned in state court in Manhattan on charges related to a hush-money deal with a porn star.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:10 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

Before his lawyer entered a plea, Trump, wearing a dark suit and a red tie, sat with his arms crossed while the magistrate judge described the indictment. Chris Kise is also representing Trump. Walt Nauta, Trump’s aide and co-defendant, and his attorney were also seated at the defense table.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:23 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

The folded arms is Trump’s go-to pose when he is feeling defiant.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:06 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, told the magistrate judge.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 3:04 p.m. ET

Nicholas Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

Trump has entered a plea of not guilty, through one of his lawyers.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:58 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and William K. Rashbaum

Trump did not have a mug shot taken when he was booked.

When former President Donald J. Trump was booked at the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday afternoon, he did not have to submit to a mug shot.

“President Trump is in a very unique position where he does not need to be given a mug shot. Obviously, he’s not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the G.O.P. at the moment,” one of his lawyers, Alina Habba, told reporters outside the courtroom while the proceedings were underway. “He is going through a process that has been coordinated with the Secret Service, and it will all be handled seamlessly.”

While the decision not to take a mug shot or handcuff Mr. Trump was a departure from normal procedures for booking a defendant on federal criminal charges, it was not surprising.

Mr. Trump is the first former president to be charged with federal crimes. A celebrity for decades before his presidency, he is now one of the most recognizable faces in the world, and the purpose of a mug shot is to help identify a criminal in flight.

It was the second time in three months that Mr. Trump has been processed on criminal charges and not subjected to a mug shot. When he was indicted by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, he was not required to submit to a mug shot. His political team, believing that such an image would actually help them, conjured up a mock mug shot of their own and used it to raise money.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:50 p.m. ET

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Miami

Former President Donald J. Trump has entered the courtroom for his initial appearance.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:46 p.m. ET

Gaya Gupta

Live reporter

One of Trump’s lawyers, Alina Habba, spoke to reporters about the scene inside the courthouse. “President Trump is in a very unique position where he does not need to be given a mug shot, obviously,” she said. “He’s not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the G.O.P. at the moment. He is going through a process that has been coordinated with the Secret Service, and it will all be handled seamlessly.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:39 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

As the world waits to find out what is happening inside the courtroom where Trump is making his initial appearance, a double-decker Miami tour bus just drove by and slowed down so that tourists on top could take pictures of the hundreds of Trump supporters, critics and journalists who have swarmed the block.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:31 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Trump is traveling with a decently sized motorcade. But other than his lawyers, Nauta and himself, everyone else from the convoy is waiting outside the courthouse.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:26 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Melania Trump, the former first lady, is said to be in New York City. It is unclear why.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:23 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

At Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he will deliver remarks tonight, roughly two dozen members of the news media are behind a pen and in the baking sun for the next several hours.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:21 p.m. ET

Annie Karni

Congressional correspondent

Over at the Capitol, Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, refused to weigh in on the Trump indictment, which is in line with how McConnell has generally chosen to navigate around the former president. “I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates. I’m going to stay out of it,” he said. McConnell stayed quiet about the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment of the former president, as well.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:20 p.m. ET

John Koblin

Media reporter

Three of the major broadcast networks — ABC, NBC and CBS — have interrupted their afternoon programming and are now in special report mode. The cable news networks have been going strong for hours. With footage inside the courthouse forbidden, all of the networks are showing images of demonstrators outside the courthouse instead.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:19 p.m. ET

William K. Rashbaum

The lawyer leading the former president’s defense is no stranger to Trump World.

The man who is standing up in federal court in Miami on Tuesday to lead Donald J. Trump’s defense is no stranger to Trump World.

The lawyer, Todd W. Blanche, also represents the former president in the criminal case brought against him in Manhattan on hush money charges. In 2019, Mr. Blanche won the dismissal before trial of state charges against Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul A. Manafort. And, at the same time he is defending Mr. Trump, he also represents a controversial legal adviser to the former president, Boris Epshteyn.

Mr. Blanche, 48, was not always a defense lawyer. As a federal prosecutor, he served in the prestigious United States Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, where he successfully prosecuted Bronx-based gangs and criminal groups before becoming deputy chief of the Violent Crimes Unit and helping lead the office’s White Plains Division.

For the last nine years, he worked as a criminal defense lawyer in both federal and state court in New York for two prominent law firms. In April, he left his position as a partner at one of the firms, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, and opened the Blanche Law Firm to join Mr. Trump’s legal team in the New York case.

An even-tempered litigator who has nonetheless earned a reputation as an aggressive advocate for his clients, Mr. Blanche also recently represented Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani, in a case brought by his old office.

Mr. Blanche, who according to public records is a registered Democrat, came to Mr. Trump’s attention through his representation of Mr. Epshteyn, whose caustic clashes with other attorneys on Mr. Trump’s legal team has caused conflict and led several to resign.

Mr. Blanche’s path to the United States Attorney’s office was somewhat unusual. He worked in the office as a paralegal and attended law school at night, graduating cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 2003. He then clerked for two judges in the Southern District of New York, Denny Chin and Joseph F. Bianco, before rejoining the federal prosecutor’s office as an assistant United States attorney.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:18 p.m. ET

Zolan Kanno-Youngs

White House correspondent

“The Department of Justice is independent. He wants to restore that independence,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said, continuing a strategy of declining to comment on the federal indictment of Trump to avoid accusations that the Biden administration is politicizing the case.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:15 p.m. ET

Nick Nehamas

Reporting from Miami

A U.S. Marshals Service spokesman said at 2:05 p.m. that the booking process for Trump and his personal aide and co-defendant, Walt Nauta, had been completed.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:14 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Cameras are banned from inside the federal courthouse where Trump is now facing charges. A small number of reporters will be in the courtroom with him, and even more will be sitting in a nearby overflow room watching on a closed video feed. A judge issued a new order last night banning journalists from using laptops or cellphones — even to take notes — a new rule specifically for Trump’s hearing today.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:10 p.m. ET

Daniel Victor

Live editor

Who is Jonathan Goodman, the judge handling Tuesday’s appearance?

Presiding over President Trump’s first court appearance on federal criminal charges will be Jonathan Goodman, a magistrate judge who is not expected to remain involved in the case.

Magistrate judges often handle the routine, procedural aspects of court cases, like the initial appearance on Tuesday by Mr. Trump and his co-defendant, Walt Nauta, in Miami federal court. The trial will be overseen by Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a Trump appointee who has issued favorable rulings to Mr. Trump in the past and was randomly assigned to the case.

In court papers released on Monday in response to a request by news media outlets to photograph and record the proceedings, Judge Goodman made clear his involvement would be limited.

“I am handling tomorrow’s first appearance and arraignment only because of my status as duty magistrate judge in the Miami division of this court,” he wrote. “I am not the magistrate judge paired with United States District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, and it is highly unlikely that I will be asked to remain involved.”

Judge Goodman was appointed to his position in 2010. The Miami Herald described Judge Goodman as “a well-regarded veteran magistrate,” and a one-time newspaper reporter who later got a law degree and practiced civil litigation.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 2:07 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Trump’s supporters cheered as he was driven into the courthouse. As he rounded the corner to the courthouse, the former president also passed some graffiti jeering him. Hundreds of supporters, along with hundreds of reporters and a smaller number of critics, are now waiting for him to leave the hearing.

Chanting: We want Trump. We want Trump. We want Trump. We want Trump. We want Trump.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:58 p.m. ET

Gaya Gupta

Live reporter

Before arriving at the courthouse, Trump posted to Truth Social, his social media platform, that today was “ONE OF THE SADDEST DAYS IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:57 p.m. ET

Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman

Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, will be in court with him.

For all the attention that will be focused on former President Donald J. Trump when he shows up on Tuesday in Miami for his initial court appearance, he will not be the only defendant in the room.

Waltine Nauta, Mr. Trump’s personal aide and co-defendant in the case, will be there too.

Mr. Nauta, a 40-year-old Navy veteran, is the other, much less famous name on the 38-count indictment that accuses both men of conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of highly sensitive national defense information.

Mr. Nauta is charged with four separate obstruction-related counts and a single count of making false statements to the government. Prosecutors say he lied multiple times about moving boxes of federal records for Mr. Trump in an effort to help the former president avoid giving them back to the government.

Mr. Nauta, who worked for Mr. Trump in the White House and then after his presidency, is now lashed to his boss by the bonds of their jointly shared indictment. His initial court appearance with the former president, in Federal District Court in Miami, begins a countdown to several important decisions that Mr. Nauta and his lawyer, Stanley Woodward Jr., will have to make.

Mr. Nauta could stick it out and go all the way to trial with Mr. Trump. He could also seek to sever his case from Mr. Trump’s and go to trial alone — that is, if Mr. Woodward can convince a judge that Mr. Nauta would be prejudiced unfairly by being tried with Mr. Trump.

But the biggest decision Mr. Nauta will have to make is whether to strike a plea deal with the government and turn on Mr. Trump.

Prosecutors had been pressuring Mr. Nauta to cooperate well before the indictment was filed, and the charges only increase that pressure. Each of the obstruction-related counts that Mr. Nauta faces carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:55 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

A motorcade carrying Trump arrived at the federal courthouse in Miami and drove into an underground garage.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:50 p.m. ET

Peter Baker

Trump’s case puts the justice system on trial, in a test of public credibility.

Former President Donald J. Trump has a lot at stake in the federal criminal case lodged against him. He could, in theory, go to prison for years. But if he winds up in front of a jury, it is no exaggeration to suggest that American justice will be on trial as well.

History’s first federal indictment against a former president poses one of the gravest challenges to democracy the country has ever faced. It represents either a validation of the rule-of-law principle that even the most powerful face accountability for their actions or the moment when a vast swath of the public becomes convinced that the system has been irredeemably corrupted by partisanship.

Mr. Trump, his allies and even some of his Republican rivals have embarked on a strategy to encourage the latter view, arguing that law enforcement has been hijacked by President Biden and the Democrats to take out his strongest opponent for re-election next year.

Jack Smith, the special counsel, and his prosecutors knew that defense was coming and have labored to avoid any hint of political motivation by securing the assent of judges and grand jurors along the way. Their indictment laid out a damning series of facts based on security camera video, text messages and testimony from within Mr. Trump’s own team; even some who have defended him in the past say it will be harder to brush aside the evidence in a courtroom than in the court of public opinion.

In the public arena, though, it may be a one-sided fight.

Mr. Trump, who is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, and his allies can scream as loudly as they want that the system is unfair, but prosecutors are bound by rules limiting how much they can say in response. To the extent that Democrats defend prosecutors, it may only buttress the point Mr. Trump is trying to make to the audience he is trying to reach.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:44 p.m. ET

Maggie Haberman

Senior political correspondent reporting from Bedminster, N.J.

Walt Nauta, Trump’s co-defendant, is traveling with him. He will also be at the defense table today.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:42 p.m. ET

Daniel Victor

Live editor

Trump, and a line of vehicles in his convoy, is on his way to the courthouse, as captured by news helicopters following his journey live.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:41 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Sergio Olmos and Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

Outside the courthouse, a circuslike atmosphere brings out activists seeking eyeballs.

A circuslike atmosphere spread across the grounds of the federal courthouse where former President Donald J. Trump was set to appear on Tuesday, with hundreds of reporters in downtown Miami alongside those who wanted to be seen and heard.

The small but colorful crowd included dozens of Trump supporters and a handful of critics, many dressed eccentrically to get their messages across on camera.

There was the Uncle Sam who sped around the courthouse grounds on a two-wheeled hoverboard singing pro-Trump songs, the woman with a unicorn horn affixed to her forehead who wore an “Aunt-ifa” shirt and chanted derisively about the former president, and the man in a black-and-white jail jumpsuit carrying a sign that read, “Lock Him Up.”

Adding to the buzz of the sunbaked scene — temperatures had reached 88 degrees by lunchtime — were trucks with flags and loudspeakers, and several people on foot with selfie sticks who broadcast live video streams to thousands of viewers while weaving in and out of the crowds.

“This is craaaazy,” shouted one pro-Trump streamer, Rafael Gomez, as he walked among the palm trees in front of the tall, shimmering courthouse. “Welcome to the banana republic of Miami!”

Also seeking to capture an audience were more established conservative figures, such as the Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who held a news conference in front of the courthouse defending Mr. Trump and said that he would pardon his campaign rival if elected.

In an interview following his news conference, Mr. Ramaswamy said that despite his defense, he would not have done what Mr. Trump is accused of. “I wouldn’t have taken the boxes,” he said. “I’m not a memento guy. Not my style.”

There were some brief verbal arguments between Trump supporters and critics, but no serious confrontations by lunchtime. The police largely stayed out of the way, observing from close by while a helicopter circled overhead.

At one point, however, Homeland Security and Miami Police officers urgently closed in and began clearing a large area of the courthouse grounds. They investigated a large TV that had been affixed to a pole on the sidewalk and bore a message criticizing what it called “the Communist controlled news media.” About an hour later, the police removed the television and reopened the area.

Nearby, Carlos Brito, 66, sold American flags for $5. Mr. Brito, who immigrated from Cuba in 1980, said he supported Mr. Trump and criticized President Biden for sending money to support Ukraine while Americans struggled financially. “Look how much a cup of coffee costs here,” he said. “We need help here at home.”

A Trump critic, Scott Linnen, 61, of Miami, said he came to the courthouse because he has grown distraught over the direction of the country. As a gay man, he said he has seen a rise in anti-L.G.B.T. rhetoric, hate speech and extremist behavior on the right.

“This man tried to overthrow the 247-year-old American experiment,” he said of Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “I don’t understand why more people’s hair isn’t on fire.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:41 p.m. ET

Anjali Huynh

Democrats see this indictment as necessary, but some fear lasting consequences for the country.

For the second time this year, Democrats find themselves in a complicated position: torn between celebrating a long-sought indictment of Donald J. Trump and proceeding with caution.

The party is in near-universal agreement that Mr. Trump should face federal charges for retaining classified documents and resisting investigators’ efforts to recover them. Many Democrats view the case as more consequential than the indictment New York prosecutors brought against Mr. Trump in March, which relates to a hush-money payment to a porn star during the 2016 campaign.

And they see the documents case as a degree of comeuppance for a twice-impeached former president who has repeatedly escaped repercussions for telling lies, flouting legal and ethical norms and trying to overturn the 2020 election.

Still, there are concerns in the party that the indictment of a man who holds tremendous sway as a former president and remains the Republican front-runner for the 2024 election could lead to violence and harm the country’s global standing.

“I don’t want to see this chaos machine do any more damage to the country, to hurt any more people,” said Representative Greg Landsman, a freshman Democrat from Ohio, referring to the former president. “And so I do think Democrats, Republicans, independents, everyone has to sort of take a disposition of seriousness.”

Matt Bennett, a founder of Third Way, a centrist Democratic group, was skeptical of prosecuting Mr. Trump after the Capitol riot. When Mr. Trump was indicted in March, Mr. Bennett questioned whether the offenses the former president had been accused of were worth the political risk of an indictment.

This time, Mr. Bennett said, he has no doubts about the indictment’s necessity.

“There is simply no way you could read that indictment and think he should escape judgment for such egregious behavior,” Mr. Bennett said. “I have not heard from a single person in my world in Democratic politics and Never-Trump land — no one thinks that this shouldn’t have been brought.”

Yet while many Democrats say the indictment is necessary to demonstrate that no one, including a former president, is above the law, political risk remains on the mind of some. Already, many leading Republicans have rallied around Mr. Trump; some have gone so far as to suggest outright war.

“Trump supporters will stand by him no matter what he does, and they are so radical that they might react with violence,” said Patricia Todd, vice chair of the Alabama Democratic Party.

Democrats also hold conflicting views on how the indictment will affect the United States’ global standing. Laleh Ispahani, the incoming director of the Open Society Foundations, the philanthropic group founded by the liberal billionaire George Soros, said she believed the indictment would “set an example for the world.” Indicting such a powerful figure, in her view, shows others that “nobody is above the law.”

Maria Cardona, a Democratic political strategist, said that while the indictment was justified, any jubilation was ill advised. She called the entire matter “absolutely horrific, traumatic and unbelievably bad for the country.”

"No one should be celebrating that this happened,” Ms. Cardona said. “We have become a laughingstock internationally.”

Reid J. Epstein contributed reporting.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:28 p.m. ET

Rebecca Davis O’Brien

Trump’s campaign is silent so far on its post-indictment fund-raising haul.

Since his indictment last week — and for the second time in less than three months — former President Donald J. Trump has used the criminal charges against him to rile up supporters for a fund-raising push.

But while his campaign provided daily updates on the flood of donations the first time Mr. Trump was indicted, his team has so far stayed quiet on details of their fund-raising off the 37-count federal indictment.

Mr. Trump has for years used the numerous criminal and civil investigations into him and his company to energize his base and solicit funds. But the indictment earlier this year was particularly galvanizing among his supporters.

In late March, in the 24 hours after Mr. Trump was charged by state prosecutors in Manhattan, his campaign reported a fund-raising haul of $4 million. In the two weeks that followed, the campaign said it took in more than $15 million — a significant bump in what had been sluggish fund-raising efforts during the first months of his 2024 presidential bid.

(Mr. Trump pleaded not guilty to the Manhattan indictment’s 34 felony charges, which stem from what prosecutors have described as a 2016 hush-money scheme devised to protect his presidential candidacy.)

Last week, shortly after Mr. Trump said he had been indicted by the Justice Department on charges that he illegally kept classified documents after leaving office, Mr. Trump’s campaign began seeking donations.

“We are watching our Republic DIE before our very eyes,” the campaign began in its email pitch. In the message, the former president urged supporters to make a contribution “to peacefully stand with me today” and to “prove that YOU will NEVER surrender our country to the radical Left.”

Mr. Trump is set to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon. He will host a fund-raiser just hours later, at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:09 p.m. ET

Katie Glueck

What are the other Republican presidential candidates doing? Mostly lying low.

As the nation awaited former President Donald J. Trump’s surrender in a Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday, many of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination were expected to stay out of the spotlight, not even trying to offer public counterprogramming during an unprecedented moment in American history — and a perilous one for their chief opponent.

Former Vice President Mike Pence was set to fund-raise in New York, an adviser said, while Nikki Haley, the former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, was slated to fund-raise in Southern California, according to City News Service. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina planned to be in Washington on official Senate business. And other Republican candidates, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, did not appear to have major public political activities planned as of Tuesday morning.

One notable exception was Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist who rushed to Mr. Trump’s defense after he became the first former president in American history to face federal charges. Mr. Ramaswamy hosted a news conference on Tuesday in Miami, and was also expected to make a number of television appearances, his team said.

Mr. Trump faces 37 criminal counts related to issues including withholding national defense information and concealing possession of classified documents. While many Republicans, including some of his primary opponents, reflexively criticized the indictment, a few have spoken out forcefully against Mr. Trump.

Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has made criticizing Mr. Trump a hallmark of his long-shot campaign, said on Monday that “the conduct in there is awful.” Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, another rare overt Trump critic in the field, has also expressed grave concerns about Mr. Trump’s actions.

And on Monday, Ms. Haley, who initially focused on “prosecutorial overreach,” continued to criticize the Justice Department in a Fox News interview, but added that if the charges laid out in the indictment were accurate, “President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:09 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami, a Republican who is mulling his own presidential bid, arrived wearing a Miami Police Department polo shirt and hugged several Trump supporters before shaking hands with a line of officers. “I think, up till now, it’s a peaceful demonstration for people exercising their constitutional rights to express themselves, which we love about this country,” he said.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 1:10 p.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

A few minutes later, several Trump supporters began heckling him, accusing him of a range of false conspiracies. A line of police officers moved in to make space between the mayor and the hecklers.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:57 p.m. ET

Karoun Demirjian

Congressional correspondent

House Republicans have lined up a vote to censure Representative Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who ran the first impeachment investigation against Trump, and fine him $16 million. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a first-year Republican from Florida, filed the censure resolution last month. Under the rules of the House, it will get a vote later this week, although it seems unlikely to pass. Schiff, who is running to replace retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein, previously dismissed the resolution on Twitter as a ploy by “MAGA extremists” to punish him for having “stood up to Donald Trump and his allies.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:45 p.m. ET

Annie Karni

Congressional correspondent

Rallying behind Trump, Republicans defend keeping classified material in the bathroom.

Ahead of former President Donald J. Trump’s arraignment in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill were so eager to defend Mr. Trump and his conduct that they dismissed one of the most damning pieces of documentary evidence included in the 37-count indictment against him: a photograph of documents stacked up in boxes next to a toilet in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago.

Their defense of Mr. Trump wasn’t just about what they claimed was the weaponization of the Justice Department against the right (although they hammered that point, too).

They also went so far as to defend the bathroom itself as a perfectly suitable storage facility for the nation’s most sensitive secrets. Some of the most powerful elected Republicans have gone to considerable lengths to excuse and play down the crimes Mr. Trump has been charged with.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy claimed a bathroom was far safer than a garage, where some classified documents were found at President Biden’s home in Delaware.

(A special counsel is examining Mr. Biden’s handling of classified documents, after the president’s team told the National Archives that they had discovered a small amount of such material at the Penn Biden Center and at his home in Wilmington, Del.)

“I don’t know,” Mr. McCarthy told reporters Monday when asked whether it was a “good look” for Mr. Trump to have kept sensitive documents stored in his bathroom. “Is it a good picture to have boxes in a garage that opens up all the time? A bathroom door locks.”

Most bathrooms lock from the inside, not exactly the industry standard for securing items of value.

On Tuesday, Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida, also defended the bathroom storage strategy, suggesting that the facilities, such as they were, were plenty secure.

“There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago,” Mr. Donalds said on CNN Tuesday morning. “So don’t act like it’s just in some random bathroom that the guests can go into. That’s not true.”

Mr. McCarthy and other leading House Republicans have rallied behind Mr. Trump since he was indicted last week, excusing his behavior even before the precise nature of the charges was known. They have doubled down since prosecutors unsealed 37 criminal counts against the former president accusing him of illegally retaining classified material, including highly sensitive military secrets, and showing it to those unauthorized to see it; lying to federal investigators; and obstructing the investigation.

The bathroom photo wasn’t the only one that Republicans sought to dismiss. They also said they had no concerns with photographs released by law enforcement that showed documents strewn across a carpet at Mar-a-Lago.

Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the majority leader, said the Justice Department was using photographs to stoke outrage about the case.

“Look at some of the photos that were being sensationally shown over the weekend,” he said. “It was newspaper clippings and some personal items.” In fact, the spilled contents of the boxes included a document intended only for certain intelligence agencies.

As for the substance of the indictment, Mr. Scalise punted. “The courts are going to decide the substance,” he said. “I’m not an attorney.”

Show more

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:37 p.m. ET

Frances Robles

Reporting from Miami

Adding to the circus-like atmosphere outside the Miami federal courthouse, a local radio station, Radio Mambí, has a tent set up where they are playing loud music, including Spanish-language pro-Trump songs. (“Ay, ay, ay, por Dios, yo voy a votar, por Donald Trump…”)

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:36 p.m. ET

Kayla Guo

In a heated exchange with a reporter outside the Senate chamber, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said the indictment reflected “a profound disrespect for democracy, because the reason — a big part of the reason — the Biden D.O.J. brought this indictment is because they’re afraid the American people will vote for Donald Trump, and they are trying to stop it.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:35 p.m. ET

Nick Corasaniti

Trump and his allies begin an anti-indictment advertising campaign.

The first signs are emerging of a paid messaging campaign from former President Donald J. Trump and his allies as they push back on his federal indictment, and they have two goals: Deflect and donate.

A broadcast ad released on Monday by MAGA Inc., a super PAC run by allies of the former president, does not directly mention the federal indictment against Mr. Trump, but instead focuses on allegations that President Biden also mishandled classified documents. (Unlike Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden has complied with investigators.) The ad follows similar messaging from Mr. Trump himself that tries to portray the case against him as a political maneuver.

“But they didn’t indict Biden,” a narrator says with an inflection of anger. “Instead Biden’s D.O.J. went after Trump.”

The ad is not running in Iowa, New Hampshire or any of the other early nominating states that will be casting the first electoral judgment on Mr. Trump’s legal woes. Instead, it is running in major media markets, with more than $150,000 already spent in Washington, D.C., and on national Fox News broadcasts, according to AdImpact, a media tracking company.

The first indictment-related ad that came directly from the Trump campaign, however, was a request for money. On Friday, the day the indictment was unsealed, the Trump campaign placed an ad on Facebook that repeated many of his claims about a “witch hunt” and “election interference.” At the end, it made a plea: “Contribute to peacefully stand with me today.”

In anticipation of the charges, the Trump campaign also had a broadcast ad in the queue. Titled “Wolves,” the ad describes a liberal “deep state” and “tainted radical left prosecutors” as out to get Mr. Trump. Sullen-looking portraits of several men who have investigated or prosecuted him — James B. Comey, Robert S. Mueller III, Jack Smith and Alvin L. Bragg — flicker across the screen.

But the campaign has aired the ad only on national cable networks, and has spent less than $10,000 so far.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:21 p.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

Scott Linnen, 61, of Miami, said he had come to the courthouse because he was distraught at the country’s direction under Trump’s influence. As a gay man, he is seeing an increase in anti-L.G.B.T. rhetoric and extremist behavior on the right. He said that he was encouraged by the charges in the documents case, but that he believed another case must be brought for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “This man tried to overthrow the 247-year-old American experiment,” he said. “I don’t understand why more people’s hair isn’t on fire.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:10 p.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

It Is Unclear Whether Trump Will Have a Mug Shot or Fingerprints Taken

On Tuesday, for the second time in a little over two months, former President Donald J. Trump will turn himself in for arrest. But it is unclear how many of the rituals of a normal arrest he will be subject to.

He is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. Mr. Trump is expected to plead not guilty.

Normally, defendants in criminal cases are fingerprinted and photographed to help identify them. But when Mr. Trump was arraigned on unrelated state charges in New York in April, officials felt a mug shot was unnecessary given the former president’s level of fame. They did take his fingerprints, though.

It is possible that either or both steps could happen in Miami on Tuesday, but there has been no confirmation. Mr. Trump also could have to surrender his passport.

If Mr. Trump does have a mug shot taken, it will almost certainly be released under Florida’s public disclosure laws: Certain current and former officials are exempt, but there is no exemption for the president. In April, Mr. Trump’s campaign used a fake mug shot for fund-raising purposes.

A judge on Monday barred reporters from bringing cellphones or laptops into the courthouse, effectively limiting them to using pen and paper.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:04 p.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

Even as he defended Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy said he wouldn’t have done what the former president did in handling classified documents. “I wouldn’t have taken the boxes,” he told me as he left the scene. “I’m not a memento guy. Not my style.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 12:02 p.m. ET

John Koblin

Media reporter

National television networks are teeing up wall-to-wall arraignment coverage. CBS, ABC and NBC will all cut into their afternoon programming and go into special report mode at some point after 2 p.m. Cable news is turning to major event anchors like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper (CNN) and Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum (Fox News) to help lead coverage through the afternoon. Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace and Joy Reid will oversee prime-time hours on MSNBC for what the network is calling a “post-arraignment special.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:56 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

A long-shot G.O.P. hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, wants candidates to promise Trump a pardon.

Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and activist who is running against Donald J. Trump for the Republican nomination, told reporters outside the courthouse in Miami on Tuesday that he had reached out to other presidential candidates to urge them to commit to pardoning the former president if they win in 2024.

Mr. Ramaswamy, who has been among Mr. Trump’s most vocal supporters since the indictment, said he had floated the idea of such a pledge to Mr. Trump’s main Republican rivals, including Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, as well as Democrats challenging President Biden, like Robert Kennedy Jr.

Speaking outside the federal court building where Mr. Trump was scheduled to appear hours later, Mr. Ramaswamy was often drowned out by competing chants between Trump supporters and demonstrators who had come to celebrate the indictment.

Mr. Ramaswamy said that even though he could benefit politically from the case, he believed the prospect of the Republican front-runner facing an extended prosecution and possibly jail time was dangerous for democracy.

“It would be a lot easier for me in this race if he were eliminated,” he said.

He also announced that he had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request seeking communications between Mr. Biden, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Jack Smith, the special counsel in the documents case, to search for evidence of wrongdoing.

Mr. Ramaswamy claimed, without evidence, that the news media had been remiss in not investigating any improper ties between the White House and the Justice Department. He said it was “a shame” that a competitor in the race had to do so.

While Mr. Ramaswamy repeatedly struggled to speak over the crowd, several of Mr. Trump’s supporters who gathered to watch yelled at Mr. Ramaswamy to drop out, while others hurled taunts about his business career and his ties to corporate donors.

At one point, an aide handed Mr. Ramaswamy a microphone, which did not work. Moments later, a large group watching peeled away to watch a confrontation between demonstrators.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:49 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

About an hour ago, police officers around the courthouse began urgently closing off a large area as they investigated a television set that had been affixed to a pole with a message against “the Communist controlled news media.” A few minutes ago, they took the television away and reopened the area to the public, giving the all-clear.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:41 a.m. ET

Adam Goldman and Charlie Savage

Prosecutors avoided one risk but took another by bringing charges in Miami.

The decision to indict former President Donald J. Trump in Miami, rather than Washington, eliminated the risk of a potentially thorny fight over where the charges should have been filed, but it created a different risk entirely: that the case would end up before a Trump-friendly judge, Aileen M. Cannon.

Indeed, the unsealing of the indictment on Friday showed that Judge Cannon, who last fall issued a series of rulings unusually favorable to Mr. Trump in a lawsuit he brought at an earlier stage of the investigation, had been assigned the case.

For months, prosecutors had used a grand jury in the nation’s capital to question witnesses and hear evidence before abruptly bringing an indictment in the Southern District of Florida.

Because Mr. Trump was holding the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his private club and residence in Florida, it was not clear that Washington would be the proper venue to charge crimes like unauthorized retention of national security documents and obstruction.

In federal law, “venue” refers to the proper place to hold a trial: Prosecutors cannot choose any federal courthouse in the country, but rather must charge a defendant in a district that has a sufficient connection with the events that gave rise to the matter.

There was a connection to Washington. And there would have been some advantages for prosecutors to bring a case in Washington. For one thing, that is where the team working on the investigation lives and works. For another, it would have ensured that the case stayed away from Judge Cannon.

But bringing the case in Washington would have given Mr. Trump’s defense team an argument for having the charges thrown out for being in the improper venue.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 11:10 a.m. ET

Eileen Sullivan

Reporting from Miami

Roosters roamed the courthouse grounds Tuesday morning, adding intermittent crowing to the mashup of chants for and against Mr. Trump and the occasional chorus of “God Bless America.” Roosters are regulars on these grounds, unlike the crowds of journalists and demonstrators.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:56 a.m. ET

Jonathan Weisman

Political correspondent

Vivek Ramaswamy, the entrepreneur and presidential candidate who has decided to make the most aggressive defense of his rival, Trump, of anyone in the field, challenged every other candidate to follow his lead and promise to pardon Trump if he is convicted.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:48 a.m. ET

Michael D. Shear

White House correspondent

What does the current occupant of the White House do while his predecessor is being arrested? Meet with the NATO secretary general, host a reception for American diplomats in the East Room and hold a Juneteeth concert on the South Lawn. In other words: Anything but pay attention to Donald Trump.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:46 a.m. ET

Sergio Olmos

Reporting from Miami

Miami police vehicles have been cruising outside the courthouse, and officers — wearing regular uniforms, not riot gear — are directing traffic away from the street leading to the rear entrance. The Federal Protective Service has cordoned off some of the area with yellow tape, but there are no barriers or fences of the kind that the Department of Homeland Security used in Portland, Ore., during protests in 2020 or in Washington for President Biden’s inauguration.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:37 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

Vivek Ramaswamy — who is running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination but has loudly defended him since the indictment — is about to speak outside the courthouse. He’s wearing a hat that says “TRUTH,” matching the sign on the podium set up for him.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:30 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

There are no conflicts outside the courthouse at the moment, and the crowd is still majority news media, but a helicopter has begun circling overhead. Every so often, Department of Homeland Security officers are walking around the perimeter of the federal courthouse where Trump will appear

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:28 a.m. ET

Zach Montague

Reporting from Miami

The security around the courthouse has been noticeably loose this morning. Most streets are open, and confused morning commuters passing by on North Miami Avenue are frequently pulling over to ask reporters what’s happening today.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:27 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Reporters are barred from bringing phones or laptops to Trump’s hearing.

Image

A judge barred reporters from bringing cellphones or laptops into the courthouse for former President Donald J. Trump’s scheduled appearance on Tuesday, effectively limiting them to using pen and paper to document one of the highest-profile court appearances in U.S. history.

The ban was announced in a two-page administrative order issued by Cecilia M. Altonaga, the chief judge of South Florida’s federal trial courts, on the eve of Mr. Trump’s arrival at the courthouse. The order applies only to the federal courthouse in Miami and for only one day, indicating that it was tailored for the Trump proceeding.

Photographing or recording the hearing is already banned by the court’s rules. But for years, credentialed journalists covering trials and other proceedings in Miami’s federal courthouse have been allowed to use laptops and cellphones to take notes.

Judge Altonaga’s order did not include an explanation for why she thought a more stringent rule was needed in anticipation of Mr. Trump’s arrival on Tuesday afternoon, when he is set to face charges that he illegally kept sensitive documents after his presidency ended and refused to turn them over to the U.S. government.

Similar prohibitions on electronic devices are standard in some other federal courtrooms, and the rules on Tuesday will be similar to those set by a New York State judge when Mr. Trump was arraigned in Manhattan in April on separate charges that he had falsified business records.

In that case, however, the judge allowed a small group of photojournalists to take still photographs of Mr. Trump and his lawyers in the courtroom before the proceedings began. That will not be allowed on Tuesday.

Judge Altonaga has been a federal judge since 2003, when President George W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. She has been the chief judge of the district for about two years. Any journalist who violates her order could face a $5,000 fine and a 30-day jail sentence.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:22 a.m. ET

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs

Reporting from Miami

Kevin Rodriguez, a graphic designer in Hollywood, Fla., came from about 20 miles away to protest the charges against Donald Trump. Wearing a sweatshirt that read “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president,” he waved a flag that showed Trump next to a large tank. He views the charges as a political ploy: “They’re trying to remove him from the vote because they know Donald Trump is going to win in 2024,” he said. “That’s why they’re so scared of him, because he’s the best candidate that we’ve had.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:11 a.m. ET

Neil Vigdor and Shane Goldmacher

Nikki Haley and Tim Scott shift their tone, showing a new openness to criticizing Trump.

Some of Donald J. Trump’s Republican rivals in the 2024 race have made a subtle shift since the details of his federal indictment were unsealed, expressing a new eagerness to emphasize the severity of the charges he faces.

Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who was an ambassador to the United Nations under Mr. Trump, simultaneously criticized her one-time boss in a Fox News interview on Monday while saying that the Justice Department had lost credibility with the American people.

“Two things can be true at the same time,” Ms. Haley said, adding that if the indictment was accurate, “President Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security.”

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, another Republican seeking the presidential nomination, said on Monday it was a “serious case with serious allegations,” according to The Post and Courier newspaper of Charleston, S.C.

Both Ms. Haley and Mr. Scott had initially reacted to news of the indictment by focusing almost exclusively on criticizing the special counsel and the Justice Department for bringing the charges.

“This is not how justice should be pursued in our country,” Ms. Haley wrote on Twitter on Friday. Mr. Scott had said on Fox News, “Today what we see is a justice system where the scales are weighted.”

The statements represented merely an inching away from the former president rather than a full-throated departure from a broader set of the Republican Party, whose leadership has for the most part publicly stood behind Mr. Trump. In an illustration of that delicate balancing act, Ms. Haley said on Tuesday on “The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show” that the charges against Mr. Trump, while serious, did not warrant his imprisonment when asked if she would pardon him.

“I think it would be terrible for the country to have a former president in prison for years because of a documents case,” she said, adding, “So I would be inclined in favor of a pardon, but I think it’s really premature at this point when he’s not even been convicted of anything.”

The small faction of the party that had already broken from Mr. Trump has sharpened its criticism of him in recent days, calling the facts of the indictment “very, very damning,” in the words of William P. Barr, who served as attorney general under Mr. Trump.

The unsealed indictment detailed the moving of boxes that contained classified documents, including into a bathroom, and described a taped private conversation from a meeting that Mr. Trump had.

Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus Harvard law professor and a strident defender of Mr. Trump, acknowledged in a Fox News appearance on Sunday that the Justice Department had obtained a “damning piece of evidence” when Mr. Trump told several people in the taped conservation that he was still in possession of a classified document after leaving office.

Mr. Dershowitz said that the federal indictment of Mr. Trump was a stronger case than the Manhattan hush-money indictment pending against him, but continued to assert that Mr. Trump was being singled out by the special counsel bringing the federal charges, Jack Smith.

“Can you prosecute somebody when you targeted that person and went through every hoop, dotted every i, crossed every t, gave lawyers immunity, violated the lawyer-client privilege in many respects and then came up with something?” he said.

Other Republicans running for president have been put in the difficult position of supporting Mr. Trump or focusing squarely on the Justice Department to avoid directly criticizing him and turning the pro-Trump G.O.P. base against them.

Mr. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, said on Friday that his “only hope” was that the facts of the case “would meet a high standard necessary to justify the unprecedented federal indictment of a former president.” He has not spoken about the case since the facts came out.

Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor who has staked his claim as an anti-Trump candidate, called the details of the indictment “indefensible” at a CNN town hall on Monday evening.

“Everybody, whether you like Donald Trump or you don’t like Donald Trump, this conduct is inexcusable, in my opinion, for somebody who wants to be president of the United States,” he said, accusing rivals who were dodging the specifics of “playing games.”

Paul Ryan, the former House speaker who opposes Mr. Trump, said on CBS Mornings that “there’s a timing to” criticizing Mr. Trump. During his speakership, Mr. Ryan often held his tongue over disagreements with Mr. Trump, who then and now was his party’s most popular figure.

“I don’t think you can get this nomination without going through Donald Trump,” he said. “I don’t think you can get it going around him. You have to go through him to get the nomination.”

While Mr. Christie is the first to take such a direct approach, Mr. Ryan predicted he would not be the last.

“I think the others,” he said, “will start making that kind of push.”

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:06 a.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

Two lawyers have just filed formal notices of appearance to represent Donald Trump in Miami: Christopher Kise and Todd Blanche. More on that here.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 10:27 a.m. ET

Alan Feuer

Courts and criminal justice reporter

So far, the only prosecutor to formally appear in the case is Jay Bratt from the Justice Department’s national security division. Bratt has been involved in the documents investigation from its outset.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:51 a.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

Trump’s legal team remains in flux hours before he goes into court.

Former President Donald J. Trump’s legal team remained in flux just hours before he goes to federal court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

Christopher M. Kise, a former solicitor general in Florida who joined Mr. Trump’s team last year, filed a formal notice with the court on Tuesday morning, that he plans to accompany the former president. Mr. Trump will also be accompanied by another member of his existing team, Todd Blanche.

Mr. Trump has been preparing to hire additional lawyers to defend him against the federal charges lodged against him last week by the special counsel, Jack Smith, stemming from his handling of classified documents after leaving office. But he has yet to settle on any of them.

Mr. Blanche represents Mr. Trump in the New York case over hush money payments to a porn star that was filed against the former president in March by the Manhattan district attorney. He is not licensed in Florida.

Mr. Kise has been working on the fraud suit brought against Mr. Trump by the New York attorney general. It is unclear if Mr. Kise will be involved in the long term or simply could be there for the purposes of the arraignment.

Another lawyer representing Mr. Trump, Lindsey Halligan, is licensed in Florida and was the favored choice of at least one of Mr. Trump’s advisers, according to one of the people briefed on the matter.

Stanley E. Woodward Jr. will also sit on the defense side, but as a lawyer for Mr. Trump’s co-defendant, Walt Nauta.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:27 a.m. ET

Luke Broadwater

Reporting from Miami

There is quite a scene at the courthouse, but it’s mostly news media. There are probably around 20 Trump supporters from various groups, equipped with signs showing their various points of view. A group called Blacks for Trump is here supporting the former president. A man carrying a “Trump for Jail” sign is wearing a fake ball and chain around his leg.

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:17 a.m. ET

Ashley Wu

Here is where Trump will be before and after his court appearance.

Former President Donald J. Trump is scheduled to appear at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday around 3 p.m. Eastern. Afterward, he is expected to fly back to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he is planning to deliver remarks at 8:15 p.m.

Trump’s Travel Route

New York Times

June 13, 2023, 9:08 a.m. ET

Maggie Haberman and Alan Feuer

Unanswered in the indictment’s details on Trump’s hoarding of documents: Why?

For all the detailed evidence laid out in the 38-count indictment accusing former President Donald J. Trump of holding onto hundreds of classified documents and then obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, one mystery remains: Why did he take them and fight so hard to keep them?

Mr. Trump’s motive for having thousands of presidential records — including more than 300 classified documents — at Mar-a-Lago, his combination residence and members-only club in Palm Beach, Fla., was not addressed directly in the 49-page indictment filed on Thursday in Miami. The charging document did not establish that Mr. Trump had a broader goal beyond simply possessing the material.

While finding a motive could certainly be useful for prosecutors should Mr. Trump end up at trial, it may not be necessary in proving the legal elements of the case against him.

Nonetheless, why Mr. Trump held onto an extensive collection of highly confidential documents and then, prosecutors say, schemed to avoid returning them remains an unanswered question — even after nearly 15 months of investigation by the Justice Department.

The indictment did offer some hints.

Several former aides and advisers to Mr. Trump have long made the argument that he simply kept the sensitive records because he saw them as “mine,” and because he likes acquiring trophies that he can show off, whatever form those trophies may take.

The indictment describes episodes of his showing off classified material, as well as trying to stop a lawyer he hired to help him search Mar-a-Lago for any classified material still in his possession from actually going through the records he kept at the property.

“I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes,” Mr. Trump is quoted as saying, expressing a kind of personal ownership over the material. “I really don’t.”

June 13, 2023, 9:08 a.m. ET New York Times

By Eleanor Lutz, Charlie Smart and Mika Gröndahl

Here is where documents were found at Mar-a-Lago.

Former President Donald J. Trump stored classified documents not only in a storage room, but also in a shower, an office, a bedroom and a ballroom, according to the indictment unsealed on Friday. It describes how Mr. Trump moved dozens of boxes containing sensitive documents out of the White House and into Mar-a-Lago, his home and private club in Palm Beach, Fla.

June 13, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET New York Times

By Luke Broadwater

Trump is set to appear in a Miami court on classified material charges.

Donald J. Trump is set to become the first former president to be arraigned on federal charges when he appears in a Miami courtroom on Tuesday to face charges that he illegally retained national security documents after leaving office, obstructed efforts to retrieve them and made false statements about the matter.

His appearance at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse comes a few days after an indictment that has upended historical precedent and shaken the political universe in the United States, making Mr. Trump the first former commander in chief to be charged with federal crimes.

During his arraignment, Mr. Trump is expected to be advised of his rights, and a judge will assess whether he has legal representation. Mr. Trump is expected to plead not guilty.

Mr. Trump was expected to be arrested on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether U.S. marshals would take his fingerprints or photograph him. Those measures are normally used to help identify defendants, but when Mr. Trump was arraigned on unrelated state charges in New York in April, officials felt they were unnecessary given the former president’s level of fame.

Still, it was possible they could happen on Tuesday. Mr. Trump also could have to surrender his passport.

It was also unclear whether the public would get a glimpse of Mr. Trump as he arrived at the courthouse. The former president was expected to enter and exit through an underground garage. In the federal court system, there are no photographs or cameras allowed in the courtroom.

Officials were bracing for a potentially unruly scene in Miami after Mr. Trump called for crowds of his supporters to rally at his initial appearance, in a move reminiscent of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

A throng of news media organizations had gathered at the courthouse, setting up tents and crowding the perimeter, but few if any members of the public were in attendance.

Still, Mayor Francis X. Suarez of Miami, a Republican, called a news conference on Monday to instruct anyone who planned to protest that violence was not welcome in the city. Mr. Suarez said he believed in the right to protest but also in “law and order.”

Security at the courthouse was tight on Monday, with police and federal law enforcement officials sweeping the grounds.

“We encourage people to be peaceful,” Mr. Suarez said, adding, “We’re going to have the adequate forces necessary to ensure that.”

Mr. Suarez said the authorities might close roads near the courthouse depending on the size of any protests, and that commuters should expect possible disruption.

The case against Mr. Trump is the second criminal prosecution against the former president this year. Mr. Trump was already arraigned in April in a New York courthouse on state charges that he falsified business records.

In the case that has brought him to Miami, Mr. Trump has been charged with 37 counts of unauthorized retention of national security information. They relate to the former president’s hoarding of sensitive government documents after he left office and his refusal to return them, even after being subpoenaed for all remaining records in his possession that were marked as classified.

Two of Mr. Trump’s lawyers who had represented him in the classified documents investigation — James Trusty and John Rowley — resigned from his legal team last week.

Mr. Trump said he would be represented in the matter by a new lawyer, Todd Blanche. He will also be represented by Christopher M. Kise, a former solicitor general for the state of Florida who has won four cases before the United States Supreme Court.

The government is expected to be represented by Jay I. Bratt, a top official of the Justice Department’s national security division, and Julie Edelstein, the deputy chief of counterintelligence and export control.

After the court appearance, Mr. Trump is expected to fly to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., to give remarks defending himself in the evening.

Mr. Trump has called for his supporters to rally at the courthouse in his defense: “SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!” he posted on Truth Social. Of particular concern for law enforcement is a planned rally at the courthouse, promoted on Telegram, by the far-right Proud Boys group. The Proud Boys, notably, were a major factor in the Jan. 6 attack. Members of the group were recently convicted of seditious conspiracy. Many of Mr. Trump’s most extreme supporters are reeling after more than 1,000 of them were arrested in connection with the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Mr. Trump’s arraignment in New York did not produce violence; crowds of rival protesters outside the courthouse were raucous but peaceful.

Manny Morales, the Miami police chief, said his force was prepared for a crowd of anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 protesters. Chief Morales said officers would endeavor to keep any groups of rival protesters away from each other.

“We’re taking this event extremely serious,” he said. “We know that there’s a potential of things taking a turn for the worst. But that’s not the Miami way.”

Adam Goldman, Alan Feuer and Charlie Savage contributed reporting.

A correction was made on 

June 13, 2023

: 

An earlier version of this article described incorrectly the indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. He is the first former commander in chief to be federally charged; he is not the first presidential candidate to face federal charges.

---

POST-ARRAIGNMENT INTELLIGENCE (and its other)

ATTACHMENT SEVENTEEN – From Fox San Diego

By Lauren Sforza June 13 1338

(The Hill) — Former President Trump continued to fundraise off his second indictment by vowing to “never drop out” of the 2024 presidential race.

“They can indict me, they can arrest me, but I know – and the American people know – that I am an innocent man,” Trump wrote in a fundraising email. “My only offense is challenging the corrupt ruling class and fighting for the forgotten men and women of our country.”

Trump pleads not guilty in classified documents indictment

Trump claimed that a reporter asked him whether the Justice Department would drop its federal indictment against the former president if he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race. He added in the email that this was an example of “extortion,” arguing that he would never drop out of the race.

“If I were to drop out, what precent would that set going forward?” he asked, adding “Presidents would be decided by extortion, not by elections.”

“I will never drop out of the 2024 presidential race,” he wrote in large red font.

The email argued that the next election could determine whether there will be elections in the future, adding that it will be about “if the president will be picked by unelected bureaucrats through a weaponized legal system.”

CNN’s Jake Tapper reacts to Trump attorney statement: ‘That’s a lot of crazy’

The email then asked supporters to donate “to peacefully show that YOU will also NEVER SURRENDER our mission to win back the White House.”

Trump immediately began fundraising off of the indictment that was unsealed last week against him. The former president entered a not guilty plea in the Miami courthouse Tuesday for all 37 federal charges brought against him for mishandling classified documents and for his attempts to keep the documents from the government.

ATTACHMENT EIGHTEEN – From Newsmax

TRUMP PLEADS 'NOT GUILTY' TO 37 COUNTS IN FEDERAL HEARING

By Eric Mack    |   Tuesday, 13 June 2023 03:51 PM EDT

Former President Donald Trump was arrested and processed on 37 charges related to retaining national-defense information under the Espionage Act of 1917.

He promptly pleaded "not guilty" to all charges.

"We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty," Trump's attorney Todd Blanche told U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in a federal court Tuesday in Miami.

The hearing was closed to cameras and live broadcasts. Trump's former aide Walt Nauta, also charged in the case, appeared in court but was not arraigned because he does not have local counsel.

"Defiant," Trump legal spokeswoman Alina Habba told Newsmax outside the courthouse, when asked how Trump was feeling.

"We are at a turning point in our nation's history," she said, reading prepared remarks outside the courthouse. "The targeted, political prosecution of a leading political opponent is the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela.

"It is commonplace there for rival candidates to be prosecuted, persecuted, and put into jail. What is being done to President Trump should terrify all citizens of this country. These are not the ideals that our democracy is founded upon.

"This is not our America."

CNN reported Trump was allowed to leave court without conditions or travel restrictions and no cash bond was required. Goodman ruled Trump was not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case, the network said.

The indictment is the first in U.S. history of a former president and sets up a legal battle likely to play out over coming months as he campaigns to win back the presidency in a November 2024 election. Experts say it could be a year or more before a trial takes place.

Trump was to be digitally fingerprinted and have his birthdate and Social Security number taken as part of the booking process, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service told The Associated Press. Trump is appearing in court to answer special counsel Jack Smith's indictment, which alleges violation of the Espionage Age and other process crimes.

The spokesman said the former president will forgo a mugshot because enough photos of him already exist in the system — confirming what a person familiar with negotiations around the proceedings said earlier.

The spokesman said that booking could take place before Trump appears in court or afterward, depending on when he arrives. He said authorities did not plan to immediately alert the media once Trump had arrived.

Trump reportedly did not get a mug shot taken during his processing for his Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's indictment earlier this spring.

Security was tight outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson federal courthouse Tuesday ahead of the former president's court appearance.

Trump supporters were gathering hours before the appearance — far outnumbered by the hundreds of journalists from the U.S. and around the world who have converged on downtown Miami. Even newsmax downplays crowd! - DJI

The case against him is historic but does not prohibit Trump from continuing his 2024 presidential campaign.

After the court appearance, where he could be arraigned and file his not guilty plea, Trump planned to fly to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to give an address and host a Trump campaign fundraiser.

The Trump campaign has set a $2 million goal for the fundraiser, which intends to line up big-dollar bundlers for his presidential run, Axios reported Monday.

Trump's campaign has intensified his fundraising efforts in the meantime, including an email Tuesday morning with the subject line: "My last email before my arraignment."

Information from the AP was used as background for this report.

Related Stories:

Trump Campaign Sets $2 Million Goal for Tuesday Night N.J. Fundraiser

Trump Vows '25 Retaliation After Biden Broke 'Seal'

ATTACHMENT NINETEEN – From the New Republic

REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN OFFERS STUPIDEST DEFENSE OF TRUMP YET

Byron Donalds is trying to justify Trump’s hoarding of national security documents in the bathroom.

By Tori Otten June 13, 2023/3:59 p.m. ET

Republicans continue to find ways to downplay Donald Trump’s being indicted for mishandling classified documents, and Representative Byron Donalds just offered the worst one yet.

Trump was arraigned Tuesday for how he allegedly handled the sensitive material. The investigation revealed that Trump had squirreled hundreds of documents into various rooms at his Mar-a-Lago resort, including the ballroom and a bathroom. According to Donalds, that’s not so bad.

“As somebody who’s been to Mar-a-Lago, you just can’t walk through Mar-a-Lago of your own accord because Secret Service is all over the place,” Donalds told CNN Tuesday morning. “There are 33 bathrooms at Mar-a-Lago. So don’t act like it’s just in some random bathroom that the guests can go into.”

Trump was charged with a total of 37 counts for keeping national defense information without authorization, making false statements, and conspiring to obstruct justice. He also reportedly showed the documents off to people who did not have security clearance, such as a representative of his PAC and members of staff.

The indictment did not specify whether the documents had been stored in Trump’s personal bathroom, so they may well have been kept in “some random bathroom.” What’s more, you can just walk around Mar-a-Lago on your own, so long as you pay a membership fee. Granted, the fees are exorbitant, but there are other ways to get in too.

As the indictment notes, Mar-a-Lago hosted more than 150 social events between January 2021 and August 2022, including in the ballroom where Trump stored documents. Those events included “weddings, movie premieres, and fundraisers that together drew tens of thousands of guests.” It’s unlikely the documents were in the ballroom during those events, but it does mean that outsiders were given access to the resort property and allowed to walk around.

Donalds is not the first Republican to try to downplay the fact that highly sensitive documents were kept in a bathroom. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy argued that the materials were fine in the bathroom because a bathroom door locks. But the thing about bathroom doors is that they typically lock on the inside, when someone’s using them, not on the outside after someone stores a bunch of classified documents inside.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY – From Forbes

TRUMP ARREST: TRUMP DEPARTS COURTHOUSE AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE

By Sara Dorn Jun 13, 2023, 04:09pm EDT

Former President Donald Trump left federal court in Miami just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, after pleading not guilty to 37 felony counts accusing him of mishandling sensitive government documents and interfering in the Justice Department’s investigation—marking his second indictment since announcing a 2024 run, and the first time a former president faces federal charges.

Flanked by his lawyers Todd Blanche and Christopher Kise, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to all 37 counts filed against him by the Justice Department last week, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act and several counts accusing him of obstructing the DOJ probe and telling his associates to lie to investigators.

Blanche said “we most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” as Trump stood alongside him with a solemn look on his face and arms folded, CNN reported.

Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman ordered Trump not to have contact with any witnesses in the case, including his co-defendant Walt Nauta, ABC News reported—Nauta, who currently works for Trump and was reportedly seated next to him during the hearing, did not enter a plea for the six counts he is charged with, because he did not obtain representation by an attorney authorized to practice in the Southern District of Florida, CNN reported.

Justice Department prosecutors recommended both Nauta and Trump be released without conditions because “the government does not view either defendant as a flight risk,” prosecutor David Harbach reportedly said.

Trump spent about 90 minutes inside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse in downtown Miami—where he surrendered to authorities and was formally arrested and fingerprinted, but was not put in handcuffs, nor did he have his mugshot taken, given his high profile and low flight and security risks.

Special Counsel Jack Smith, who Trump has repeatedly attacked as “deranged” was also present for the hearing.

Trump, who was pictured waving to photographers from the back of his vehicle as he made his way to the courthouse, entered the courthouse through a private entrance, shielded from public view, amid a mass of law enforcement and media cameras gathered outside, NBC News reported.

Trump announced on Truth Social at 1:45 p.m. his motorcade was en route to the courthouse from his Doral golf club, using his preferred term to describe the various investigations against him—“witch hunt!!!” In an earlier post, he called Tuesday “one of the saddest days in the history of our country,” writing “we are a nation in decline!!!”

Trump is scheduled to fly back to New Jersey, where he will deliver a speech from his Bedminster golf club at 8:15 p.m. Nauta, who was also arrested Tuesday and had his mugshot taken, according to CNN, will return to Miami for his arraignment on June 27. Goodman reportedly did not place any travel restrictions on Nauta or Trump.

The Southern District of Florida is known for its speedy docket and quick conclusion of cases, but Trump’s legal team could delay the case by issuing motions and appealing if he is convicted, his former lawyer, Tim Parlatore, told Axios and Politico. Parlatore reportedly said he expects Trump’s legal team to file motions to dismiss the case and others seeking more information from prosecutors about the evidence they’ve gathered. He also predicted Trump’s lawyers will argue for the court to release the unredacted version of the search warrant prosecutors obtained to raid Mar-A-Lago in August. Evidence gathered from Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran has also become a focus for his legal team. Under an exception to the attorney-client privilege rule, the Justice Department seized notes from Corcoran that chronicle how Trump schemed to hide documents from investigators, according to the indictment. Trump’s legal team has also accused prosecutors of pressuring Trump aide Walt Nauta (who was also charged in the case and will be arraigned Tuesday) to cooperate with their investigation by mentioning during a meeting that his lawyer, Stanley Woodward, had applied for a federal judgeship.

A grand jury indicted Trump Thursday following a year-long investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving office. DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office alleges he took with him to Mar-A-Lago a trove of top-secret records that detailed sensitive national defense information, then instructed his associates to hide them from federal investigators and lie about their whereabouts, even after the DOJ sent him a subpoena. Trump faces 31 counts of violating an Espionage Act provision that prohibits willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements, among other charges carrying a maximum sentence of five to 20 years in prison. Trump has repeatedly declared his innocence in the case and accused the Justice Department of waging a politically motivated investigation designed to re-elect President Joe Biden, who oversees the DOJ, but has said he had no involvement in the case.

Trump’s Republican allies have claimed he was overcharged in the case and had the authority to declassify the documents he held onto, while also claiming the DOJ has treated him unfairly in comparison to its investigation of President Joe Biden’s handling of documents. GOP presidential candidate and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy was seen waving a letter outside of the courthouse Tuesday that he wrote to his fellow GOP candidates, calling on them to commit to pardoning Trump if they are elected and he is convicted, arguing the indictment “reeks of politicization.” House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) raised the Biden investigation when asked about Trump’s indictment on Capitol Hill Tuesday, telling reporters, “there’s some things that could be damning against President Biden,” while skirting questions about whether he believes Trump is guilty of wrongdoing. “I haven’t seen the documents, I can’t tell you. But if they’re classified, they should be shipped back," he reportedly said.

Some of Trump’s competitors in the GOP’s 2024 primary race struck a more critical tone when discussing the indictment, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Haley told Fox News on Monday Trump’s conduct detailed in the indictment was “incredibly reckless,” and Christie said Sunday during a CNN town hall the DOJ’s case was “a very tight, very detailed, evidence-laden indictment.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s closest competitor in the race, took a more tempered approach to criticizing Trump, while also suggesting the Justice Department had deployed a double standard of justice compared to its investigations into Biden and former Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email server. “As a naval officer, if I would have taken classified [documents] to my apartment, I would have been court-martialed in a New York minute," DeSantis said during a speech Friday at the North Carolina Republican convention, adding “I think there needs to be one standard of justice in this country . . . You can't have one faction of society weaponizing the power of the state against factions that it doesn't like.”

FURTHER READING

Trump Heads To Miami: Here’s What To Expect At His Court Appearance Tuesday In Classified Docs Case (Forbes)

What Crimes Was Trump Charged With In Federal Documents Case? Here’s What To Know As He Pleads Not Guilty (Forbes)

Trump And Allies Call For Peaceful Protests Ahead Of Miami Arraignment (Forbes)

Trump Couldn’t Find New Lawyers For Arraignment, Reports Say (Forbes)

ATTACHMENT TWENTY ONE – From the New Republic

THE VERY SHORT LIST OF REPUBLICANS DENOUNCING TRUMP ON CLASSIFIED DOCS

Here are all the Republicans brave enough to say it’s bad to hide CIA documents in your bathroom

By Prem Thakker June 13, 2023/4:26 p.m. ET

Just a handful of Republicans have spoken out against Donald Trump after he was indicted once again, this time for taking and mishandling secret government documents, going as far hiding the documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom and showing off the documents (from agencies like the CIA, Defense Department, and NSA) to a representative of his PAC as well as staff members.

In almost all the condemnations, Republicans still default to also criticizing Joe Biden or Mike Pence for having taken government documents after they left the White House (though both appear to have cooperated with government efforts to return said documents, while Trump actively did not).

Nevertheless, as the wider party remains silent, here’s the very small list of Republicans who have condemned Trump for mishandling top secret government information.

Presidential Candidates

Chris Christie went on a broadside against Trump, as well as his fellow candidates, in a CNN town hall Monday. “They’re playing political games with you,” Christie told the audience about Republicans who are attacking the Department of Justice but avoiding the specifics on Trump’s “indefensible” indictment. “The evidence is pretty damning,” he added.

Nikki Haley said if the indictment is true, “Trump was incredibly reckless with our national security.”

“My husband’s about to deploy this weekend. This puts all of our military men and women in danger…” Haley continued, while still tempering her condemnations by claiming that the Department of Justice and FBI have “lost all credibility with the American people.” (Haley tapped the brakes even further on Tuesday, saying she “would be inclined in favor of a pardon” for Trump if she became president and he was convicted.)

Tim Scott said it was a “serious case with serious allegations,” according to The Post and Courier. Still, he couldn’t help himself either, adding that “[w]hat we see today across this administration of President Joe Biden is a double standard. That double standard is both un-American and unacceptable. You can’t protect Democrats while targeting and hunting Republicans.”

Asa Hutchinson was the first candidate to have taken a firm stance upon the indictment’s release last Thursday. “With the news that Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time, our country finds itself in a position that weakens our democracy,” the former Arkansas governor said in a statement. “Donald Trump’s actions—from his willful disregard for the Constitution to his disrespect for the rule of law—should not define our nation or the Republican Party.”

Senators

Senator Lisa Murkowski said the indictment is “a pretty comprehensive condemnation of the president’s actions,” also criticizing Republican efforts to target investigators. “We cannot take this lightly, so to kill the messenger does not account for the gravity of the indictment that is out there,” she said. “I don’t care whether you’re a Trump supporter or a Trump opposer, you have  to take this seriously.”

Senator John Cornyn simply said the Trump indictment is “not good,” while Senator John Thune called it “very serious,” echoing his endorsee Scott. He too added the same caveat: “What I would hope is what others have done, whether it’s Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden or anybody else, wouldn’t become the standard of behavior for Republican leaders.”

Senator Mitt Romney said “I’m increasingly angry the more I think about it. The country is going through angst and turmoil and that could have been avoided if President Trump had just turned in the documents, he wouldn’t have been indicted.”

“Why? What purpose would you have for doing that?” he added.

House Members

On CNN, Representative Ken Buck said he “would not feel comfortable with a convicted felon in the White House,” saying that Trump’s attacks on Hillary Clinton in 2016 “set the standard.”

“It’s very problematic. There’s a reason I’m not defending it,” Representative Dan Crenshaw said.

“I just think it’s obvious what the president did was wrong,” said Representative Don Bacon. “I just think the emperor has no clothes, and we need to have Republicans stand up and say that, because come around after the primary… the other party’s going to be saying this.”

All that to say: nothing too stellar from the party who purports to care about our “men and women in uniform.” It was already known how much they actually do, based on how often they jostle to send them to war, or how little they care for them once they return. But now, Republicans aren’t even bothered to express concern for national security interests.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY TWO – From Rolling Stone

J.D. VANCE LAYS OUT PLAN TO SABOTAGE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT BECAUSE TRUMP WAS ARRESTED

The former president’s supporters in Congress want to use their positions to punish the Justice Department

BY NIKKI MCCANN RAMIREZ JUNE 13, 2023 (UNTIMED)

OHIO SENATOR J.D. Vance has vowed to “grind [the Justice Department] to a halt” in response to the indictment of Donald Trump on charges related to his treatment of classified documents after leaving office. 

Trump was arrested and arraigned in Miami on Tuesday. Vance posted a video from the steps of the Capitol earlier in the day declaring that he “will be holding all Department of Justice nominees … I think that we have to grind this department to a halt until [Attorney General] Merrick Garland promises to do his job and stop going after his political opponents.” 

In a statement released by his Senate office, Vance carved out an exception to his blockade for “individuals nominated to the U.S. Marshals Service.” The impact of the freeze may also have been overstated by Vance, given that there are currently only two Biden administration nominations to the department awaiting confirmation in the Senate.  

The former president has been charged with 37 federal criminal counts, including violations of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice, corruptly concealing a record or document, and concealing a document in a federal investigation. The charges stem largely from Trump’s alleged efforts to prevent the government from recovering the materials. 

Vance, like many other Republicans, jumped to Trump’s defense as news of the indictment broke late last week. On Saturday, Vance wrote on Twitter that “prosecuting a president over his own government’s documents is turning a political issue into a legal one.” 

“This idea that we need to end the administrative state gets our problem totally backwards.  America will have a justice department no matter what,” Vance wrote in a subsequent tweet. “The goal should be to make it responsive to the People. Don’t end it, because it can’t be done. Take it over.” 

The Ohio senator is not alone in pushing to punish the DOJ for charging Trump. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) introduced a bill on Monday to defund the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the probe into the former president. 

“This is a weaponized government attempt to take down the top political enemy and leading presidential candidate of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Greene said in a floor speech announcing the bill. 

Greene, who’s already endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential run, traveled to Georgia to receive Trump’s private plane as he arrived for the state’s GOP convention on Saturday, where he bashed Special Counsel Smith during his first public post-indictment appearance. 

As the former president traveled to Miami for his arraignment, Greene lent her support from afar.  “I am so sick and tired of those that can’t see the war being waged against us right now by the CORRUPT AND WEAPONIZED COMMUNISTS DEMOCRAT CONTROLLED DOJ!” she tweeted hours before Trump’s court appearance. 

“Taking them apart should be the only thing we are doing right now. We do not have a country. People hate Republicans for doing nothing,” Greene added.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY THREE– From

the Daily Beast

‘FRUSTRATED’ TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY—AGAIN

He had his arms folded and wore his trademark frown for most of the brief arraignment on Tuesday.

By Justin Rohrlich Reporter Josh Fiallo Breaking News Reporter Updated Jun. 13, 2023 5:08PM ET / Published Jun. 13, 2023 2:05PM ET 

MIAMI, Florida—Former President Donald Trump was placed under arrest for the second time in two months as he arrived at a heavily fortified Miami courthouse on Tuesday afternoon to face his first federal indictment.

He was arraigned shortly after 3 p.m. and his lawyer, Todd Blanche, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf to a 37-count indictment related to his alleged willful mishandling of classified documents. Just two months ago, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York stemming from an alleged hush-money payment to a porn star.

Trump flew to Miami from his New Jersey golf club on Monday afternoon, then was driven to the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse from his golf club in Doral, a 12-mile drive across town. His motorcade arrived shortly before 2 p.m. and headed to an underground garage.

Trump and his co-defendant, former Diet Coke valet-turned-personal aide Walt Nauta, were booked by the U.S. Marshals Service upon their arrival. The pair then entered then courtroom for arraignment a few minutes before 3 p.m. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the case, was in attendance, according to CNN.

Trump had his arms folded and wore his trademark frown for most of the brief hearing. He largely “looked down at the floor,” Olivia Rubin of ABC News said. Trump also appeared “frustrated throughout,” according to The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman released Trump and Nauta on their own recognizance, and did not impose travel restrictions on either of them. However, Goodman ordered Trump not to contact any witnesses in the case, and not to discuss the case at all with Nauta—who continues to work as Trump’s aide. (Nauta entered a plea of not guilty but was not arraigned because he did not have a local lawyer to represent him. He will be back in court on June 27 to complete the process.)

Trump did not have his mugshot taken, Trump attorney and spokeswoman Alina Habba said outside the courthouse. Instead, authorities planned to use a “previously taken photo,” CBS News reported. Trump was also not expected to be handcuffed or made to empty his pockets, according to sources cited by ABC News. He was likely to be electronically fingerprinted in an underground garage out of the public view, Miami Herald federal court reporter Jay Weaver told NPR. When Trump faced an indictment in New York in April, he was not photographed.

Trump Wanted Courthouse Protest but Instead Got MAGA Misfits

Welcome to the Circus

Trump had left the courthouse by 4 p.m., and was scheduled to fly back to his New Jersey country club for a public appearance on Tuesday night.

However, his first stop after being arraigned was to press the flesh at Versailles, a venerable Cuban restaurant in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. He was greeted there by a group of supporters that included a rabbi and a nondenominational minister who prayed for the beleaguered ex-president.

“Food for everyone!” Trump called out during his brief stay, before bellyaching about things being “rigged” against him, describing America as “in decline like never before,” and heading off.

As Maggie Haberman of The New York Times reported, his visit to the eatery followed a Monday appearance on a conservative Spanish-language radio show, in which he called in and complained that his indictment was similar to the corrupt workings of certain Latin American legal systems.

The former president had called on supporters to protest outside the courthouse on Tuesday, and authorities were on standby in case any of the pro-Trump rallies, including one purportedly organized by a local chapter of the Proud Boys, turned ugly. However, the turnout was lower than Trump had apparently hoped, having claimed to be expecting some 50,000 people.

Among the few hundred Trump loyalists on hand, Osmany Estrada, 40, stood draped in a Cuban and American flag with a pig’s head on a pike. He told The Daily Beast the severed head didn’t represent anything specific, but that he was simply making a “bold” statement.

While Trump was inside, Habba, a Trumpworld “celeb” whose practice is located in Bedminster, New Jersey, where Trump summers, gave an impromptu press conference to an audience of TV news crews. Prosecuting Trump was a political act, Habba claimed, disingenuously, before likening it—equally falsely—to “the type of thing you see in dictatorships like Cuba and Venezuela.”

“What is being done to the President Trump should terrify all citizens of our country,” Habba insisted, adding, “The people in charge of this country do not love America. They hate Donald Trump.”

Is Bringing the Trump Documents Case in Florida a Mistake?

As the day wore on, the heat started to take its toll. Many older Trump fans, who made up the bulk of the crowd earlier on, began to tap out as temperatures approached 90 degrees.

At one point before Trump arrived, cops cleared the area after getting word of a suspicious package on the courthouse grounds. It turned out to be a TV, reportedly planted by a man in a Trump hat, with the words “FUCK THE COMMUNIST CONTROLLED NEWS MEDIA” printed across the screen.

When the coterie of motorcycle cops accompanying Trump’s motorcade began preparing for the ex-president’s departure, a clutch of MAGA-ites began chanting, “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

Trump’s wife, former first lady Melania Trump, was notably absent on Tuesday, reportedly opting for a visit to the dentist instead.

Trump is accused of, among other offenses, violating the Espionage Act by refusing to hand over national security secrets he took to his Mar-a-Lago resort after he left office. Documents were stashed in storage rooms, a bathroom, Trump’s bedroom, and a ballroom accessible by visitors and staff, the feds say. After a subpoena was issued for the return of any classified material, Trump suggested his lawyers ignore it or just say “we don’t have anything here,” the indictment alleges.

Nauta is accused of moving boxes of documents around Mar-a-Lago after a subpoena was issued for the return of all classified materials, then lying to investigators.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FOUR – From Reuters

REACTIONS TO DONALD TRUMP'S ARREST, ARRAIGNMENT IN CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE

June 13, 2023 5:29 PM EDTUpdated 26 min ago

Former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in Miami federal court on Tuesday to criminal charges that he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.

Following are some comments in reaction to the news:

*Former President Donald Trump on Truth Social

"Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!"

*Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

Asked if he would still support Trump if he becomes the Republican presidential nominee and is convicted in the case, McConnell said: "I’m just simply not going to comment on the candidates.”

*Representative Elise Stefanik, chair of House Republican Conference

"Today is a dark day for our country as Joe Biden continues to fully weaponize the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024."

*Republican Senator Ted Cruz

"Looking at the indictment of Donald Trump, the double standard is a massive problem for the Department of Justice. Merrick Garland and Jack Smith have done nothing to address this."

ATTACHMENT TWENTY FIVE – From Guardian U.K.

MIAMI CATCHES GLIMPSE OF CIRCUS AS TRUMP GOES BEFORE JUDGE – AGAIN

Former president sat sullenly through 45-minute arraignment hearing as his supporters made a din outside federal court

By Richard Luscombe in Miami Tue 13 Jun 2023 17.55 EDT

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.”

There followed a robust discussion with magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman over conditions of bond. Trump will not have to surrender his passport, will not be barred from traveling domestically nor internationally, and will not have to put up any dollar amount for bail.

Yet he will be banned from talking about any aspect of the case with any “witness or victim,” which includes a range of characters from his secret service agents to his personal valet Waltine Nauda, his co-defendant who sat alongside him looking bewildered.

Watching on from the front row of the public gallery was department of justice special counsel Jack Smith, Trump’s latest ête noire, who brought this indictment from a Miami grand jury.

But he had to remain silent here, after launching torrents of disparaging rhetoric against Smith, Joe Biden and the president’s “weaponized” justice department in recent days in television interviews and his Truth Social network.

At the conclusion of the hearing, Trump turned and appeared to acknowledge the nine members of the public allowed in to watch, including one supporter in a red Make America Great Again cap, a Trump T-shirt and an eye patch.

Then he chatted briefly with his legal team, and made his way to the exit.

According to the US Marshals Service, Trump’s short booking process prior to the hearing was identical to that of any other defendant, although no mugshot was taken today, and no booking image will be released. Marshals indicated that enough photographs of Trump already existed for identification not to be an issue. Nor is he considered a flight risk.

Trump’s fingerprints, however, were taken, digitally, “so he won’t be rolling in ink”, a court official said. Also checked were his address, social security number, date of birth and “recent history”.

As for the mass protests promised by Trump’s supporters, and feared by Miami’s mayor Francis Suarez at a press conference on Monday, the searing south Florida heat appeared to have had its say.

Thousands looked to have gathered, and were noisy enough. Yet the 94F temperatures and energy-sapping humidity of late spring in Miami are a world away from the comparatively calm conditions of early January in Washington. Faced with a heavy courthouse presence of Miami police and federal officers in tactical gear and rifles, anyone intent on similar violence to that set upon the US Capitol on 6 January 2021 were unlikely to achieve a similar result.

By late morning Tuesday, only pockets of Trump loyalists, some on bicycles with oversized flags, others in Maga caps, and adorned in Stars and Stripes attire, had shown up in the media encampment on the courthouse plaza.

By lunchtime, their numbers had swelled, as had those who welcomed the arraignment. One man holding a celebratory cardboard trophy bearing the words “Trump Indictment Tour 2023” was in animated discussion with a couple wrapped in yellow Don’t Tread On Me flags beloved by the Maga faithful.

Circling the perimeter, a pick-up truck pulled a box trailer painted, with no hint of irony, to resemble a jail cell, with Biden and other Democrats peering from behind bars. “We are taking America back” an accompanying message stated.

At the hearing’s commencement, Trump’s supporters were four to five deep at the police tape, watched by police on bicycles but making no moves to pass it. By its conclusion many had retreated to the shadows of the tall railway station on the west side of the courthouse building, close to where the Trump motorcade was waiting.

The convoy had made the short journey from the Trump resort in Doral, west of downtown, where he spent the night, and accessed the courthouse complex underground. Trump entered the courthouse by a tunnel, escorted by secret service agents, and took an escalator to Goodman’s 13th floor courtroom.

He left the same way en route to the airport, and his flight back to New Jersey.

Back on the plaza, supporters who hadn’t even caught a glimpse of their champion continued to chant for him.

“I don’t know if he broke the law, but really, does it matter?” Felix Castillo, a 44-year-old Cuban American from Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood said.

“Whatever he did has been exaggerated by Biden, and that’s the real crime here. Biden had documents too, why isn’t he here?”

Trump, meanwhile, moves on, free to continue airing his grievances at Bedminster, on Truth Social or wherever, as he focuses on the next hearing in this case, an upcoming trial in New York on charges related to a hush money payment to an adult movie star, and possible future indictments for the 6 January insurrection and election interference in Georgia.

In Miami, the circus tent is down, for now at least, and Trump’s traveling show has left town. In the wings, its lead and only performer, is preparing for his next turn.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SIX – From CBS

WHY TRUMP DIDN'T GET A MUGSHOT — AND WASN'T EVEN TECHNICALLY ARRESTED — AT HIS ARRAIGNMENT

By LIN O'KANE JUNE 13, 2023 / 5:59 PM / CBS NEWS

Former President Donald Trump was arraigned on at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday – but since he is a former commander-in-chief, his arraignment followed a slightly different process than is typical. 

Trump's attorney and spokesperson Alina Habba, who gave a statement while Trump was in the courthouse, responded to questions from CBS News about whether the former president had been arrested, fingerprinted and had a booking photo — commonly called a mugshot — taken: "President Trump is in a very unique position where he doesn't need to be given a mugshot, obviously," Habba said. "He is not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the GOP at the moment. He is going through a process that has been coordinated with Secret Service and it will all be handled seamlessly."

Law enforcement carries out an arrest when there is probable cause that a crime has been committed.

An arraignment is different. It happens after an indictment has been filed and is the defendant's first appearance in court where they are read their rights and the charges against them. It is during the arraignment they enter their plea. Trump was not arrested and handcuffed; instead, he surrendered himself and showed up to his arraignment. 

In federal courts, the defendant is typically processed after being arraigned, but Trump completed the booking process before he entered the courtroom. Trump was expected to be swabbed for DNA, which goes into a database and is required in the federal court system. He was also fingerprinted. 

He was not handcuffed, but instead in the custody of the U.S. Marshals, according to an official familiar with the arraignment. 

Instead of having a booking photo taken, officials downloaded an official photograph. In the federal court system, cameras are not allowed inside courtrooms and if mugshots are taken, they are not released, says CBS News legal analyst Rikki Klieman.

The process was similar during his first arraignment, on state charges, at a lower Manhattan court in April. There, Trump was not handcuffed and did not have a "perp walk," where the defendant is walked into the building within public view. Only still cameras were allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom. 

He also didn't have a booking photo taken during his New York arraignment. Despite the absence of the shot, his campaign began selling T-shirts with a black-and-white image of Trump that resembles a booking photo, but was not. 

Following the booking process, Trump and his attorneys entered the courtroom shortly before 3 p.m. There, he, via his attorney Todd Blanche, entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.

"Your honor, we most certainly enter a plea of not guilty," Blanche said. 

While there were glimpses of Trump during his first arraignment as he walked from the courtroom, there was no public sighting of Trump at the Miami courthouse, except for his motorcade. 

Similar to the New York case, Trump did not need to post bail, but the court may impose restrictions on him, Klieman said. The GOP presidential candidate did not have to surrender his passport and is not restricted from travel either within the U.S. or internationally. But the court also said Trump is not allowed to communicate with codefendant Walt Nauta specifically about the facts of the case. During the New York arraignment, conditions were not set.

The former president was indicted last week on 37 counts related to sensitive documents brought from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago golf club.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY SEVEN – From Guardian U.K.

TRUMP CLAIMS ‘POLITICAL PERSECUTION’ IN SPEECH AFTER ARRAIGNMENT

Former president accused of wilfully withholding classified documents and obstructing justice, and is charged with 37 counts

Maanvi Singh Tue 13 Jun 2023 22.08 EDT

Hours after facing criminal charges for the alleged mishandling of classified documents, Donald Trump told a crowd of supporters at his golf resort in New Jersey that his indictments were a “corrupt” and “political pursuit” designed to destroy him.

Donors and supporters chanted Trump’s name, cheered him on and sang “happy birthday”. “I just got charged,” joked the former president, who turns 77 on Wednesday. “A wonderful birthday.”

The former president was in Miami earlier in the day for his arraignment in the classified documents case. Federal prosecutors have accused him of wilfully withholding classified documents and obstructing justice, charging him with 37 federal counts including 31 violations of the Espionage Act.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges, and was released on bond on the condition that he would not discuss the case with a list of witnesses. On the campaign trail, Trump has been determined to fight back in the court of opinion, keeping a busy schedule of campaign appearances and photo opportunities. In Miami, his campaign alerted reporters that he would be stopping at a restaurant, where faith leaders and fans greeted him with prayers and cheers.

In New Jersey, he maintained the defiant message that he had practiced at previous campaign events, including over the weekend after the indictment was unsealed. He baselessly accused Biden of orchestrating the federal charges against him, calling them a “political persecution”. In a remarkable moment of projection, the twice-impeached, twice-indicted president who is being investigated for election interference said Biden “will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country, but perhaps even more importantly, the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits and Marxists tried to destroy American democracy”.

Trump also called Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought federal charges against him, “deranged” and a “thug”.

He misconstrued the Presidential Records Act, which he has been accused of violating, and balked at charges over “possessing my own presidential papers, which just about every other president has done”. In fact, the classified documents are not Trump’s own – the Presidential Records Act stipulates that all official documents belong to the federal government. And no president in recent history has refused to return hoards of classified documents.

The ex-president’s escalating tenor comes with mounting legal troubles. Last month, a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict Trump and local prosecutors brought criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. Meanwhile Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton county, Georgia, is investigating whether he and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 elections in the state, and is weighing criminal charges.

“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,” Trump promised cheering supporters nonetheless. “I will totally obliterate the deep state.”

The event Tuesday also served as a fundraiser. The Trump campaign told Politico that it expects to raise $2m at Bedminster. Immediately after his arraignment, a blast to supporters advertised “I stand with Trump” T-shirts, free with a $47 donation, “show the Deep State and the Left that there’s not an attack on the face of this planet that can stop this movement”.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday found that the vast majority of Republicans – 81% – said the federal criminal charges against Trump were politically motivated, and the indictment did not appear to affect Trump’s leading support in the Republican presidential nomination contest.

With the Republican base’s loyal support, Trump has also put his 2024 competitors in a difficult position – they can either choose to prop him up, or risk alienating core voters.

“They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you,” Trump said in New Jersey. “And I just happened to be standing in their way.”

Fox News, whose hosts had begun to distance themselves from the former president after a $787.5m settlement in defamation lawsuit over their airing of Trump and his supporters’ and US election lies, went back to breathlessly backing him.

Over a split screen of Trump’s speech in New Jersey and Biden’s at the White House Juneteenth celebration, the network’s chyron read: “Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested.”

ATTACHMENT TWENTY EIGHT – From the Guardian U.K.

FOX NEWS LABELS JOE BIDEN A ‘WANNABE DICTATOR’ DURING TRUMP SPEECH

Fox was the only major cable news network to carry the former US president’s speech live following his arraignment hearing earlier in the day

By Royce Kurmelovs Tue 13 Jun 2023 23.43 EDT

Fox News labelled US president Joe Biden a “wannabe dictator” who attempted to have “his political rival arrested” during a live broadcast of Donald Trump’s post-arraignment speech.

The network was the only major cable news network to carry Trump’s Tuesday evening speech live, with CNN and MSNBC choosing not to air the address.

Towards the end of the speech, viewers were presented with a split screen carrying a separate speech from Biden at the White House. Below the image, the news chyron read: “wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested”.

Keeping cameras out of court denied the public the sight of Trump at bay

The text remained on screen until Sean Hannity came to air at 9pm.

Fox News has been contacted for comment.

During his speech, Trump claimed he was the victim of political “persecution”, baselessly accused Biden of directing efforts to prosecute him and said Biden was “the most corrupt president in the history of the United States”.

Trump has been both impeached and indicted twice, and is currently under investigation for election interference.

In explaining the decision not to broadcast the speech live, CNN news anchor Jake Tapper told viewers, “frankly [Trump] says a lot of things that are not true and sometimes potentially dangerous.”

Similar comments were made by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow who said “there is a cost to us as a news organisation to knowingly broadcast untrue things.”

“We are here to bring you the news,” Maddow said. “It hurts our ability to do that if we live broadcast what we fully expect in advance to be a litany of lies and false accusations, no matter who says them.”

Earlier Trump attended a courthouse in Florida where he pleaded not guilty to 37 counts of concealing materials containing national secrets, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act.

The former President was released on bond on the condition he would not discuss the case with a list of witness.

These are not his only legal troubles, with a grand jury in Manhattan voting to indict Trump last month over hush many payments made to Stormy Daniels.

Trump and his campaign managers are also being investigated in Fulton county, Georgia over allegations they illegally meddled in the 2020 elections in the state.

ATTACHMENT TWENTY NINE – From the Independent U.K.

TRUMP INDICTMENT - LIVE: TRUMP GREETS FANS WITH FREE FOOD AFTER ARREST, NOT GUILTY PLEA AT MIAMI ARRAIGNMENT

Donald Trump has entered a plea at his arraignment to face 37 charges laid out in a federal indictment over his handling of classified documents

By Oliver O'Connell, Ariana Baio, Rachel Sharp and Namita Singh (June 13, Untimed)

Bottom of Form

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in a Miami courthouse on 37 charges over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, as he becomes the first current or former US president to ever face federal criminal charges.

The former president sat stonefaced in court and the plea was entered by his lawyer Todd Blanche. He arrived for his arraignment alongside codefendant Walt Nauta, at a federal court in the Southern District of Florida shortly before 2pm ET for the 3pm hearing. He had previously vowed to plead not guilty to all charges.Trump vows to appeal against verdict in E Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

Despite his confidence and extensive protestations online, The Independent exclusively revealed that Mr Trump was struggling to find attorneys willing to defend him in Florida.

Miami officials meanwhile were braced for protests outside the courthouse with Mayor Francis Suarez saying at a press conference that the city is enacting plans to “make sure that everyone has a right to peacefully express themselves and exercise their constitutional rights” in “an obviously peaceful manner”.

After the hearing Mr Trump and Mr Nauta stopped at a famous family-owned Cuban restaurant in Little Havana where supporters sang Happy Birthday to him. He turns 77 tomorrow.

·

KEY POINTS

· Trump arrives at federal court to face 37-count indictment

· Trump struggles to find defence counsel for Miami arraignment

· The federal charges against Donald Trump

· Trump now claims classified documents were ‘planted’ in Mar-a-Lago boxes in wild arraignment morning rant

· No new mugshot and no handcuffs, source says

Earlier: Chaos erupts as protester in prison garb jumps in front of Trump motorcade

Chaos erupted in Miami after a protester jumped in front of former President Donald Trump’s motorcade as he left the federal courthouse after pleading not guilty to the 37 counts against him in connection to his alleged mishandling of national defence information.

In an interview with The Independent before the incident took place, the protester identified himself as Domenic Santana.

Andrew Feinberg and Gustaf Kilander report.

First court sketches appear of historic arraignment

Oliver O'Connell13 June 2023 23:02

Watch: Biden raises a laugh with reference to turning in his notes

Oliver O'Connell13 June 2023 22:58

Trump has jubilant supporters pray over him and sing him ‘Happy Birthday’

Donald Trump was met with a circus scene on Tuesday in Miami as he was in Florida to face 37 federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

After the hearing Mr Trump and Mr Nauta stopped at a famous family-owned Cuban restaurant in Little Havana where supporters sang Happy Birthday to him. He turns 77 tomorrow.

·

In a packed restaurant in Little Havana, supporters alternatively prayed over the ex-president and sang him a happy birthday, in honour of his 77th birthday, which is on Wednesday.

Mr Trump also posed for a photo with MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal and declared, “Food for everyone!” inspiring cheers from his fans.

Josh Marcus reports.

Trump has jubilant supporters pray and sing him ‘Happy Birthday’ after arrest

Ex-president facing 37 charges related to handling of classified documents

Oliver O'Connell13 June 2023 22:30

Meanwhile... here’s what Ron DeSantis did today

Oliver O'Connell13 June 2023 22:05

Melania is a no-show at Trump’s second arrest

Melania Trump was a no-show at her husband’s arrest and arraignment on Tuesday – marking the second time that she has skipped out on one of his criminal cases.

Donald Trump surrendered to authorities in Miami on Tuesday afternoon and was arrested on a slew of 37 federal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified documents since leaving the White House.

The former president then appeared for his arraignment in federal court, pleading not guilty to the charges which he has repeatedly lambasted as nothing more than a “witch hunt”.

While crowds of Mr Trump’s fans and MAGA loyalists gathered outside the courthouse in a show of support, the former first lady was nowhere to be seen.

Rachel Sharp has the story.

While crowds of Trump fans and MAGA loyalists gathered outside the courthouse in a show of support, the former first lady was nowhere to be seen

Oliver O'Connell13 June 2023 22:00

Trump thanks Miami for ‘warm welcome'

After his arraignment and stop at the Versailles Cuban restaurant at which people sang ‘Happy Birthday’, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social:

Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!

Oliver O'Connell 13 June 2023 21:58

Trump supporters verbally attack Miami’s Republican mayor outside Trump arraignment

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican reportedly considering a campaign for president, was called a “swamp monster” by an irate Donald Trump supporter outside the courthouse where the former president is set to be arraigned on federal charges today.

Mr Suarez, 45, has been critical of Mr Trump in the past and reportedly did not vote for him for president in 2020.

Abe Asher reports.

Trump supporters attack Miami’s Republican mayor outside Trump arraignment

Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican, called a ‘swamp monster’ outside arraignment

Bottom of Form

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, a Republican reportedly days away from launching a campaign for president, was called a “swamp monster” by an irate Donald Trump supporter outside the courthouse where the former president is set to be arraigned on federal charges today.

Mr Suarez, 45, has been critical of Mr Trump in the past and reportedly did not vote for him for president in 2020. That presumably did not endear him to supporters of the former president, who has plead not guilty to a plethora of charges regarding his handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency and alleged attempts to impede the government’s attempts to get documents back.

“We’ve got a Deep State corrupt mayor!” a Trump supporter screamed at Mr Suarez as he made his way towards the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve got a Deep State swamp monster! We’ve got a swamp monster folks! We’ve got a big swamp monster! Swamp’s getting rounded up, baby! Time’s coming, baby! The swamp’s getting taken down, and you’re getting taken down, brother.”

Trump vows to appeal against verdict in E Jean Carroll sexual abuse case

The indictment of Mr Trump over his handling of classified documents has once again inflamed the passions of his most ardent supporters, who are arguing that the prosecution of the former president amounts to a political witch-hunt against him as he campaigns to reclaim the White House next year.

That is now, however, a view shared by everyone who served with him in his first presidential administration. William Barr, the former attorney general, called the notion that Mr Trump is a victim in the situation “ridiculous,” and Mike Pompeo, the former Secretary of State, said that, if the allegations against the former president are true, his behaviour was “wrong.”

Mr Trump is the first former president ever charged with federal crimes — with his indictment in Florida coming just months after his indictment in New York for his alleged role in a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

·

Mr Suarez has no connection to the case, except that it is playing out in the town where he is mayor. The timing, however, is interesting: Mr Suarez suggested to a reporter on Tuesday morning that he will formally kick off his bid for the White House with a speech on Thursday.

When Mr Suarez enters the race, his most formidable opponent will be Mr Trump. He will also have to contend with the presence of his state’s governor Ron DeSantis, who has staunchly defended Mr Trump in the doucments case even as Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked him since the beginning of the year.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY – From Variety

Donald Trump Arrested, Booked on Federal Charges in Miami Court for Mishandling Classified Documents; Ex-President Pleads Not Guilty

By William Earl (June 13, 2023 Untimed)

Donald Trump arrived at a federal courthouse in Miami on June 13, where he was placed under arrest and booked on charges relating to mishandling of classified documents. He was arraigned in front of magistrate judge Jonathan Goodman, according to the New York Times.

Trump did not have to take a mug shot, given that there are many pictures of him that could be used for identification purposes, but he did have to submit digital fingerprints and share his social security number and date of birth during the booking process.

The former president has been accused of trying to hide and lying about classified documents in an indictment that was filed on June 8. Trump formally entered a plea of “not guilty” to special counsel Jack Smith’s 37 charges tied to the documents.

Walt Nauta, who is Trump’s personal aide, was also at the federal court, as he was also accused of lying to investigators and hiding boxes with confidential paperwork. Nauta did not enter a plea but was rather granted an extension until June 27 in order to find local representation.

Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump, spoke to reporters at the courthouse, explaining why the former president was given different treatment compared to other defendants. “President Trump is in a very unique position where he does not need to be given a mugshot, obviously,” she said. “He’s not a flight risk. He is the leading candidate of the GOP at the moment. He is going through a process that has been coordinated with the Secret Service and it will all be handled seamlessly.”

ATTACHMENT THIRTY ONE – From the Independent U.K.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE JOINS CHORUS of VIOLENT RHETORIC over TRUMP INDICTMENT

“Retribuiton is coming”

By Oliver O’Connell

Bottom of Form

Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News host and Trump adviser — and also fiancé to Donald Trump Jr — has joined the chorus of violent rhetoric that has erupted from the right following the indictment of the former president.

Known for her bombastic presentation style, Ms Guilfoyle is often one of the most vocal supporters of Donald Trump.

After the indictment of the former president on 37 charges relating to the trove of classified documents he retained following his time in office and refused to return to the federal government, Ms Guilfoyle did not hold back.

Watch again: Special Counsel Jack Smith briefs reporters on Trump's indictment

On Instagram, she posted a picture of Mr Trump at his arraignment in New York after his first indictment with the ominous words: “Retribution is coming.”

She captioned the picture: “The compromised DOJ and the corrupt FBI will not stop President Trump from Making America GREAT once Again!”

Further parts of the post included screenshots of tweets from other Trump loyalist personalities including her fiancé, as well as Elon Musk.

Another picture of the former president is included in the post and shows him dramatically pointing toward the camera with text reading: “In reality they’re not after me they’re after you,” followed by: “I’m just in the way.”

Among the other rightwing personalities issuing threats over the indictment of Mr Trump is Kari Lake, the GOP nominee and election denier who lost the 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election.

She issued an incendiary warning to the Biden administration on Friday that those wishing to go after Mr Trump would have to go through her and all those who supported Mr Trump in the 2020 election – 75 million people.

Ms Guilfoyle’s most notorious moment in her time advising then-president Trump was at the 2020 Republican National Convention when she gave a recorded speech that was widely lampooned for rising to a crescendo in which she exclaimed with arms outstretched: “The best is yet to come!”

In much of the speech she denounced Democrat-run California — notable because she was previously married to Gavin Newsom, then Mayor of San Francisco, now the current governor of the state

ATTACHMENT THIRTY TWO – From Mother Jones

DONALD TRUMP ARRESTED, AGAIN

Two history-making surrenders in a little over two months.

By Inae Oh

On the eve of his 77th birthday, Donald Trump was arraigned in Miami federal court on Tuesday, marking the former president’s second surrender in a little over two months after he pleaded not guilty to hush money charges back in April.

As expected, he pleaded not guilty to federal charges related to his mishandling of classified documents. He will soon head to his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club where, as he did after his April arraignment, Trump will deliver a speech that’s all but certain to feature a similarly tedious banquet of lies and false claims accusing the Justice Department of engineering a political hit job. 

The day’s events, while extraordinary, Two history-making surrenders in a little over two months are also part of a well-padded pattern. The first US president to get impeached twice is now the first former US president to surrender to federal charges. Though he joins a small list of former presidents who sought the White House after leaving office, Trump is almost certainly the most scandal-ridden and legally perilous former president to attempt it. And with the grand jury investigation in Georgia over his alleged efforts to interfere in the 2020 election expected to wrap up this summer, Trump stands to continue the ignominious, history-making courtroom appearances. Don’t forget, he also lost a civil suit for sexual assault this month, too.

How is all this drama playing out in the Republican presidential field? Most, including Ron DeSantis, have echoed Trump’s attacks on the Justice Department. Chris Christie is using the news cycle to boost his angle as a chief critic of the former president. In a more spectacular twist, Vivek Ramaswamy is pledging to pardon Trump if he becomes president. And Nikki Haley is once again flip-flopping.

This post has been updated with new developments.

THE REST of the WEEK

@begin

ATTACHMENT THIRTY THREE – From the Guardian U.K.

DONALD TRUMP’S ARREST IS UGLY BUT IT’S ALSO DEMOCRACY IN ACTION

Justice for the lawless Trump has been far too long in coming. But who knows whether he really will be held responsible in the long run

By Margaret Sullivan, Wed 14 Jun 2023 03.18 EDT

Amid the palm fronds and the red baseball caps, after a motorcade on a Florida highway and before a shameful fundraiser at a New Jersey golf resort, the moment finally arrived.

Donald Trump was arrested and formally charged with federal crimes – a first for an American former president. He was hit with 37 counts, to be precise, related to his retaining and failing to return the reams of sensitive classified documents that weren’t his to keep.

There will be no civil war over Trump. Here’s why

Naturally, Trump insisted on his innocence. “We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” his lawyer said in court on Tuesday afternoon.

Bizarre as this historic episode was, it also seemed familiar. There was Trump waving as he approached the federal courthouse in Miami, wearing his usual boxy blue suit and too-long red tie, after denying everything that is obvious and depicting himself as the aggrieved victim of a politicized system.

“I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the history of our Country and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential election,” he declared in one recent social media post, adding his trademark all-caps kicker: “I AM AN INNOCENT MAN.”

His self-defense, as usual, is not strong on logic.

Trump continually tries to draw a connection where there isn’t one: between being popular and being above the law. Maybe it works like that in authoritarian countries, but it’s not the American way.

His facts are twisted out of context, too. Recall that Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016; she had the largest popular vote margin of any losing presidential candidate in American history; and, of course, in 2020, Trump lost altogether – and decisively – to Joe Biden.

Tuesday’s day-long spectacle was inevitable. So was Trump’s victimized rhetoric – “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he insisted to one interviewer in recent days, even though we’ve all seen the images of sensitive documents sitting beneath a chandelier in a gaudy Mar-a-Lago bathroom.

And some of us have read the stunning indictment, more persuasive than even that damning photograph.

So stunning that even the longtime Trump loyalist, former attorney general Bill Barr, opined (on Fox News, no less) that he was “shocked by the degree of sensitivity of these documents and how many there were, frankly”.

Barr added, memorably, about the indictment, “If even half of it is true, he’s toast.”

Even the invertebrate South Carolina Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, expressed some mild misgivings when a reporter asked him if Trump might be at fault. “Most politicians get in trouble,” Graham allowed, “because of self-inflicted wounds.” It almost sounded like criticism; he’ll have to pay for that.

The spectacle, the lies, the whining – all predictable, and in some ways, meaningless

The spectacle, the lies, the whining – all predictable, and in some ways, meaningless. What matters is that, in a democracy, laws matter and they should apply to everyone.

And of course, it ought to be noted that, in practice, the rule of law doesn’t apply equally to everyone, as civil rights lawyer Alec Karakatsanis observed in an astringent Yale Law Journal piece a few years ago. He wrote about the US’s brutal “punishment bureaucracy” that unfairly disadvantages poor people and people of color – throwing them in prison for minor offenses, and making a mockery of the idealistic idea that our criminal justice system is objective.

Through that realistic lens, Trump is at a huge advantage in the justice system. With his array of lawyers, his deep pockets, his cult following, the federal judges he appointed, his ability to sway public opinion and his immense political power, he is light years from being a singled-out victim.

So yes, it’s heartening to see some modicum of the rule of law holding sway in Trump’s latest arrest. It’s encouraging to see the myriad ways that the legal system is beginning to catch up to him in New York, in Georgia and in Washington.

But justice for the lawless Trump has been far too long in coming. And who knows whether he really will be held responsible in the long run, or whether he’ll find a way, as usual, to escape accountability.

There’s really nothing for this former president and forever conman to cry about – except his own endless misdeeds, should he ever decide to cop to them.

· Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FOUR – From Time

DONALD TRUMP’S VERY GOOD, SUPER AWESOME, UNBELIEVABLE DAY GETTING ARRESTED

BY PHILIP ELLIOTT  JUNE 14, 2023 7:10 PM EDT | ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JUNE 14, 2023 11:53 AM EDT

Donald Trump on Tuesday once again made history, becoming the first U.S. President to face a federal criminal indictment. Even in such proximity to disgrace, it may have been—in Trump’s unique and narrow perspective—his best day since Election Day 2020.00:09 / 00:30

Trump dominated the national conversation as he pleaded not guilty through an attorney to charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents and obstruction of officials trying to fetch them back. Helicopter footage carried his pilgrimage to the federal courthouse in Miami and his egress to a quasi-surprise stop at a local Cuban restaurant, where he likened his political “persecution” to Latin American nations. “Food for everyone,” Trump declared on Calle Ocho—as if his take-out stop weren’t happening right after he was placed under arrest—before fleeing back to New Jersey. There, his plane’s arrival received breaking-news status as if it were Air Force One landing in Kabul. The news choppers overhead documented his motorcade’s return to his golf club in Bedminster, N.J. And, once there, a rally-like atmosphere greeted him for a campaign-style speech that brought forth his favorite Whataboutisms, $2 million in fundraising, and an impromptu singalong of Happy Birthday on the eve of his 77th.

It was as if it were a normal day of The Trump Show. The annoyance of the court appearance seemed like merely an irksome intermission to the wall-to-wall party energy that he feeds on.

The legal threats facing Trump are serious. Although he doesn’t face “400 years” of jail time as he has taken to telling audiences, he could face a stretch in the clink if he is convicted of the 37 counts listed in the federal indictment. While Trump hasn’t paid a political price for the alleged mishandling of presidential papers—including some of the nation’s most sensitive national security secrets—that doesn’t guarantee Republican primary voters won’t eventually get wise to the risks of nominating a figure who may have to detour from the campaign trail to attend a federal trial as a defendant. (He is also set to go to trial next year in a separate state case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over alleged falsification of business records in order to cover up hush money payments to a former porn star; those charges, brought in April, resulted in him becoming the first President to ever be criminally indicted, period. He has pleaded not guilty.) Trump’s poll numbers are, amazingly, up slightly. Partisans have rallied to his defense, parroting his talking points about an out-of-control justice system that is hounding him unfairly. But it’s also likely this piece of Trump’s legacy could take months to play out, and patience can grow thin and voices of support more feeble the longer it takes. Looming potential charges in Georgia and D.C. would only complicate matters.

If Trump understands any of this, that wasn’t apparent in his public performances on Tuesday. Don’t for a minute think that the set pieces weren’t choreographed by Trump, who has an eerie sense at all times of where the lighting is best, the cameras are prepositioned, and the audience is most receptive.

Trump sat silently during the 50-minute, unprecedented appearance Tuesday on the 13th floor of a federal courthouse in Miami, where a mostly pro-Trump crowd of more than 1,000 gathered outside with flags and MAGA hats. Trump kept his arms folded tightly over his chest during the hearing, played with a pen, and declined to swivel his head to see the reporters, supporters, and gawkers crammed into the room. He never seemed to make eye contact with Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought the charges. The ex-President was slow to rise when the judge wrapped up and appeared to the reporters in the room to be numb to the events that unfolded around him, seemingly indifferent to the very real peril he and his political future faced. It was classic Trump the Brooder.

But the former reality television star knows the narrative matters more than substance, at least in his orbit. Moments later, his motorcade climbed from the underground garage and ferried him to Versailles, the iconic Cuban outpost in Little Havana. Trump’s supporters had been tipped off, and there were cameras on hand to capture his smile and quick post-game debrief, as if it were an Apprentice confessional. Trump the Producer knew he couldn’t leave the motorcade as the only video the networks would loop during his flight back to Newark, N.J. Meanwhile, his biggest boosters on TV began spouting his defense: “There’s no dead bodies,” Fox’s Jesse Watters said in an attempt to dismiss the seriousness of Trump’s alleged crimes. In primetime on Fox, the graphic on the lower quarter of the screen carried the caption: “Wannabe Dictator Speaks at the White House After Having His Political Rival Arrested.” (A Fox News spokesperson said in a statement that “the chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed.”)

And once at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, the ex-President faced a crowd of fans on the steps of the brick clubhouse, where he lingered in the glow—of adoration and of iPhone camera screens alike—for a full two minutes and 18 seconds before he took to the podium in front of of the four-column portico that bore a passing resemblance to the White House in the tight camera shot. The campaign had scheduled the evening—the first major fundraiser of his 2024 bid for the White House, slated to pick up $2 million—before they knew the boss would have to be in Florida that day, but there were no serious talks of canceling it. If anything, the allure of seeing Trump the Rockstar on such a momentous day made it an even hotter ticket for deep-pocketed diehards. He leaned into grievance even as his allies feted his Wednesday birthday. “Some birthday! We’ve got a government that’s out of control,” Trump said.

It would be tempting to fact-check Trump’s remarks that ricocheted off proven misleading statements about Hillary Clinton’s emails, Joe Biden’s papers, and Bill Clinton’s audio diaries. Others have done able jobs, but let’s just stipulate that much of it was false, misleading, and mean-spirited. Trump called the charges against him “fake and fabricated” from a hard-left activist-prosecutor.

Trump also amplified and mangled the latest allegations that there are audio recordings of members of the Biden family accepting Ukrainian bribes. Biden has called the accusations “malarkey” and it isn’t clear that anyone has actually heard these tapes; that has never stopped Trump. “This day will go down in infamy, and Joe Biden will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt President in the history of our country, but perhaps even more importantly, the President who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits, and Marxists tried to destroy American democracy,” Trump seethed. “But they will fail and we will win bigger and better than before.”

That unproven rhetoric has already become canon for Trump’s acolytes; even Trump’s rivals for the 2024 nomination have come to his defense, realizing so many Republicans are immune to new information about Trump that would dent their hagiographic worship of his movement. Trump is the Republican Party, and the Republican Party is Trumpism.

And yet…

Never before has someone with so much power seemed so weak. Trump bounced from excuse to excuse the way a teenager does when confronted with a story that is crumbling. First, he seemed to suggest the search of Mar-a-Lago in August was “staged by the FBI,” which then misrepresented what they found: “They put them there, took the picture, and released it illegally to the press.” Then Trump said he could do anything he wanted with his papers, as though official government documents were a tricycle he didn’t have to share. And then they weren’t even papers, but rather memorabilia like shoes and T-shirts and snapshots. And then… And then…

Trump’s survival has rested on his talent to distract his audiences and misdirect their attention. Trump is the David Blaine of American politics. But Three-card Monte only works when there is one trick. Trump seems to be enamored by a half-dozen sleights of narrative, and he seems to think the ever-changing story that worked in politics will find similar success in a courtroom. He may soon be disabused of this notion.

But Trump has uncanny luck, and he may survive the legal threats. Trump the Stage Manager has a preternatural ability to confuse facts and dodge accountability. But unlike his two impeachment trials—again, history-making—Trump cannot count on partisan allies in the Senate to dodge convictions. Unlike Senators, jurors don’t live in fear of Trump turning on them and ending their political careers. The audience is bigger than ever for Trump, but so are the risks. He just hasn’t quite recognized that a Nielsen number doesn’t inoculate against accountability. At least not always.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FIVE – From REV Transcripts

TRUMP RESPONDS TO CHARGES IN SPEECH FOLLOWING ARRAIGNMENT IN FEDERAL COURT TRANSCRIPT

Jun 14, 2023

At his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, former President Trump speaks out following his arraignment in a Miami federal court stemming from charges connected to his handling of classified documents. Read the transcript here.

Audience (00:00):

USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.

President Donald Trump (00:00):

Well, thank you very much. Thank you. It’s a great honor to have you here. And today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abusive power in the history of our country, a very sad thing to watch. A corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he’s losing very badly. This is called election interference and yet another attempt to rig and steal a presidential election. But more importantly, it’s a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or a communist nation. This day will go down an infamy and Joe Biden will forever be remembered as not only the most corrupt president in the history of our country, but perhaps even more importantly, the president who together with a band of his closest thugs, misfits, and Marxists, tried to destroy American democracy. But they will fail and we will win bigger and better than ever before.

(01:25)
Charging a former president of the United States under the Espionage Act of 1917 wasn’t meant for this, an act for a crime so heinous that only the death penalty would do. And threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers, which just about every other president has done, is one of the most outrageous and vicious legal theories ever put forward in an American court of law. The Espionage Act has been used to go after traitors and spies. It has nothing to do with a former president legally keeping his own documents.

(02:08)
As president, the law that applies to this case is not the Espionage Act, but very simply the Presidential Records Act, which is not even mentioned in this ridiculous 44-page indictment. Under the Presidential Records Act, which is civil, not criminal, I had every right to have these documents. The crucial legal precedent is laid out in the most important case ever on the subject known as the Clinton socks case. You know what that means?

(02:45)
After leaving the White House, Bill Clinton kept 79 audio tapes in his sock drawer. They included discussions of US military involvement in Haiti, discussions of US foreign policy, both defense and offense, against Cuba, recordings of President Clinton’s conversations with all of the many foreign leaders at the time, think of that, sensitive facts about trade negotiations taken from presidential briefings, discussions with the Secretary of State about conflict in Bosnia and much, much more, very big stuff.

(03:25)
Not only was Bill Clinton never even considered for criminal prosecution based on the tapes he took, but when he was sued for them, he won the case. Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s decision states under the statutory scheme established by the Presidential Records Act, “The decision to segregate personal materials from presidential records is made by the president during the president’s term, and in the president’s sole discretion.” You’re surprised to hear that aren’t you?

(04:06)
Any normal administration, even an opposing one, would consider that to be the end, but not the corrupt Biden administration. The socks decision, as it’s known, also states, “The National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, does not have the authority to designate material as presidential records.” I don’t have the authority. NARA does not have the tapes in question, and NARA lacks any right duty or means to seize control of them. This is law. The president enjoys unconstrained authority to make decisions regarding the disposal of documents, that’s unconstrained, to make that decision. Neither the archivist nor Congress has the authority to veto the President’s decision.

(04:59)
The Presidential Records Act does not confer any mandatory or even discretionary authority on the archivist to classify records. Under the statute, this responsibility is left solely to the president of the United States. Think of that. That’s the decision. Think of that. Now, just think of that. In other words, whatever documents a president decides to take with him, he has the right to do so. It’s an absolute right. This is the law. And that is something that people have now seen and it couldn’t be more clear. They ought to drop this case immediately because they’re destroying a country.

(05:50)
And this is why no other president, even those who kept far more documents than I, has ever been even investigated, let alone charged with a crime, because the sham indictment put forward by the Biden administration included staged photographs of boxes at Mar-a-Lago. Many people have asked me why I had these boxes. “Why did you want them?”

(06:17)
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 and everything. As can be seen in the picture where someone, not me, I wonder who it might have been, dumped one of the very neatly arranged boxes all over the floor, they were full of newspapers, press clippings, thousands of pictures, thousands and thousands of White House pictures. The White House photographers, some are with us today. They took so many pictures and we saved all of them and they were in those boxes, clothing, memorabilia, and much, much more. I hadn’t had a chance to go through all the boxes. It’s a long, tedious job. It takes a long time, which I was prepared to do, but I have a very busy life. I’ve had a very busy life. They make it more busy because you’re always fighting. And under the socks decision, there seemed to be no rush. I wasn’t in a rush because that decision was law.

(07:28)
The other picture that was so vile, you remember that one, it was angry and corrupt, was the photo staged by the FBI. And those that rated Mar-a-Lago, they were putting documents all over the floor. Remember that famous picture? All over, said “confidential,” said “presidential,” said all sorts of things. And it was supposed to be there like it was that way when they raided. It wasn’t that way; they put them there, took the picture, and released it illegally to the press. They took my medical records, my passport, my birth certificate, and apologized. They even brought a safe cracker. This is a professional safe cracker they brought into Mar-a-Lago, and they broke into my safe. And you know what they found? Nothing. There was nothing there, nothing there, zero.

(08:22)
According to the Presidential Records Act, which was a big deal, I was supposed to negotiate with NARA, which is exactly what I was doing until Mar-a-Lago was raided by gun-toting FBI agents. I have security tapes of it. I gave them security tapes of everything, in a flagrant violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which protects the right against unreasonable search and seizure. And Sebastian, you covered very well, I must say, very well.

(09:00)
I’m not the one who thinks I’m above the law; I’m the one that followed the law. I’m the only one. It’s Joe Biden and his corrupt department of injustice who think they are above the law. Never before have the two standards of justice in our country been more starkly revealed. Joe Biden had troves of classified documents from his time as vice president and even as a senator, which was completely and totally illegal. In fact, other senators heard about it. Dick Durbin heard about it. You have to see his response, “There’s no way. That’s totally illegal.” Took them as a senator out of a skiff. They were shocked when they found out. They actually thought it was impossible to do.

(09:46)
Biden sent 1,850 boxes to the University of Delaware making the search very, very difficult for anybody. And he refuses to give them up, and he refuses to let people even look at them. And then they say how he’s behaving so nicely. Many of Biden’s classified documents were in Chinatown, D.C., Chinatown, which is shocking considering his family received so much money from China. I wonder how many times the friends of ours from China reviewed those documents, Chinatown, D.C.

(10:23)
Others were unsecured at his so-called Penn Biden Center in Washington, which paid Biden approximately $1 million a year, the money supposedly coming from China. And still other classified documents were strewn all over his garage floor where his now famous Corvette is stored. He’s so proud of that car. There was no security, and the door was left open. Most of the time, it was open. All of those classified documents, all of those documents strewn all over the floor, piled up like junk; unlike me, who had absolute declassification authority as president.

(11:04)
Joe Biden, as vice president, had no authority to declassify and no right to possess the documents. He had no right. Instead of falling under the Presidential Records Act, Biden’s actions fell under a much stricter Federal Records Act, which has very, very tough criminal penalties, yet nothing happens to crooked Joe. Nothing happened. Have you heard anything about the big search for his documents? No. Only me.

Audience (11:29):

Boo.

President Donald Trump (11:30):

Most and famously of all, Hillary Clinton set up an illegal private server in her basement, you never heard this story, with the deliberate intention of violating public information law so she could hide her pay-for-play scandals at the Clinton Foundations or whatever. Hillary stored vast quantities of classified and sensitive information on her illicit server. Some of it happened to leak; it leaked into Anthony Weiner’s computer, remember Anthony Weiner, into his computer. You don’t want to be on his computer. And all of it was illegal because thankfully she was never president. She didn’t have the powers to declassify. Thank you, thank you. She didn’t have the powers to declassify. It’s a big difference. And neither did Joe, Joe didn’t have… Do you mind? Have a drink. It’s a little bit cooler than it was, but it’s pretty hot out here.

Audience (12:36):

Happy Birthday to you, Mr. President.

President Donald Trump (12:38):

Thank you. “Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday,” great birthday. Nice birthday, isn’t it?

Audience (12:48):

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, Mr. President, happy birthday to you.

President Donald Trump (13:04):

Nice birthday, wonderful birthday. They were saying, “Happy Birthday.” I was with Eric and Laura, and the kids, “Happy Birthday, Grandpa.” And I said, “Oh, great. I just got charged with, they want 400 years approximately. If you add them all up, a fake 400 years. Oh, thank you darling. That’s so nice. It’s a wonderful birthday.” But we’re going to make it into the greatest birthday of all. We’ll make it into the greatest of all. I will.

(13:38)
When caught, Hillary then deleted and acid washed. Nobody does that because of the expense, but it’s pretty conclusive, 33,000 emails in defiance of a congressional subpoena already launched. The subpoena was there and she decided to delete, acid wash, and then smash and destroy her cell phones with a hammer. And then they say, I participated in obstruction? No, think of it. That’s called obstruction. There’s never been obstruction as grave as that.

(14:14)
She did this in the face of everything, and yet nobody did anything about it. The FBI and the DOJ protected her, did not issue subpoenas, did not use a grand jury, did not execute search warrants. And then, the corrupt head of the FBI, James Comey, declared, “No reasonable prosecutor would bring a case.” Can you believe it?

Audience (14:36):

Boo. Boo.

President Donald Trump (14:39):

And that was just one of many items. Hillary Clinton broke the law and she didn’t get indicted. Joe Biden broke the law, and in many other ways we’re finding out, and so far has not gotten indicted. I did everything right and they indicted me. But you know, we’re serving as a great example. In the case of Bill Clinton’s National Security Advisor, remember that, Sandy Berger, he was caught stealing classified documents from the National Archives, very big ones, very important ones, by stuffing them in his pants, that’s pretty, and putting them also in his socks. And he destroyed them and cut the tape with scissors, cut them all up. What Berger did was highly illegal, but he was given nothing, no jail time, nothing. Nothing happened.

(15:36)
There are countless other examples. Bill Clinton, who I happened to like, hard to believe, right? Before I did this, I was actually quite friendly with him, nice guy. They should have used him a little bit more as an advisor on the 2016 election. He said, “You’d better get to Wisconsin. You’re going to lose.” “No, we’re not.” “You’d better get to Michigan. You’re going to lose.” “No, we’re not.” They did. Bill Clinton lost the nuclear codes, and absolutely nothing was done about it. He’d lost the nuclear codes.

(16:09)
The George W. Bush White House lost 22 million emails, a record. NARA cannot assure a complete transfer of any of the Bush records. A document shredding truck was spotted on the way to Dick Cheney’s house. Can you imagine? Hillary Clinton took hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture, china, flatware, rugs, and more from the White House and she wasn’t prosecuted. How about that one? She took the furniture and the china. How about if Trump did that? Do you think Trump would have a little problem?

(16:48)
The horrific violations of my rights by crooked Joe Biden’s weaponized department of injustice are unthinkable. It’s unthinkable what’s happened, so bad for our country. Democrats all, they lawlessly pierced my attorney/client privilege with lawyers; what they did to lawyers, what they have done to our lawyers, our lawyers, all of our lawyers. They’ve done things that were absolutely horrible and unthinkable. The leaking has been unbelievable and highly illegal. They leak. We’ve learned more about from the Washington Post, New York Times, about the DOJ’s boxes hoax, it’s a boxes hoax, than from prosecutors themselves. We want to read about it. You pick up the Washington Post, which is not doing well, or you pick up The New York Times, but they’ll do better now because of these things. This is the only way they survive. But they’ll end up dying.

(17:46)
But it’s not supposed to be that way. We don’t want to learn from The Times. We don’t want to learn from leaks. We want to learn from the people we’re supposed to learn from. It’s like a leaking sieve in Washington. But we learn nothing about the Biden bribery scheme or special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation. Robert Hur is doing the Biden investigation. He’s a very respected, very nice person, very nice person. Mine’s not such a nice person. Mine’s a deranged lunatic, which are many times the magnitude of ours in both number and severity. That’s the prosecutor that they gave. He has found nothing. He totally exonerated Mike Pence. I’m happy about that. Mike did nothing wrong, but he happened to have classified documents in his house, but they exonerated him. And Biden is a different story, so much. You have to really think about what I said. As a senator, he took all of those documents. It’s unprecedented.

(18:50)
The prosecutor in the case, I will call it our case, is a thug. I’ve named him deranged Jack Smith. I wonder what his name used to be. Jack Smith, it sounds so innocent, doesn’t it? Jack Smith. “What’s his name? Jack Smith. He’s a very nice man.” He’s a behind the scenes guy, but his record is absolutely atrocious. He does political hit jobs. He’s been known to viciously arrest a certain governor. You know the governor, Bob McDonald of Virginia, and absolutely ruined his life and the life of his family, all these wonderful family members, I knew them, only to have the case overturned 8-0 by the Supreme Court. He destroyed that man and he destroyed that family.

(19:40)
And by the way, I will tell you I’m here, and I love you all and we can take it.

Audience (19:47):

We love you. We love you.

President Donald Trump (19:50):

But what these thugs have done to my family is a disgrace. I will tell you that. I say it to all of the fake news because there’s a lot of it back there.

Audience (19:59):

Boo. Boo, news.

President Donald Trump (20:05):

What they did to my family and that young man right there.

Audience (20:08):

Horrible.

President Donald Trump (20:10):

He’s answered more subpoenas than any human being in the history of the world. And you know what? They have nothing, after all of those subpoenas, literally thousands of them. Congress, fake counsels, Mueller report, all of this, all he did is answer subpoenas all the time. At least he’s become very experienced at that. Congratulations.

Audience (20:33):

We love your family.

President Donald Trump (20:33):

But Eric is fantastic, and what he and Don and Ivanka and the whole group, that’s what they’ve gone through. And these are serious people. These are serious people. But what he’s done to my family, what they have done to my family, is horrible.

(20:48)
He also tried to railroad John Edwards on a completely bogus legal theory that didn’t hold up in court. It’s no wonder this raging lunatic was shipped off to the Hague to prosecute war criminals using globalist tribunals, not beholden to the Constitution or the rule of law, two things Jack Smith clearly disdains. You take a look at this guy, he looks like a thug. But then I watched him make a speech the other day and he was trembling, because it wasn’t his territory. He feels much safer in the inner sanctums of the department of injustice where he can be in his room and scream at people.

(21:27)
He’s a raging and uncontrolled Trump hater, as is his wife, who also happened to be the producer of that Michelle Obama puff piece. It was a total puff piece. This is the guy I’ve got. Don’t forget, this persecution is being done by the same weaponized agencies that for seven years have been running illegal psychological warfare campaigns against the American people, much as if they were trying to destabilize a foreign country from the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax to the no collusion Mueller witch hunt, to impeachment hoax number one, impeachment hoax number two, the 51 lying intelligence offers. How about them? They said, “It’s Russia disinformation” and they knew it wasn’t, which made about, according to some of the great pollsters that are right here, made from anywhere from a 10-17 point difference. And yet, we still got more votes than any sitting president in history in the second election.

(22:27)
And we actually did much better in the second election than we did in the first election. The fake dossier paid for by the Democrats. How about the fake dossier? Remember that one? You think that was easy to go home and say, “Hello darling, how are you?” when they read about that? It wasn’t easy at all. Spying on my campaign, we caught them spying on my campaign, the FBI Twitter files and so much more, it’s all been a battle of disinformation, one thing after the other. And all to protect the radical left misfits.

(23:09)
It’s also no coincidence that these charges against me came down the very same day evidence revealed Joe Biden took a $5 million bribe from Ukraine, took a $5 million bribe. But the FBI and the Justice Department don’t even want to talk about it. They showed something on television tonight. It had zero time on the three major networks, zero. But my impeachment had almost all the time. I think I had 351 minutes, they had no minutes. Okay?

Audience (23:42):

I’ll vote for you.

President Donald Trump (23:43):

I think a lot of people are going to vote. Yeah, I think a lot of people are going to vote. I will tell you, I just left Miami and I’ve never seen love in the streets like that. I’ve never seen it. We’ve seen a lot of love. I’ve never seen love like that, because they know. They know what we all go through. They know what we’ve gone through, and they see it and they’re smart. And many of those people coming from Cuba, Venezuela, other countries, they’ve seen this happening to their countries.

(24:11)
I used to say that the United States, if it keeps going this way, it’s going to be Venezuela on steroids. And now we’re buying oil from Venezuela. Can you believe it? We have more liquid gold under our feet than any other nation, but we’re buying tar from Venezuela and we’re refining it in Houston. The dirtiest, worst oil probably anywhere in the world, and we’re refining it, so you can imagine what’s going up in the air. And our beautiful stuff, we’re not taking out of the ground and making a lot of money and paying off debt and reducing taxes still further, which we were in the process of doing.

(24:47)
They want to distract from the real espionage and the real crime, so, “Let’s use President Trump to do so. Let’s go out and let’s indict President Trump so they don’t talk about the $5 million bribe.” Just yesterday, Senator Grassley revealed that the Burisma executive who allegedly paid the bribe reportedly has crooked Joe on tape. They have 17 tapes, I understand. He must be a nice guy to deal with, right? The guy from Burisma, nice company, they got him and Hunter on 17 different tapes supposedly, but the FBI isn’t showing them. Remember they impeached me for asking a simple question about Biden’s corrupt dealings in Ukraine. And now they see that once again, I was right. I was right. I was totally right. Joe Biden and the radical left can take foreign bribes and be totally protected.

(25:42)
Republicans all, you must finally get tough. You’ve got to get tough. You’ve got to get tough and you’ve got to show them when you arrest your leading political opponent, we no longer have a democracy. When people are allowed to pour through our open borders and our elections are rigged, our country is in very serious trouble. When inflation is allowed to rage, when energy independence and dominance, we had independence and dominance, we were going to be soon very, very dominant. Within six months we were going to dominate the whole world with energy, make a fortune. We were going to be paying off debt and lowering taxes at a level that nobody’s ever seen, and they came in and they ended it.

(26:24)
But when that’s taken away from us, when interest rates and taxes spiral upward in an uncontrolled way, when murders are allowed to roam, murderers, these are horrible killers, murderers are allowed to roam the streets of our Democrat-run cities unchecked, but the incompetent district attorney in New York indicts Trump for a crime that everybody agrees, every pundit, everybody, there is no crime.

Audience (26:48):

There is no crime.

President Donald Trump (26:49):

But murderers go out, and nobody ever even comes and knocks on their door. And they know they’re there, and they know their rooms and they know their locations, and they’re roaming our cities all over. And some of them are coming in right now through our borders. But then, you have a nation that as we are, is in serious, serious decline. We have a nation in serious decline.

Audience (27:12):

That’s why we’re here.

President Donald Trump (27:12):

If the communists get away with this, it won’t stop with me. They will not hesitate to ramp up their persecution of Christians, pro-life activists, parents attending school board meetings, and even future Republican candidates, which they do. We must end it permanently and we must end it immediately. Now that the seal, so important, is broken, the seal is broken by what they’ve done. They should never have done this. This was an unwritten rule. You just don’t, unless it’s really bad; but you just don’t. But the seal is now broken.

(27:50)
In addition to closing the border and removing all of the criminal elements that have illegally invaded our country, making America energy independent and even dominant again, and immediately ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, I’ll have it ended in 24 hours, I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president of the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden, and the entire Biden crime family, name a special prosecutor.

Audience (28:26):

Lock him up, lock him up.

President Donald Trump (28:28):

And all others involved with the destruction of our elections, our borders, and our country itself. They’re destroying our country. And when I’m reelected, and we will get reelected. We have no choice. We’re not going to have a country anymore. I will totally obliterate the deep state. We will obliterate the deep state. And 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. It’s very simple. They want to silence me because I will never let them silence you. They want you silent. And I am the only one that can save this nation, because you know they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you. And I just happen to be standing in their way and I will never be moving. On November 5th, 2024, justice will be done. We will take back our country and we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you all. Thank you. Thank you very much. Great job. Thank you.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SIX – From the Guardian U.K.

SARAH PALIN DENIES THEN SEEMS TO CONFIRM THAT TRUMPISM IS A CULT

The 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee’s tongue was tied as she tried to defend the ex-president’s supporters

By Martin Pengelly in New York Thu 15 Jun 2023 03.99 EDT

The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin courted controversy when she denied that supporters of Donald Trump behaved like cult members.

Palin’s attempt to deny that Trump has a cultlike following, however, prompted predictable pushback on social media by those who thought her attempt to define a cult actually precisely described Trump’s enthusiastic fan base.

Homegrown review: Timothy McVeigh and the rise of the Trumpist threat

“The definition of a cult,” Palin told the rightwing network Newsmax, “is a group of people who are excessively supporting one another and a cause. [It’s] all about conformity and compliance and intolerance of anyone who doesn’t agree with what their mission is.”

“Sarah Palin, Asked If Maga is A Cult, Denies it, Then States Why They Are,” wrote one popular anti-Trump account, @realTuckFrumper.

Though Trump has been criminally indicted at state and federal levels, and faces likely further indictments over his election subversion and incitement of the January 6 Capitol attack, he maintains his grip on a majority of Republican politicians and voters.

According to a recent CBS/YouGov poll, 61% of likely Republican primary voters plan to back Trump over his closest rival – the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who is 38 points behind – and the rest of the primary field.

In the same survey, 76% of likely Republican voters said Trump’s 37-count federal indictment over his retention of classified national security information was a politically motivated attack.

The former president has long demanded absolute loyalty from followers while lashing out at critics and rivals, deriding even his mildest doubters as Rinos – “Republicans in name only” – or worse.

Earlier this week, the New York University professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on authoritarianism and fascism, told NPR: “I see Trump as a cult leader. So [his followers] are cult followers, personality cult followers.”

Asked why Trump told Politico he would “never leave” the presidential race, Ben-Ghiat said: “He’s telling [his supporters] that he will never abandon them. Even if he’s convicted, he will stay the course.”

In her appearance on Newsmax, Palin segued into a rambling complaint about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state, a common pro-Trump talking point around his classified records indictment.

Palin also seemed to suggest that though Trump was not a cult leader, his extreme predicament in relation to assorted legal authorities represented a kind of quasi-religious purification.

Palin said: “This two-tier system of justice is – Well, you know what it’s doing – it’s adding fuel to the fire. And when you look at President Trump and how fired up he is, well, when you go through the fire, he come out lit [sic] and that’s exactly what we want and what we need today in order to take back our country, get government off our backs, on our side, and make America great again.

“I’m thankful that President Trump is so fired up.”

ATTACHMENT THIRTY SEVEN – From the Guardian U.K.
‘PRETTY DISRESPECTFUL’: RIGHTWING RADIO HOST SCOLDS PENCE FOR NOT SAYING HE’D PARDON TRUMP

Pence avoided answering whether, if he were president, he would pardon Trump from indictment over handling of classified records

By Martin Pengelly in New York Thu 15 Jun 2023 07.41 EDT

Mike Pence is “fine with Donald Trump being put in prison” which is “pretty disrespectful” given he was Trump’s vice-president, a rightwing radio host told Pence in a testy exchange.

Pence was Trump’s vice-president when Trump sent a mob to the US Capitol on January 6, in an attempt to block certification of the 2020 election. Trump did little to call off the mob when it placed Pence in danger, some chanting for him to be hanged.

Trump could yet be indicted for his election subversion but Pence’s exchange with Clay Travis was about a more pressing problem, the 37-count federal indictment over the handling of classified records to which Trump pleaded not guilty this week.

In the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Trump is more than 30 points ahead of his nearest rival, Ron DeSantis, the hard-right Florida governor. Pence lags far behind.

Candidates have struggled to find a line on Trump’s indictment. Vivek Ramaswamy, a rank outsider, has said he will pardon Trump if necessary.

On the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show on Wednesday, Pence was asked: “Would you pardon [Trump] from those federal charges?”

Pence said: “Well, first off, these are serious charges. And as I said, I can’t defend what’s been alleged, but the president does deserve to make his defense …

“Look, I have been a former governor [of Indiana]. I’ve actually granted pardons to people. And I take the pardon authority very seriously. It’s an enormously important power, of someone in an executive position. And I just think it’s premature to have any conversation about that right now, guys.”

Travis said Trump was being “prosecuted to a large extent for political-based reason, something that has never happened in the 240-plus year history of the United States”.

Admitting the allegations against Trump were “serious”, the host said that if Pence were president, he would be “the executive … the ultimate decider.

“With all due respect … I think you’re dodging the question and frankly, not stepping up on the on the front of leadership which in the past you’ve been willing to do.”

Pence said: “Number one, I don’t think you know what the president’s defence is, do you? And what are the facts? I mean, look, we either believe in our judicial process in this country, or we don’t. We either stand by the rule of law, or we don’t. What I would tell you is I think as someone who is–”

Travis cut him off: “What I’m hearing is Donald Trump being put in prison, sir. And that, to me, you were his vice-president, feels pretty disrespectful.”

Pence said: “I don’t talk about hypotheticals. Look, we don’t know what the president’s defense is. I think he’s entitled to make his defense, entitled to have his day in court. And … let’s take it one step at a time. I would just tell you that I–”

Travis cut in again: “I know that these are political charges. This is not this is not a difficult decision.”

His co-host, Buck Sexton, said: “I think we’ve gotten what we’re gonna get here in terms of the answer to this one.”

Pence said: “I think any conclusion by anyone running for the presidency of the United States that would pre-judge the facts … is premature. Let’s let the process play out. Let’s follow the facts. And I promise you as president I’ll do just that.”

On Thursday, the FiveThirtyEight.com polling average for the Republican primary put Trump at 53.4% and DeSantis at 21.4%. Pence was third, at 5.5%.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY EIGHT – From the Guardian U.K.

TRUMP OFFERS ‘FOOD FOR EVERYONE’ AT RESTAURANT – THEN LEAVES WITHOUT PAYING

The ex-president swept into the Cuban restaurant Versailles after his arraignment this week but left without picking up anyone’s tab

Thu 15 Jun 2023 17.20 EDT

Donald Trump headed to Miami’s famous Cuban restaurant Versailles after his arraignment at the city’s federal courthouse on Tuesday and is said to have declared to a crowd of admirers “Food for everyone!” after walking inside.

It was a promise, though, that the former US president did not keep, according to the Miami New Times, despite supporters also wishing him a happy birthday, one day early.

Former MMA fighter Jorge Masvidal hailed Trump as “everybody’s favorite president of all time” and a “glad-handing Trump was heard to declare, ‘Food for everyone’”, the paper reported.

The paper went on: “So, New Times wondered, did Trump – who famously fancies his chicken from KFC and his steaks well-done and slathered with ketchup but isn’t exactly known for picking up the check – treat his fan club to a spread of croquetas, pastelitos, and cubanos chased with cafecitos?”

And then it further reported: “It turns out no one got anything. Not even a cafecito to-go.”

Trump’s entourage had arrived at the restaurant, which he stayed at for about 10 minutes, after he had pleaded not guilty to all counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.

The former president was charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act.

Trump has previously hit the headlines for his hospitality around food after hosting Clemson University’s football team at the White House in 2019 , during a government shutdown, when the menu was “McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Burger King with some pizza”.

ATTACHMENT THIRTY NINE – From the Norman (Ok) Transcript

NATIONAL COLUMN: DONALD TRUMP'S ARRAIGNMENT

By Byron York | Syndicated Columnist Jun 15, 2023

A few days have passed since the Justice Department informed former President Donald Trump that he had been indicted. Some of the main issues involved, both legal and political, are becoming clearer than they were in the first frenzied hours after the news broke.

First, the politics. The early indications are that predictions that Trump supporters would rally around him in the event of an indictment appear to be true. A poll by CBS News and YouGov found that 76% of likely Republican primary voters said that the indictment was politically motivated. When asked if the indictment would change their view of Trump, 61% said it would not change their view at all, while 14% said it would change their view of Trump for the better. Just seven percent said it would change their view of Trump for the worse, and 18% said it depends, meaning they weren’t really sure.

In a Reuters-Ipsos poll, 81% of Republicans said “politics was driving the case.” “The indictment did not appear to dent Trump’s standing in the Republican nominating contest for the 2024 presidential election,” Reuters reported. So the answer, at least for now, to the question of whether the indictment would hurt Trump among Republicans is no.

There are two other groups who factor into the political calculation — the Republican presidential candidates and GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Reporters being the way they are, almost every prominent Republican within a mile of a microphone is being asked to declare a position on the Trump indictment.

The Republican presidential contenders are in a difficult spot. They know that most Republican voters believe Trump has been unfairly targeted for years. And they know the numbers above, in which large majorities of Republicans said the latest charges against Trump are politically motivated. So, on one hand, they have an interest in telling voters what they want to hear, which is that Trump is being politically targeted.

On the other hand, they are running against Trump, not with him. If the indictment ultimately weakens Trump politically, his Republican opponents will benefit. So now, we are seeing some of those candidates try to walk a fine line — decrying what some call the weaponization of the government against Trump but at the same time acknowledging that the charges against him are serious.

Immediately after the indictment, Gov. Ron DeSantis, the leading challenger to Trump, tweeted that, “The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.” DeSantis suggested that Trump was a victim of the “uneven application of the law.” But at the same time, DeSantis noted that he, DeSantis, had to scrupulously observe classification rules when he was in the U.S. Navy. The implication was clear: the president should observe those rules, too.

Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott have both said the case against Trump is serious, with Haley saying that if the allegations are true, then Trump was “incredibly reckless with our national security.” Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, has chosen to demand more information. “The American people have a right to know why it was necessary for the first time in history to bring an indictment of this nature against a former president of the United States,” Pence said.

On Capitol Hill, some of Trump’s strongest supporters remain steadfastly on his side. That’s not a surprise, given that some of them are from districts in which Republicans are even more supportive of the former president than the poll suggest.

Next, the legal side. The first thing to say is that a lot of respected legal voices believe the indictment is a very serious document. “I was shocked by the degree of sensitivity of these documents and how many there were,” former Attorney General William Barr told Fox News. “If even half of it is true, then he’s toast.”

That doesn’t mean Trump doesn’t have defenses. For example, information at the heart of the indictment appears to have come from Trump’s attorneys, whom special counsel Jack Smith forced to testify in spite of attorney-client privilege. Smith received court approval, but as Lawfare noted, a trial will examine that approval and “raise questions about the limits of one of the most sacrosanct principles in our legal system, attorney-client privilege.”

Trump can also argue that, as president, he was allowed to decide what documents should be sent to the National Archives as “presidential records” and what documents he would keep. What if he kept records that were clearly presidential in nature? He might argue that he still had that authority, and his defense will surely explore the limits, if any, of that authority.

Then there is the question of the seriousness of the documents Trump is charged with mishandling. The indictment says they are among the government’s most sensitive secrets. This is how the indictment describes them:

“The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”

What could be more serious than that? On the other hand, the description is still vague. It could, in fact, describe lots of information that is available in the public domain. A Trump trial, if there is one, could reveal how widely the specific information cited by Smith was distributed inside the U.S. government. Was it extremely closely held? Or much more widely available? That could make a difference in the jury’s assessment of the seriousness of Trump’s actions.

Finally, Trump defenders — perhaps not Trump’s lawyers in court, but Trump’s defenders — will argue the big picture, that the Biden administration has taken a dangerous step in indicting a former president. “The Biden administration crossed a constitutional Rubicon this week,” Berkeley law professor and former Bush administration Justice Department official John Yoo writes. “For the first time in our history, an executive branch held by the incumbent political party indicted the leading presidential candidate of the other main political party.”

More from Yoo: “Biden administration officials must explain why prosecuting Trump for misuse of classified documents justifies disregarding two centuries of constitutional practice.”

That is perhaps the most important question of the entire Trump prosecution: Should it be done at all? Were there other, less constitutionally consequential, ways of dealing with Trump’s behavior? The Biden administration has given its answer. The final resolution of that question will take a long time.

Byron York is chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner. For a deeper dive into many of the topics Byron covers, listen to his podcast, The Byron York Show, available on the Ricochet Audio Network at ricochet.com/series/byron-york-show and everywhere else podcasts are found.

See More at Crooked Media (crooked.com) https://crooked.com/podcast/trump-arraignment-syndrome/

ATTACHMENT THIRTY FORTY – From Politico

JUDGE ORDERS TRUMP LAWYERS TO SEEK SECURITY CLEARANCES

Defense attorneys commonly receive security clearances in criminal cases involving classified documents.

By KYLE CHENEY 06/15/2023 03:03 PM EDT

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon took one of her first substantive steps Thursday in Donald Trump’s prosecution for amassing military secrets at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

In a brief order, Cannon required all attorneys in the case — for Trump as well as his longtime valet, Walt Nauta, who is charged alongside him as an alleged co-conspirator — to contact the Justice Department about obtaining security clearances. The same instructions apply to any “forthcoming” attorneys, the judge said.

It is common in criminal cases involving classified documents for defense attorneys to obtain security clearances.

The case against Trump revolves around his alleged hoarding of highly classified national security documents at his private residence, and then obstructing efforts by federal officials to reclaim them. To make its case, the government is likely going to have to share key aspects of those documents with Trump and his legal team. Some may also be declassified and publicly revealed as part of the prosecution, though the Justice Department has not signaled any immediate intention to do so.

Cannon ordered the attorneys to file a “notice of compliance” by June 20, a relatively rapid pace. Both Trump and Nauta are looking to fill out their legal teams in the coming days. Trump, in particular, has suffered setbacks as several of his veteran lawyers quit the case in the leadup to his indictment, the result of internal turmoil that has spilled into public view.

There are no additional dates set yet in the case against Trump, whose historic arraignment was completed on Tuesday in Miami. Nauta’s arraignment was postponed until June 27 because he did not yet have a lawyer who is a member of the bar in the federal court in south Florida.

ATTACHMENT FORTY ONE – From the Washington Post

BIDEN SHOULD PARDON TRUMP. REALLY.

By Marc A. Thiessen and Danielle Pletka June 15, 2023 at 7:30 a.m. EDT

Marc A. Thiessen is a Post contributing columnist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Danielle Pletka is a distinguished senior fellow at AEI. They co-host a podcast, “What the Hell Is Going On?”

In his 2020 victory speech, Joe Biden declared that “to everything there is a season — a time to build, a time to reap, a time to sow. And a time to heal. This is the time to heal in America.” If he wants to deliver on his promise to heal the country, he could do so with one action:

Pardon Donald Trump.

On the merits, the case against Trump is damning. And it doesn’t take a close reading of the federal indictment to understand that the former president’s problems are of his own making. He allegedly showed a writer classified material about Iran, saying, “This is secret information. Look, look at this.” And he obstructed the FBI’s efforts to recover classified material in his possession, even allegedly telling his lawyer, “Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here?” Had he simply returned the documents, as Mike Pence did when it became clear he had classified papers, Trump almost certainly would not have been charged, as Pence has not been. His misconduct was egregious, irresponsible and probably criminal. Anyone else would be seeking a plea bargain.

Jason Willick: The Trump indictment has a silver lining for Republicans in 2024

But his indictment has also put our nation into uncharted territory. The threshold for the sitting president’s administration to indict the leading candidate of the opposing party should be extraordinarily high. High enough to mitigate the suspicion held by 80 percent of Republicans and almost half the nation, per ABC News-Ipsos polling, that these charges are politically motivated. Indeed, millions of Americans believe that our legal system is being weaponized against Trump — and, by extension, against them.

Most Americans don’t look at this indictment in a vacuum. They see it in the context of the decisions not to prosecute Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of classified information; the Trump-Russia collusion investigation, which paralyzed our country for two years over a conspiracy theory; two impeachments and Trump’s politicized indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg; and the suppression of the Hunter Biden laptop story that could have damaged Joe Biden and aided Trump’s 2020 campaign. They see a troubling pattern, and they are not wrong.

Why Trump was charged over his handling of secret documents and Clinton, Pence were not

The dangers this poses to our democracy are obvious.

Selective prosecution is not a defense in a court of law, but the court of public opinion is another matter. Millions will see Trump’s prosecution as illegitimate, and any conviction as unjust. That will further erode public confidence in our judicial system and the principle of equal justice under law.

A Trump trial would be one of the most divisive events in the history of our republic. It would set a new precedent — and create enormous pressure on the next Republican president to go after President Biden, his family and other Democrats.

And to remedy what harm? Despite Trump’s best efforts to obstruct them, federal agents recovered the documents he unlawfully possessed. And there is nothing in the indictment to indicate evidence that the intelligence in Trump’s possession was obtained by foreign governments or intelligence services.

Trump and the Mar-a-Lago documents: a timeline

There’s another risk, too. Trump might be acquitted. All it takes is one juror and Trump walks. If that happens, University of California at Berkeley law professor John Yoo told us, then “the Justice Department will have single-handedly handed the presidency to Donald Trump.” Consider the implications of that outcome for the U.S. government and political system.

Whether righteous or not, the decision to prosecute Trump has opened a Pandora’s box. It is in Biden’s power to close it — by pardoning his predecessor.

Trump wouldn’t have to admit he did anything wrong. But pardoning him also does not mean absolving Trump of responsibility for his actions. Biden should instruct special counsel Jack Smith to produce a report — much like those issued by special counsels Robert S. Mueller III and John Durham — laying out his findings in meticulous detail. He should put the evidence of Trump’s misconduct before the American people, not just a Miami jury, and let them render judgment on the former president at the polls — as they did in 2020.

In pardoning Trump, Biden would be a true statesman. Sparing the country the ordeal of a trial would go a long way toward repairing the nation’s frayed political fabric. He would display the kind of leadership that has been missing in Washington. And he would drive Trump crazy. With one action, Biden would eliminate the narrative of a “deep state” conspiracy that is helping to fuel Trump’s political comeback.

Some will argue that Trump’s problems are not Biden’s. The White House has insisted that the buck stops with Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. That’s wrong. Smith works for the attorney general, who in turn works for the president. The buck stops with Biden. He is the boss, and on his order, the “weaponization” of the executive branch against a former president and political rival — and the consequent loss of faith in American government — could be stopped.

Jennifer Rubin: Trump’s chances of a Jan. 6 indictment soar

To be sure, Biden would face blowback. Democratic strategists recognize that far from damaging Trump, the legal assaults against the former president will likely benefit him in the 2024 primaries; and many believe Trump to be the Republican easiest for Biden to beat in next year’s general election. Others think Biden has already been too moderate; progressive hard-liners will no doubt say the president could lose his party’s left flank if he hands a get-out-of-jail-free card to his predecessor. And there are plenty of Democrats (and a few Republicans) who believe that pardoning a man who, a priori, appears so guilty would only further erode American respect for the rule of law.

But none of these political factors should be part of the president’s consideration of Trump’s legal future. This isn’t about Trump. It is about the nation. It is within Biden’s power to restore norms that have been torn apart by both Trump and his opponents. If ever there were a time to heal, this is it.

ATTACHMENT FORTY TWO – From the Guardian U.K.

TO SAVE THEIR OWN SKINS, TRUMP AND JOHNSON ARE DESTROYING SOMETHING PRECIOUS: OUR FAITH IN THE LAW

Both men sing from the Berlusconi songsheet, denouncing charges against them as partisan attacks while we pay the price

By Jonathan Freedland Fri 16 Jun 2023 12.04 EDT

The three tenors of showman populism, Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Silvio Berlusconi, reached the top through a combination of telegenic clownishness, “I alone can fix it” braggadocio and a shared strain of narcissistic nationalism – and now one faces the judgment of the courts, another has fled the judgment of his peers, while the third contemplates the judgment of the heavens.

In the week Berlusconi met his maker – doubtless with a wide, permatanned smile and an inquiry as to where one might find the most winsome angels, only to be directed towards the downward escalator – Trump and Johnson respectively contemplated a charge sheet and a verdict of the earthly variety. Both are stunning documents.

Over 106 damning pages, Johnson was found unambiguously guilty by the Commons privileges committee of lying serially and seriously to parliament. There are plenty of jaw-droppers in the committee’s report, including confirmation that the breaking of Covid regulations in Johnson’s Downing Street was not an occasional deviation from the rules imposed on the rest of the country from that very building, but rather a way of life. We learn that “wine-time Fridays continued throughout”, that “birthday parties, leaving parties and end of week gatherings all continued as normal”, that while the rest of the country was locked down – keeping sick and dying children apart from their parents in their final days – No 10 was an “island oasis of normality”.

Despicable though such rule-breaking was, it’s the lying to parliament that matters most. Not for nothing is that considered among the highest of political high crimes and misdemeanours: parliament cannot hold ministers to account if those same ministers can lie with impunity. It is only the knowledge that they will pay a stiff, possibly career-ending penalty for dishonesty that compels them to confess awkward truths – the uncomfortable facts that, if they remained hidden, would make parliamentary scrutiny, and indeed any kind of decision-making, impossible. So of course Johnson had to be suspended from the Commons, and for long enough to trigger a recall byelection – though this supposedly fearless champion of the Great British people has run away rather than face them at the ballot box.

The 44-page indictment of Trump is no less shocking. Again, it’s not so much the original offence – holding on to highly sensitive classified documents, many containing military secrets, after leaving the White House – but rather the subsequent dishonesty. The US justice department sets out how, rather than hand back the papers as required, Trump had aides hide them from investigators and even from his own lawyers, stashing them in various rooms in his Florida resort including a ballroom, bathroom and a shower, storing them so sloppily they spilled on to the floor, and then urging an attorney to “pluck” out and conceal the most incriminating ones.

Meanwhile, the shade of Berlusconi will be hoping for celestial clemency for a past that saw him accused of bribery, money-laundering, tax evasion, Mafia connections, multiple corruption charges and paying for sex with a minor nicknamed Ruby the Heart Stealer.

Naturally, there are differences among the trio – Johnson is the only one to be outside the Vladimir Putin fanclub, and to have neither made nor squandered a fortune in business – but the similarities are more striking. Whether it be the promiscuity, the photo-op buffoonery, the personal shamelessness or the stoking of toxic national chauvinism, these three men were usually singing variations of the same aria. A key refrain was offered by the two who still live this week.

You could hear it in the responses of Johnson and Trump to the copious evidence set out against them, each man resorting to the same familiar claims, even the same vocabulary. Naturally, neither took a trace of personal responsibility. Despite the facts, the dates, even the photographs that anyone could see with their own eyes – brimming boxes of documents for one, a raised champagne glass for the other – both simply asserted they had done nothing wrong, that it was those who had investigated them who should be in the dock: “thugs, misfits and Marxists”, according to Trump, a “kangaroo court” according to Johnson. Each man claimed a bogus victimhood, casting himself as the target of a cruel, politically motivated “witch-hunt”.

You can see why both reach for that argument so swiftly, just as Berlusconi did floridly and often. It neutralises what should be a terminal political event, namely a conviction by a court (or its parliamentary equivalent). If that conviction can be recast as a partisan attack, then the guilty politician is transformed from lying crook to martyred tribune of his people. “They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you,” Trump told supporters after his court appearance on Tuesday. “I just happened to be standing in their way.” In the same way, Johnson insists the privileges committee – which includes two diehard Brexiters – punished him not because he lied, but “to take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result. My removal is the necessary first step.”

Both men hope that the ploy will do for them what it did for Berlusconi, reframing past crimes as wholly forgivable acts wickedly exploited by the leftist/elite enemy, thereby paving the way for a glorious comeback. It might even work for Trump; Johnson’s polling is much bleaker. While a majority of Republicans continue to believe Trump had the 2020 election stolen from him, a Savanta poll shows that a narrow majority of Conservative voters accept the committee’s verdict that Johnson deliberately misled parliament. Put that difference down to the contrasting media landscapes of the two countries: the continued existence of the BBC means Britain’s political tribes do not yet exist within wholly separate, sealed-off infospheres.

But the damage is great all the same. For both Trump and Johnson are, like Berlusconi in his pomp, tearing away at something precious. It might sound hyperbolic, yet it is not only democracy but civilisation itself that rests on our acceptance of the rule of law. In some ways, it requires a suspension of disbelief: assisted by the rituals, costume and ceremonies of the courtroom, we construct “the law” as somehow above the mere whim or bias of this or that individual. We accept it instead as a system that transcends us and to which we are all subject. It is the only way we can get along, the only way we can live ordered lives. The alternative is brutal violence and competition: the law of the jungle.

When Trump brands every federal investigator a personal agent of Joe Biden, every judge a partisan hack doing the bidding of the politicians who appointed them, he takes a knife to that conception of the law – one that is necessary for society to function. Johnson has similarly slashed away at public trust in parliament – the same Johnson who seven years ago this week urged Britons to commit an act of national self-harm in the name of a sacred parliamentary sovereignty that was, he claimed, spuriously, imperilled by Brussels.

They do it so casually, trashing the institutions on which we all depend, destroying the trust without which society cannot exist. They do it to get themselves through a news cycle, to keep alive the hope that, once more, they might wear the crown that they tarnished so badly. For them, it’s just a tactic, a move from a playbook. But for us, the consequences are lasting. Even out of office, these men have taken a collective reservoir of trust built up over many centuries – and filled it with poison.

ATTACHMENT FORTY THREE – From NY Magazine

THE CIRCUS OF TRUMP’S ARRAIGNMENT

Trump and the country are both in a bind, but the spectacle just gets bigger.

By Olivia Nuzzi, New York’s Washington correspondent June 16th

Time collapses into itself in a place like this.

If you’ve been to one, you’ve been to them all, give or take an insurrection. The crowd is not representative of humanity and not representative of the voting public. It is a carnival for those with several hours to kill in the middle of a workday. The unemployed, the retired, the superfans, the super-freaks, and the super-curious. A tour bus pulled up to the corner to release dozens of star-spangled elderly people from Orlando, hunched over walkers and carrying banners and flags and assorted paraphernalia that read TRUMP and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN and 45 and SAVE AMERICA AGAIN and I STAND FOR THE FLAG, I KNEEL FOR THE CROSS.

I heard my name. Not something I especially wanted to hear in this crowd, if I’m being honest. “’Sup, Olivia?” It was Anthime Gionet, a far-right personality known as “Baked Alaska.” I’d last seen him in 2016 when he was chasing me around a press conference in Las Vegas to harass me on his livestream. Since then, he had documented his unlawful occupation of the Capitol on January 6, a crime for which he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 60 days in federal prison. I’ve got this primal aversion to being followed around by unstable men, and as I tried to shake Baked Alaska, he told me and his viewers not to worry, he wouldn’t “troll” me this time.

Across the lawn, I saw another familiar face. Bob Kunst, a longtime activist and Trump supporter I first encountered in Cleveland in 2015 outside the first Republican debate, the one where Trump refused to pledge his support for the eventual nominee and accused Megyn Kelly of having “blood coming out of her wherever.” Back then, Kunst would wear a shirt that resembled the COEXIST logo but in fact read INFIDEL and he’d carry around a rubber Hillary Clinton mask, which he sometimes donned to complete the look. Today, he seemed a lot older and a little more understated, seated on a folding chair on the grass with a hand-drawn sign that read, DISHONEST DESANTIS, THE PROBLEM NOT THE ANSWER. He dismissed the charges against Trump as a distraction, merely the latest tactic from the Establishment to keep him from power. Kunst was concerned with existential threats to the Republic coming from China and elsewhere, and he did not much care about the particulars of Trump’s alleged wrongdoing, since, as he sees it, Trump is the only one who has any chance against America’s adversaries.

This being the great outdoors, a few feet away, a live rooster roamed among the forest of television cameras and a man waved a dead pig’s head aloft on a spear.

And who’s to say what year it is anymore? In the Starbucks across from the courthouse, a group entered in shirts that read BLACKS FOR TRUMP 2020.

Meanwhile, Trump’s motorcade took off from Trump National Doral and snaked through the streets of downtown Miami. A camp parade of police hogs and big SUVs flashed under the billboards for personal-injury attorneys — 1-800-FL-LEGAL and STEINGER, GREENE & FEINER GOT ME $800K (RESULTS BASED ON THE UNIQUE FACTS OF EACH CASE) — into hordes of fans and haters lined up in 90-degree heat and 69 percent humidity to catch a glimpse of the day’s spectacle and, if they were feeling contemplative, grapple with the legitimately dire situation the American Republic now faces.

On the eve of his 77th birthday, the former president and current 2024 GOP front-runner arrived at the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. Courthouse as a criminal defendant facing 37 federal charges for mishandling classified materials cribbed from the White House and stashed haphazardly in odd corners of his Palm Beach estate and for the alleged obstruction of the investigation into the matter.

Special counsel Jack Smith’s 44-page indictment detailing the government’s case against Trump and an aide, Walt Nauta, was made public earlier in June, weeks after Trump was first indicted and arraigned in New York on separate charges related to hush-money payments made by his campaign during the 2016 election.

A few feet away, a live rooster roamed among the forest of TV cameras and a man waved a pig’s head on a spear.

In photos included as evidence, boxes and boxes of documents are stored in the basement, on the ballroom stage, and, most memeably, in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago. Another shows a box overturned, its highly sensitive contents spilled onto the floor.

The materials “included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack,” according to the indictment. The irony was rich and obvious. This from the “law and order” president, the guy who wanted to “Lock her up!” over emails. The federal charges, including that Trump’s actions violated the Espionage Act, carry with them the threat of serious jail time, which Jonathan Turley, a conservative legal scholar, called “a terminal sentence.”

In the courthouse on Tuesday, Trump’s lawyer told the judge, “Your honor, we most certainly enter a plea of not guilty.” Throughout the proceeding, Trump sat stoically, his arms crossed, as Smith stared him down.

The SUVs emerged from the garage under the courthouse to roars from the crowd. Motorcycles revved. The caravan lingered. Members of Trump’s entourage rolled down their windows to snap photos of the scene. Trump traveled with his deputy communications director for his presidential campaign, Margo Martin, whom Fox News mistakenly identified as his third wife, Melania. As the motorcade began rolling, a man dressed in a black-and-white-striped prison uniform and holding a sign that read LOCK HIM UP jumped in front of the vehicles and was tackled by Secret Service.

The crowd followed into the streets. On a speaker, a man began to chant, “We have to put Jesus back in the classrooms! We have to put Jesus first if we want to save America!” Even for those of us disagreeing with the prescription, it was hard to argue with the idea that the country is in a real fix. Not long ago, all this would have felt over-the-top in a political satire: the story of a former president — and political cult leader of sorts — whose flagrant misconduct left the Justice Department with no reasonable choice but to act, but also a story about the state prosecuting the likely presidential nominee of one of the country’s two main parties, functionally America’s political opposition leader. There are many countries in the world where opposition leaders are prosecuted. They tend to be places with very serious political problems. Or, as a New York Times editorial from the calmer days of 2007 had it: “Putting political opponents in jail is the sort of thing that happens in third-world dictatorships.”

Watching the generic courthouse circus, I found it easy to forget about the remarkable particulars of the circumstances. Trump is seemingly on track to either be elected president or go to prison for the rest of his life. But because nearly every day of the past eight years the pundit class has cried rapture, most people don’t seem capable of feeling different, or acting differently, this time. The specifics do not interest them. The facts do not sway them. Their allegiances are practically religious. As the event wrapped up, a man in a MAGA hat recorded a TV interview a few feet from me. “I love him,” he told the host, “because I love him.” So the show goes on.

Later, Fox News ran a mocking supercut of liberal pundits referring to Tuesday’s events as “sad.” But even if you’re inclined to absorb any Trump misfortune with utter glee, surely the dark implications of what’s transpiring cannot be lost on you.

A short drive away, the crew stopped at Versailles, a legendary Cuban restaurant. There, supporters sang “Happy Birthday” to the defendant-candidate. Trump came close to a laugh. “Some birthday,” he said.

The members of his legal team are expected to fight the charges on technicalities, searching for a foothold to argue that prosecutors working for the special counsel engaged in misconduct with the grand jury or during interviews with Trump’s lawyers. In particular, they will dispute as evidence the damaging notes and recordings collected from Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran, which the New York Times characterized as “a roadmap” for the prosecution. For his part, Trump is fighting these charges with the familiar cry “Witch hunt!” and with his claim that the Espionage Act, which he has mocked as antiquated (“Wasn’t meant for this,” he said), could not possibly apply to him because the documents belonged to him when he took them and belong to him now, statements that are categorically false.

Hours later, at his private club in Bedminster, Trump said, “This day will go down in infamy.” The story of his arraignment was a story of political persecution carried out by “corrupt” President Biden, he said. “Threatening me with 400 years in prison for possessing my own presidential papers, which just about every other president has done,” he said. “The Espionage Act has been used to go after traitors and spies. It has nothing to do with a former president legally keeping his own documents. As president, the law that applies to this case is not the Espionage Act, but very simply, the Presidential Records Act, which is not even mentioned in this ridiculous 44-page indictment.” (The act states that when a president leaves office, these records become the property of “the Archivist of the United States.”)

As Trump spoke, he was egged on by staff and donors in town for a candlelit fundraising dinner the campaign claims raised $2 million. As this crowd broke into “Happy Birthday,” Trump looked on approvingly. “Great birthday,” he said. “Nice birthday, isn’t it? Nice birthday, wonderful birthday. They were saying, ‘Happy Birthday.’ I was with Eric and Laura and the kids — ‘Happy Birthday, Grandpa.’ And I said, ‘Oh, great. I just got charged with, they want 400 years, approximately. If you add them all up, a fake 400 years. Oh, thank you, darling. That’s so nice. It’s a wonderful birthday.’ But we’re going to make it into the greatest birthday of all. We’ll make it into the greatest of all. I will.”

Want more stories like this one? Subscribe now to support our journalism and get unlimited access to our coverage. If you prefer to read in print, you can also find this article in the June 19, 2023, issue of New York Magazine.

MORE ON TRUMP'S INDICTMENT

It’s Not Too Late for Donald Trump to Go on Hoarders

The Case(s) Against Donald Trump

7 Dumb Defenses of Trump Since His Latest Indictment

ATTACHMENT FORTY FOUR – From Slate

DONALD TRUMP - ANOTHER INDICTMENT, ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE IT ALL ABOUT HIM.

June 16th

Do you think we want to make this galoot No. 1 for the second week in a row? You think we like this? We have no choice. He deprives any of us of choice. We won’t make a guess of how Trump’s two (for the moment) indictments will affect the GOP presidential primary in the long run. But just look at what it does to his competitors in the short run. Is anyone writing stories about Ron DeSantis’ tax plan this week? Are we getting an in-depth look at Asa Hutchinson’s formative years in Congress? Is anyone asking Nikki Haley anything about her views? Yes, on one topic. She and others are being asked about their views of Trump’s handling of classified documents, the deservedness of the Trump indictment, whether they would pardon Trump, and what needs to be done to the DOJ and FBI in the wake of its Trump indictment. Each indictment reinforces the inescapable structure of the race: Trump is the sun, and the others are just a bunch of stupid planets. The more embattled he is, the more the primary becomes a referendum on him. And in a growing primary field, he can win that referendum with a plurality. This guy! We miss writing about, like, Dr. Oz.

ATTACHMENT FORTY FIVE – From the Philadelphia Sun (black)

TRUMP’S HISTORIC FEDERAL ARRAIGNMENT WAS VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE TO THE PUBLIC

June 16, 2023

NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami on Tuesday was historic — yet virtually invisible to the public.

In an era when people are accustomed to instantly available images and sounds of important events, Trump’s not-guilty plea to charges of hoarding classified documents was a step back in time. Hundreds of photographers and television crews were at the courthouse — many broadcasting live from outside — but they couldn’t show the key moments inside the courtroom.

Efforts by news organizations to loosen restrictions that generally prohibit cameras in federal courtrooms failed, despite the event’s unprecedented nature. It was a stark contrast from Trump’s arraignment in New York earlier this year.

Trump eventually found a way Tuesday to fill the void after leaving the courthouse — with a stop at a Cuban restaurant, where he could bathe in the cheers of supporters.

“This is the visual he wants — I just left the court. I’m good,” said CNN’s John King.

In court, Trump faced charges with no cameras present. Outside, he campaigned for all to see.

Earlier, he arrived at the courthouse to be booked and enter his plea and then left without being seen. Cameras followed a motorcade of black vehicles with tinted windows.

“This is a little bit old-fashioned,” said Fox News Channel’s Mark Meredith. “We’re not going to be able to see what’s going on in the courtroom.”

News organizations had petitioned the court to allow photographs of Trump to be taken prior to his arraignment and permit the public release of an audio recording of the court proceeding after it was done. Yet on Monday night, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman denied the requests.

Also Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga ordered that no journalists could possess electronic equipment anywhere in the courthouse on the day of the arraignment. Prior to her order, credentialed journalists at the courthouse had been allowed to use cell phones and computers.

“It’s kind a black hole inside the building,” said David Reiter, executive producer of special events for CBS News.

Most reporters in the courthouse were confined to an overflow room, where they watched the proceedings on “the kind of televisions you get in low-cost hotel rooms,” CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane said.

Through a random draw, some journalists — including at least one sketch artist — were allowed into the courtroom itself.

News organizations scurried to make arrangements to deal with the restrictions. Several television networks, for example, placed a handful of reporters and producers in the overflow room, sending them out one-by-one to report from the outside on what had happened. Reporters also discovered working phones by a bathroom that allowed them to make outgoing calls.

The limits on journalists were quickly apparent. ABC News, for example, reported while the hearing was still ongoing that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith was in the courtroom. Yet when NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez was asked about that by anchor Lester Holt, he confessed he wasn’t certain because he was limited in what he could see.

Some commentators couldn’t resist making assumptions, either, like when ABC’s John Santucci suggested Trump would be “trying to find a way to be a little charming” when he spotted Smith.

CNN’s Jake Tapper, in debriefing reporter Evan Perez, said he couldn’t ask him to be a mind-reader in assessing Trump’s mood. Then he did precisely that.

“He appeared very glum,” Perez said. “He did not seem to have a lot of energy.”

With time to fill, most networks took it live when Trump lawyer Alina Habba spoke outside the courtroom. MSNBC cut her off, however, and CBS’ John Dickerson noted that she did not address the specifics of any charges against the former president.

An outage at the Amazon Web Services cloud computing unit on Tuesday severely restricted some news organizations, including The Associated Press, from sending material at precisely the time of Trump’s arraignment. The Verge, the Boston Globe and PennLive.com were also affected.

Reporters kept a close eye on people gathered outside of the courtroom, including several banner-waving Trump supporters, a few anti-Trump demonstrators, and journalists from around the world — China, Australia, France, Germany, and Australia.

A handful of news organizations that sent reporters to the scene hired private security in case there was trouble.

“It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind,” said Nathan King, the White House correspondent for China’s state-run CGTN. King said he had to flee an angry group of demonstrators at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and watched as some of his equipment was destroyed.

Katie Taylor, a 76-year-old retired real estate agent and Trump supporter, drove 15 hours from Virginia to be part of the scene.

“We all know what’s going to happen inside the courtroom. What I care about is what they report on what is happening out here,” said Taylor, who gets her news mostly from conservative outlets like Newsmax and Bannon’s War Room. “I want to see it with my own eyes.”

Some Trump supporters snapped photographs of people in the media and recorded their interviews.

Dominic Santana, who retired in Miami after decades of operating an eatery in the New York area, showed up wearing a black and white striped jailhouse uniform, complete with handcuffs and a plastic ball and chain to celebrate what he hopes will be Trump’s imprisonment. He carried a sign saying, “Lock Him Up.”

“A fellow New Yorker can spot a rat a mile away,” said Santana, 61, a political independent who said his mother and daughter voted for Trump

ATTACHMENT FORTY SIX – From Newsweek

FACT CHECK: DID TRUMP OFFER TO BUY FOOD IN MIAMI BUT LEAVE WITHOUT PAYING?

See FACT CHECK site for Charts and Graphs

BY TOM NORTON ON 6/16/23 AT 3:53 PM EDT

A tweet by user @thetomzone, posted on June 16, 2023, viewed 1.1 million times, included a screengrab from an article saying: "Trump tells restaurant patrons 'Food for everyone!' then leaves without paying."

Another tweet by user @JoJoFromJerz, posted on June 16, 2023, viewed 626,000 times, said: "Wait wait... so trump went to that Cuban restaurant in Miami after he was arraigned on federal charges and promised "Food for everyone!" but then left... without paying for anyone??!!"

Commentator Tristan Snell, on June 15, 2023, tweeted: "NEW: Donald Trump STIFFED Miami restaurant where he did a publicity stunt after arrest and arraignment. He announced he was paying for everyone's food — then he left without paying for ANYTHING. Standard Trump. Fake generosity. Fake wealth. Fake everything. It's all a con.

After his arraignment on Tuesday, the former president visited Versailles Bakery in Miami, where he was greeted by a large crowd of press and supporters.

The adjoining Versailles restaurant has been a publicity haunt for former presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

Almost the entire visit was recorded by WPLG, whose footage shows Trump saying in the direction of the kitchen: "Are you ready? Are you ready? Food for everyone! Food for everyone."

However, as can be seen from the video, the eatery was packed with security, press, and supporters and did not seem to have (or be serving) any customers.

Later in the footage, the cameraman moves through the restaurant's kitchen, which didn't show any food preparation or cooking.

It was only shortly after this that Trump left, stopping by for about 10 minutes.

Newsweek contacted Versailles Restaurant, which confirmed the president's visit but only provided an email address when asked other questions.

The claim that Trump left without paying might have been inspired by a report in the Miami New Times, published June 14, 2023, which said: "So, New Times wondered, did Trump — who famously fancies his chicken from KFC and his steaks well-done and slathered with ketchup but isn't exactly known for picking up the check — treat his fan club to a spread of croquetas, pastelitos, and cubanos chased with cafecitos?

"It turns out no one got anything. Not even a cafecito to-go.

"A knowledgeable source assures New Times that Donald Trump's stop at Versailles totaled about ten minutes, leaving no time for anyone to eat anything, much less place an order."

The article was nonetheless quoted by a number of media outlets and social media users that said Trump left without paying, "stiffing" the restaurant.

For example, Twitter user @MediasTouch, quoted the article in a tweet posted June 15, 2023, saying: "After Trump's arraignment, he stopped at Miami's popular Cuban restaurant Versailles and promised supporters he was buying "food for everyone." It turns out he left without paying for a single item.

Laine Doss, the food and spirits editor for the Miami New Times, wrote the piece and told Newsweek she did not say that Trump stiffed the restaurant or placed an order, just that he left without an order being made.

"I never wrote that he didn't pay. I wrote that there was no food. That's all I wrote," Doss said. "No food was ordered, he left within 10 minutes and never got a chance to order and nobody ate because there was no ordering. So there was no ordering, and so no paying, and no bill, and he was only there for 10 minutes."

It appears that no order was made and the restaurant may not have been in a position to honor requests at the time, given the number of people in the venue.

There is no evidence that the restaurant or anyone else at Versailles was short-changed by the former president, as some of the social media posts suggest.

Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Trump by email for comment.

The Ruling

Unverified.

Newsweek was unable to reach the managers of the restaurant that Trump visited to confirm whether there was a bill left unpaid.

However, it appears that the claim he "stiffed" the restaurant was based on a misinterpretation of a story written by a Miami-based journalist.

While video of Trump at the Versailles Bakery in Miami shows him saying toward the eatery's kitchen "Food for everyone!" the venue was packed with reporters, security and supporters, and did not seem to be taking orders at the time he was there.

In any case, there is no evidence that Trump left the restaurant without paying for orders, but it has not been verified by the restaurant.

ATTACHMENT FORTY SEVEN – From the WashPost

As Trump is arraigned, Republicans honor the insurrectionists

By Dana Milbank June 16, 2023 at 6:45 a.m. EDT

Donald Trump could not have asked for a nicer arraignment-day celebration.

During the very same hour in which the former president surrendered to federal authorities in Miami, his Republican allies in the House were, in their most visible and official way yet, embracing as heroes and martyrs the people who sacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in hopes of overturning Trump’s election defeat.

In the Capitol complex, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), with sidekick Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and four other far-right lawmakers, held a “hearing” that honored participants in the riot, family members of Jan. 6 rioters and organizers of the attempted overthrow of the 2020 vote.

Technically, Gaetz couldn’t call such a hearing, because he isn’t a committee chairman. But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is trying to win back the support of extremists such as Gaetz, let it happen anyway.

Gaetz did his all to make the proceedings look official. There were congressional seals on his nameplate and on the big screen behind him. A meeting room in the Capitol visitor center was arranged to appear like a committee room, with lawmakers facing the witnesses. Gaetz advertised the “field hearing” as part of how “the 118th Congress is investigating the weaponization of the federal government.”

He impersonated a chairman — “you are recognized,” “thank you for your testimony,” “I’ll recognize myself [for] questions,” “her time has expired” — and the others played along (“thank you for the opportunity to testify,” “I yield back”). Gaetz said testimony could be used “for the official record [of the] House” or for “work in the Judiciary Committee, upon which I serve, or the Oversight Committee.” C-SPAN carried the proceedings live.

The invited witnesses?

· The wife of Ronald McAbee, who is awaiting trial for allegedly attacking a police officer and dragging him into the mob while wearing a black vest that said “SHERIFF.”

· Underwear model John Strand, sentenced to two years and eight months for being part of the mob that breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 and pushed past police officers.

· Activist Brandon Straka, sentenced to home detention and probation and fined for his Jan. 6 actions.

· The aunt of Matthew Perna; Perna killed himself while awaiting sentencing for his role in breaching the Capitol.

· Ed Martin, an organizer of the “Stop the Steal” effort leading up to Jan. 6.

· And Jeffrey Clark, the Trump Justice Department official who tried to get states to toss the election results.

The lawmakers hailed them all.

“To all of you, my condolences,” said Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), who added tenderly that “you know how I feel about Ashli” Babbitt, the woman police shot as she breached the last line of defense protecting lawmakers in the House chamber.

“This is heartbreaking,” added Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), “the way you all have been treated.”

Michelle "Micki" Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, at the House Jan. 6th "field hearing" Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) held at the Capitol visitor center on Tuesday. (Getty Images/Michael A. McCoy)

Greene added “my deepest sympathy for each of you and all the pain and suffering that you’ve all had to go through because of this government.” She told them that they were the victims of “sick, evil people” and that she and other lawmakers had a “constitutional duty to object to Joe Biden’s fraudulent electoral college votes because we all believed that the election had been stolen.”

Gaetz opened the hearing with a video suggesting FBI culpability in the Jan. 6 attack. He claimed he “became aware of evidence” that the Justice Department had evidence of “fraud in the election” but Trump Attorney General “Bill Barr was suppressing evidence.”

Gosar blamed the attack on “people undercover, whether it be antifa, FBI, whatever.” Norman suggested that the FBI was framing people who weren’t involved in the attack.

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Tex.) offered his view that people in charge in the Capitol (Democrats, presumably) “hid the intelligence” showing that an attack was coming. “It’s like they wanted this to happen.” Nehls added that “I believe Ashli Babbitt was murdered that day,” and he said he hopes Trump will return to power and send the officer who shot her before a grand jury.

Jennifer Rubin: Trump’s chances of a Jan. 6 indictment soar

From the witness table came howls of “wrongful conviction” and “fascism.” From the dais came a cry of “tyranny.” From both came attacks on judges, juries and prosecutors. Audience members were wearing T-shirts saying rioters had been “murdered by Capitol police.” In the hallway, keeping the peace, were two Capitol Police officers, guarding the people accusing them of murder.

Straka, who on Jan. 6 yelled “go, go, go” to the mob as they tried to breach the Capitol and “take it, take it” when rioters grabbed a shield from a police officer, “testified” to Gaetz’s panel that “we, the defendants of Jan. 6, need to be able to have some sort of voice.”

And now they have that voice: the feckless House Republican leaders who let this week’s abomination occur.

In the Senate, Republican leaders have voiced little support for Trump, with GOP whip John Thune (S.D.) calling the charges “very serious” and Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.) calling them “not good.

But in the House, McCarthy has shown no such fortitude, hewing closely to the Fox News assessment of the situation, as expressed in an on-screen “news alert” this week: “Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested.”

McCarthy began by calling the indictment a “brazen weaponization of power” and a “grave injustice.” He threatened to block funding for a new FBI headquarters in retaliation. This week, he accused Biden of stealing classified documents from a secure facility, and he said Trump’s handling of documents (piled in a bathroom) was superior to Biden’s (in a garage) because “a bathroom door locks.”

Will Trump avail himself of the privacy-lock defense? And will anybody have the heart to tell McCarthy that garage doors have locks? Or that bathroom doors lock only from the inside?

Jason Willick: The Trump indictment has a silver lining for Republicans in 2024

McCarthy is acting, as he often does, out of weakness. Taking an honorable position on Trump, as his Senate counterparts did, would antagonize the far right and could topple his historically weak speakership.

And so, there is nobody to tell the looniest members of his caucus to take it down a notch — just as there was nobody to tell Gaetz et alia not to hold a “hearing” glorifying insurrectionists.

There is nobody, for example, to tell Rep. Clay Higgins to cut it out. The Louisiana Republican, who has militia ties and previously threatened violence on social media, tweeted this message about Trump’s arraignment in Miami: “This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.”

Most won’t recognize such QAnon codes: “rPOTUS” means Trump is the “real” president, 1/50K is a military map scale, and “know your bridges” is a reference to preparing attack points, author Jeff Sharlet, an authority on extremism, has explained.

Scary? Now consider that this dangerous hooligan is the chairman of the border security subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee.

For a group purporting to be concerned about the “weaponization of government,” House Republicans sure seem intent on turning their own corner of the federal government into a tactical nuke.

On the same day as Trump’s arraignment, far-right first-term representative Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), previously best known for her creatively written résumé, introduced a “privileged resolution” to censure and fine Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) $16 million for his role in leading Trump’s first impeachment. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise promptly pledged to “help it pass” — and put it on the floor Wednesday afternoon.

Luna, full of confidence that her attack on her senior colleague would prevail, told Politico’s Olivia Beavers before the vote that she was acting against Schiff “at the suggestion of a member of leadership.”

Scalise, GOP whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) all voted with Luna. Alas for her, 20 Republicans retained more integrity than their leaders and joined with Democrats to kill Luna’s censure gambit.

It was a temporary reprieve for good sense. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) this week threatened to use the same “privileged-resolution” procedure to bring articles of impeachment against President Biden to the House floor. She joins a crowded impeach-Biden field: At least 11 House Republicans have introduced or co-sponsored impeachment articles against the president.

But first comes the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The proceedings began this week. They’re just not allowed to call it “impeachment” yet.

“We haven’t even gotten to that word,” Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) said at a news conference Wednesday, making quotation marks with his fingers.

Green was unveiling the GOP’s don’t-call-it-impeachment inquiry, a “five-phase deep dive” authorized by McCarthy that would prove Mayorkas “has been willfully derelict” and “disregarded his oath.” Explained Green: “We’re going to get more information about the failures of this secretary, and when we’re done we’ll make a recommendation to the Judiciary Committee.”

It’s yet another move by McCarthy to placate the hard right. Reps. Pat Fallon (Tex.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Greene and Higgins have introduced articles of impeachment with a combined 68 co-sponsors. But Republicans don’t have the votes to impeach — in part because they don’t have the goods on Mayorkas.

Illegal crossings of the southern border have dropped 70 percent from their record highs, despite the end of pandemic border restrictions. That’s due in part to toughened Biden administration policies, including restrictions on asylum. Heightened enforcement has also led to the seizure of record amounts of fentanyl.

Still, Green kicked off the proceedings with a Trumpian flourish. “Murderers released into the United States! Rapists released into the United States!” he shouted in the House television studio. “One-hundred-seven thousand dead Americans … Alejandro Mayorkas’s policies are the cause of all of this!”

Disagreement with Mayorkas’s — and therefore Biden’s — policies doesn’t qualify as “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Those trying to weaponize the government against Mayorkas are going to need a better weapon.

THE WEEKEND

ATTACHMENT FORTY EIGHT – From Guardian U.K.

TIME’S UP FOR TRUMP, JOHNSON AND BERLUSCONI – BUT THE DAMAGE THEY HAVE CAUSED LIVES ON

The Three Stooges are the stars of rightwing populist melodramas. Real people with real-world problems are more deserving of attention

By Simon Tisdall Sun 18 Jun 2023 02.00 EDT

What do Donald Trump, Boris Johnson and Silvio Berlusconi have in common? If this sounds like the beginning of an off-colour joke, in a way it is. But the joke’s on us.

Huge egos, certainly. Love of money, no doubt. Compulsive lying, untrustworthiness, predatory relationships with women, links to shady characters, media manipulation – in life and death, they shared all this and more.

All three relied on opportunistic, hard-right populist-nationalist politics, spiced with braggadocio and sickly charm, to dazzle, woo and bamboozle voters – which they often succeeded in doing.

The Three Stooges were top of the news again last week, but for different reasons: they hit the buffers, finally came unstuck, got what was coming, were called to account – pick whichever phrase best expresses your inner schadenfreude.

Trump was criminally indicted in federal court. Johnson ran for the hills – in his case, the Chilterns – rather than face the Partygate music. And Italy’s eternally divisive Berlusconi, who believed he was immortal, went to meet his maker.

Attention-seeking is another shared characteristic. It was a subdued Trump who was hauled before the beak in Miami. But he perked up when Maga-maniacs, Bible-thumpers and assorted hangers-on lionised him at a 77th birthday bash.

Taking refuge in his luxury golf resort in New Jersey, poor, persecuted Trumpy whimpered he was the innocent victim of nasty Joe Biden’s “band of thugs, misfits and Marxists”. Paranoia: that’s another shared trait.

Trump thrives on being the centre of attention, on hogging the limelight. At heart, he’s a showman and a child, eager for his mum (and the world) to watch. “Hey, Ma! Look what I’ve done now!” Margaret Thatcher called it the “oxygen of publicity”. Without it, he suffocates.

Johnson is much the same. As parliament was reminded last week, there’s nothing he will not do, no one he won’t betray, no promise he won’t break to steal a march or grab a headline. Cut from the same cloth, Berlusconi bowed out with the starring role in an epic state funeral.

The humbling of heroes and powerful villains, the fall of kings and tyrants – these are age-old, ever-popular political and theatrical themes. Think King Lear. Think Shah of Iran or Romania’s Ceausescu. Think Thatcher herself.

The humbling of heroes and powerful villains makes for a great story, which is why Trump et al are box office. They sell papers, attract page views, boost ratings

It makes for a great story, which is why Trump et al are box office. They sell papers, attract page views, boost ratings. Sadly, in Trump’s and Johnson’s cases, dethroning may not permanent. Both plot a glorious restoration.

A bigger problem is that such carry-ons and make-believe palavers are a serious distraction from what’s happening to real people in the real world. It’s a familiar dilemma for conscientious news editors and consumers alike.

Take war-torn Sudan for example. While Trump was fulminating about the unfairness of it all and Johnson was whingeing to his mates, hundreds of terrified, unaccompanied children were spilling over the border into Chad – victims of an unfolding regional catastrophe.

Sudan led the news a few weeks ago when Britain and other more fortunate countries scrambled to evacuate their nationals. Now it’s almost forgotten by western governments and media, even though the war is escalating.

The numbers are shocking. The UN estimates 470,000 people have left Sudan since April. About 1.4 million are internally displaced. Nearly 25 million are in need. Twenty-five million!

Sudan’s implosion is only too real, and resonates across northern Africa – where broken countries such as Somalia, Libya and others in the Sahel also totter on the brink of disintegration – and far beyond.

“The outbreak of fighting in Sudan should give world leaders pause: it threatens to be the latest in a wave of devastating wars in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia that over the past decade have ushered in a new era of instability and strife,” the independent International Crisis Group warned recently.

“Mostly because of conflicts, more people are displaced (100 million) or in need of humanitarian aid (339 million) than at any point since World War II.”

Inescapably real, too, is the fact that poor countries are the biggest losers from the combined effect of the pandemic, the Ukraine war and western anti-inflationary measures. The World Bank says UN anti-poverty goals will be missed by miles.

If only because of a prospective surge in cross-Mediterranean and cross-Channel migration, dramatised by the latest terrible boat tragedy off Greece, addressing root causes of instability in Africa should surely be a top UK priority.

“Losing” large regions of the world to authoritarianism and Chinese and Russian influence should be a big worry for the US. Yet rightwing populists like Johnson and Trump seem oblivious. Living a blinkered alternative reality, they act out solipsistic dramas – and indulgent media mostly play along.

The damage done by such “leaders” cannot be measured simply by the number of lies told, laws broken and promises unfulfilled. Their bad example, emulated around the world, inflicts unseen, untold damage on millions whose future hopes depend on responsible global leadership.

It damages countries whose path to prosperity, democracy and human rights is uncertain and easily reversed. Each time Trump sets himself above the law, a dictator in Africa or Asia cheers. Each time Johnson distorts the truth, dark deeds go unpunished elsewhere.

Trump, Johnson, Berlusconi and likeminded charlatans of the right hijack the agenda, journalists write the headlines, and readers lap it up. Yet here’s the real story: those guys are bad news – for everyone, everywhere.

ATTACHMENT FORTY NINE – From the Guardian U.K.

A GREAT TRUTH TELLER HAS LEFT US. A LIAR WHOSE MENDACITY HAS NO EQUAL REMAINS FOR US TO DEAL WITH

By Rebecca Solnit Sun 18 Jun 2023 02.04 EDT

On Friday, a man who leaked classified national security documents to the press died at the age of 92 at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area. On Tuesday, a man who took classified documents to his Miami home that was also a resort frequented by a wide array of characters, refused to surrender them, and unleashed a flock of lies about the whole business, was arraigned on 37 felony charges.

Daniel Ellsberg was one of history’s most consequential figures

We know that Daniel Ellsberg leaked documents in the hopes of stopping a war, preventing deaths, and exposing a government that had through five presidencies lied about that war in Vietnam to justify and perpetuate it. We don’t know exactly why Donald J Trump absconded from the White House with top secret material. But there are no good explanations for those boxes stacked on the stage, in the bathroom and spilling on to the floor of a storeroom, and dragged back to another insecure location at Trump’s country club in New Jersey, or for his refusal to surrender the material when the government demanded it.

The reasons to protect national security are pretty much built into the term itself. The reasons to violate national security vary widely. Whistleblowers such as Ellsberg are often high-profile figures acting on principle, not as enemies of the regime but as opponents of policies and as champions of justice or the right of the public to know. They seek to hold government accountable, often out of a patriotic loyalty trying to make the government what it should be.

Ellsberg was a strong defender of Edward Snowden, who in 2013 exposed the US government’s post-9/11 violation of privacy laws to spy on US citizens. Snowden was akin to Ellsberg as an insider, an expert and a man who made a careful and considered decision about both what to leak and how. There has, of course, also been a steady trickle of spies on all sides who sold intelligence to foreign nations for money or occasionally because they were seduced by an agent of a foreign regime.

Donald Trump was never a spy so far as we know, but he was a sieve when it came to state secrets and a beneficiary of leaks that seemed intended to serve exactly that purpose. In June and October of 2016, WikiLeaks dumped information hacked from Democrats with the apparent intent of aiding Trump’s election. In 2020, a lawyer for the WikiLeaks head, Julian Assange, told a British court: “US President Donald Trump offered to pardon WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he said that Russia had nothing to do with WikiLeaks’ publication of Democratic party emails in 2016.” In May of 2017, Trump spilled high-level intelligence to the Russian foreign secretary and ambassador; in the memorable picture of the meeting he looks baffled, and they look like the cats that just ate the canary.

Ellsberg, who at the time of his momentous act was himself in the business of national security and held a high-security clearance, handed over the Pentagon Papers to newspapers who themselves took huge risks to publish them. As the New York Times summarized it, the documents Ellsberg and his close allies so painstakingly and surreptitiously photocopied, were “7,000 government pages of damning revelations about deceptions by successive presidents who exceeded their authority, bypassed Congress and misled the American people” in order to fight an unwinnable war against a remote and impoverished country that posed no military threat to the US.

In an email in which he disclosed that he had only months to live Ellsberg reiterated: “When I copied the Pentagon Papers in 1969, I had every reason to think I would be spending the rest of my life behind bars. It was a fate I would gladly have accepted if it meant hastening the end of the Vietnam war, unlikely as that seemed.” Later in life he admitted that his action didn’t end the war, but it helped end the Nixon presidency, making an end to the war possible. He infuriated and terrified Richard Nixon, who used illegal methods to try to undermine Ellsberg. Those acts by a sitting president instead undermined the case against Ellsberg, whose criminal charges were dismissed.

Ellsberg devoted the rest of his long life to speaking up about the dangers of nuclear weapons and war, human rights, the overreaches of the federal government, and further wars including George W Bush’s 2003 invasion of Iraq. He was a beloved figure in the San Francisco Bay Area, often seen at anti-nuclear demonstrations, arrested dozens of times in protest.

Ellsberg’s death and Trump’s indictment, so close together this week, remind us that national security is regularly violated, sometimes by idealists committed to the public good, sometimes by opportunists serving themselves. Ellsberg’s life is also remarkable as an example of someone who changed his mind, his life and his values – he was a cog in the machinery of war, and then he risked his future to stand against that war and the government perpetrating it.

A great truth teller has left us. A liar whose mendacity has no equal remains for us to deal with.

· Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist. Her most recent books are Recollections of My Nonexistence and Orwell’s Roses

TODAY...

ATTACHMENT FIFTY – From Politico

THE GOP FIELD DISCOVERS THERE ARE ONLY SIDE ACTS IN THE TRUMP SHOW

When Trump’s challengers did make a splash last week, it only came in response to Trump.

By ADAM WREN, MERIDITH MCGRAW and NATALIE ALLISON 06/19/2023 07:00 AM EDT

The problem for Donald Trump’s rivals with the wall-to-wall media coverage of his indictment isn’t just that Trump is once again drawing all the attention in the presidential primary.

It’s that, more than ever before, there appears to be no end in sight, with the prospect of a prolonged legal battle reducing his competitors to commentators on his legal troubles — or drowning them out entirely.

“Trump always gets all the coverage,” said an adviser to one of Trump’s opponents, granted anonymity to speak freely about the campaign. “This is what it’s like to run against Trump.”

The turn from a Trump-centric to a Trump-only primary was nowhere more evident than in the days following Trump’s indictment last week. The case virtually sidelined him from the campaign trail, with Trump visiting a Miami courthouse to enter a not-guilty plea in his classified documents case before visiting a Miami eatery and then jetting back to his golf club in Bedminster for a fundraiser.

But even in his absence from the hustings of Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump was omnipresent — a reality fast cementing as the rule, not the exception, in the unfolding 2024 primary battle.

“No one is thinking outside the box on how to effectively message the existential threat and dilemma that the party is in with this,” said a Republican strategist who is unaffiliated with any campaign, but who was granted anonymity to speak frankly about campaign strategies.

“There is a non-negligible chance the nominee of our party will be charged and go to jail. Setting aside how you feel about this, we can’t govern from a jail cell. I just think people are scared to make that argument. And when you duck and hide from it – that is why the oxygen is getting sucked out of the room.”

The difficulty for Trump’s competitors is that nothing — not even about the indictment — seems to be dragging Trump down. Trump’s polling did not appear to budge no matter how many times his rivals noted his mishandling of national secrets, after Trump pleaded not guilty to charges he kept top-secret government documents in his Palm Beach home and obstructed the government’s investigation into his possession of classified material.

But even worse for his rivals: Each of their successive entries into the race hasn’t resulted in much polling movement, either. In 2016, Trump entered the race polling in the single digits. But now he has more than half of the primary electorate’s market share, polling in some cases at more than 50 percent and leaving his competitors little room for any post-announcement polling bump.

“It’s like they are challenging a sitting president, and in some ways, Donald Trump is a legitimate president in the minds of many Republican primary voters,” said Christine Matthews, president of Bellwether Research, who has polled for onetime presidential aspirant and former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. “That could explain why there isn’t a bounce. It’s not a completely open field. And we’re considering all these new faces who are popping in, it’s like these are challengers to an incumbent.”

In that environment, it’s become almost impossible for Trump’s opponents to break through. When Trump’s challengers did make a splash last week, it only came in response to Trump.

Vivek Ramaswamy held a press conference on the sidelines of Trump’s arraignment in Miami to challenge his contenders to pardon Trump if elected. Nikki Haley got attention — but for her evolving response to the documents case. And Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Florida attending to the state budget, which was overshadowed by Trump news.

“He’s got all the right enemies,” said Trump pollster Jim McLaughlin. “And what happens is when you have an event like this, all those right enemies, especially in a Republican primary, are attacking him right now. So it helps him. When he’s gone up, DeSantis has gone down.”

The media circus that surrounded Trump over the past week was in part by design. Trump’s campaign knew that an unannounced stop at Versailles, an iconic restaurant in the heart of Little Havana, would make waves with the Republican-leaning Cuban pocket of south Florida. It also knew it would be irresistible to TV cameras and give the campaign control of the first post-arraignment images of Trump, since the courtroom appearance did not allow photographers.

See Also:

1. The GOP field discovers there are only side acts in the Trump show

2. Trump: I was too busy to sort through the boxes I took to Mar-a-Lago

3. 2024’s hidden prize: The upper hand in tax ‘Armageddon’

4. Republican reaction to Trump indictment is ‘absurd,’ former GOP governor says

5. Hill spotlight on classified documents dims after Trump’s indictment — which may be a good thing

Later, Trump’s remarks, where he laid out his argument against the indictment, attracted the attention of TV networks. Coverage of the event made the front pages of top newspapers.

“Trump just has this knack for understanding the moment … You’ve got to use your imagination, and it’s clear that Vivek was the only candidate with any imagination, because that was clever what he did down there, saying you know, ‘I’ll pardon Trump when I’m elected president,’ which no one thinks will happen, but now he’s put everybody else on notice,” said an adviser to Trump granted anonymity to freely discuss the campaign. “That’s what you do in politics.”

Steven Cheung, spokesperson for the Trump campaign, taunted rival candidates. “What we did at Versailles restaurant and Bedminster shows that we can do this on our worst day better than they can on their best day,” he said.

Trump’s ability to attract the spotlight isn’t a revelation. But for a field of Republican candidates eager to differentiate themselves from the former president, it’s becoming an increasingly pressing problem.

Former Vice President Mike Pence met with the Wall Street Journal editorial board last week for an interview that focused largely on his views of the indictment. But he briefly broke through in an interview on Fox Business’ “Kudlow” the following day, when he seemed to get just short of an endorsement from the Fox host and Trump’s former director of the National Economic Council. “I don’t think there’s anybody more qualified than you,” Kudlow gushed.

Ramaswamy, who did his best to newsjack Trump’s whirlwind media week with his own press conference, denied in an interview that he did so to reap headlines.

“If you believe in something, you show up,” he said.

An adviser to another of Trump’s rivals, Sen. Tim Scott, said the campaign hasn’t been upset with its degree of media coverage since Trump’s most recent indictment. Despite a Fox News interview shortly after news broke of Trump’s indictment that focused almost entirely on the Trump news, Scott’s interviews with conservative media since then have only briefly touched on the former president.

Scott faced only light questioning about the indictment in interviews with Mark Levin and Simon Conway, and Sean Hannity announced he is holding a televised town hall with Scott this week in South Carolina.

Haley, too, has managed to score some headlines on the type of news her campaign is pushing. Local media in Iowa covered the roll-out of her campaign team in the state, while South Carolina news outlets have previewed an upcoming voter town hall. But the major national headlines Haley drew were for her comments about Trump’s indictment — first that Trump had been “reckless” and then that she would still be “inclined” to pardon him if he is convicted of federal charges.

To many Republican strategists, it’s not clear when, if ever, the dynamic will shift.

“It’s almost like you’re playing pool,” said a Republican strategist granted anonymity to freely discuss the campaign. “You have to break at the start, and nothing has broken the triangle. Trump is the 8 ball in the middle and he’s’ not going anywhere for now. I’m curious to see what the fuck people are going to do.”

ATTACHMENT FIFTY ONE – From Reuters

U.S. JUDGE SETS AUG. 14 TRIAL DATE FOR TRUMP IN FLORIDA DOCUMENTS CASE

By Susan Heavey, Sarah N. Lynch and Jacqueline Thomsen June 20, 2023 12:54 PM EDTUpdated 3 hours ago

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has set an initial trial date of Aug. 14 in Florida on former President Donald Trump's federal charges of willful retention of classified government records and obstruction of justice, according to a court order on Tuesday.

The Justice Department's special counsel in the case, Jack Smith, promised a speedy trial after a 37-count indictment charging Trump with willfully retaining classified government records and obstructing justice.

The date, if it holds, would put Trump on trial nine days ahead of the first Republican presidential debate scheduled for Aug. 23.

But the complexities of handling highly classified evidence, the degree to which Trump's legal team challenges the government's pretrial motions, and the way the judge manages the schedule could all lead to a trial that is anything but swift, legal experts say.

A spokesperson for Smith's office declined to comment, while Trump's lawyers did not immediately return requests for comment.

The latest order came after a U.S. judge on Monday ordered Trump's defense lawyers not to release evidence in the classified documents case to the media or the public, according to a court filing.

The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart also put strict conditions on Trump's access to the materials.

Trump was arraigned in federal court in Miami last Tuesday, during which he pleaded not guilty to charges he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.

Cannon's order setting a tentative Aug. 14 trial is considered standard.

However, the case will need to proceed under a strict and meticulous set of rules set forth in a law known as the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA): a law that aims to protect classified evidence and manage how such records can be disclosed.

Cannon previously directed Trump's defense attorneys to start the process of seeking security clearances so they can review the evidence, as required by CIPA.

However, the government customarily files a motion with the court under CIPA that leads to the parties discussing the pretrial schedule - a step that has not yet happened in the case.

“It seems like a tight schedule to me, and courts are sometimes surprised at the ways in which classified information can slow a case down because of both the procedural law and the security measures involved," said David Aaron, a former federal prosecutor who is now with the law firm Perkins Coie.

THE DOCUMENTS on the DOCUMENTS...

ATTACHMENT (A) – From the New York Times (with commentary)

TEXTS of INDICTMENT PROCEEDINGS

For complete pdf version, including charts, graphs and pictures, see:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/09/us/trump-indictment-document-annotated.html

See also:

https://www.politico.com/interactives/2023/trump-criminal-investigations-cases-tracker-list/#classified-documents

TEXT of the FEDERAL INDICTMENT AGAINST DONALD TRUMP

(With commentary by the NYT)

The Justice Department on Friday unveiled an indictment charging former President Donald J. Trump with 37 criminal counts. They relate to Mr. Trump’s hoarding of sensitive government documents after he left office and his refusal to return them, even after being subpoenaed for all remaining records in his possession that were marked as classified.

31 counts

Related to withholding national defense information

One count against Mr. Trump for each document he was alleged to have kept in his possession.

5 counts

Related to concealing possession of classified documents

Among them are counts of conspiracy to obstruct justice and withholding documents and records, levied against both Mr. Trump and an aide, Walt Nauta.

2 counts

False statements

Related to statements to the F.B.I. by Mr. Trump and an aide, Walt Nauta.

The Donald Trump Classified Documents Indictment, Annotated ›

49 pages

A list of charges against Donald Trump.

The New York Times annotated the indictment.

Download the original PDF to access notes, updates and photographs

1.

New York Times Analysis

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1 Although law enforcement officials conducted most of the investigation using a grand jury in Washington, the special counsel chose to bring the case in Florida. That avoided a potential legal fight over venue, but it carried the risk that the case would be assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who was appointed by former President Donald J. Trump and who has issued a series of rulings unusually favorable to him. Judge Cannon will indeed take the case, according to people familiar with the matter.

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2 The indictment lays out the potential danger of the classified information in the documents Mr. Trump kept at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

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3 As has been recently reported, the special counsel, Jack Smith, has apparently obtained an audio recording of Mr. Trump acknowledging that he knew a document in his possession was still classified. That stands at odds with Mr. Trump’s public claims that he had declassified all the materials he took from the Oval Office. (No credible evidence has emerged to support that claim, which his lawyers had declined to repeat in court, where there are professional consequences for lying.)

4 This section of the indictment outlines another incident in which Mr. Trump is accused of having shown a classified document to someone while acknowledging that it was still secret. It does not refer to a recording, raising the possibility that the unidentified representative of his political action committee provided this account to investigators.

5 The indictment lays out five specific actions by Mr. Trump that it says were illegal obstruction.

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6 Mr. Trump’s aide Walt Nauta was also indicted and is described in this filing as a co-conspirator in the crimes.

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7 The indictment emphasizes how many people were wandering in and out of Mr. Trump’s estate in Florida, implying that improperly storing classified documents there risked their disclosure.

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8 The indictment uses Mr. Trump’s words from the 2016 campaign, attacking his rival, Hillary Clinton, over her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, to show he understood the importance of protecting classified information.

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9 The indictment includes a photograph showing that some of the boxes Mr. Trump had taken from the White House were stored for a time in a ballroom in Mar-a-Lago where guests had access.

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10 The indictment includes a photograph by Mr. Nauta that shows boxes spilling classified documents onto the floor of a storage room.

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11 The existence of this recording came to public light this month. Mr. Trump claimed the document was written by Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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12 In this recording, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he had a document that was still classified and was showing it to three other people who did not have security clearances and were not authorized to see it.

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13 The indictment again uses Mr. Trump’s own words to condemn him.

14 Throughout the investigation, reporting suggested that investigators were examining the movement of boxes in and out of the storage room at Mar-a-Lago after Mr. Trump knew the government wanted the documents back.

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15 The indictment accuses Mr. Nauta of lying to the F.B.I. about moving the boxes.

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New York Times Analysis

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16 The details of this description of Mr. Nauta moving a box from the storage room, after a subpoena in May requested the return of the documents, most likely come from Mar-a-Lago security camera footage. Investigators also subpoenaed that footage.

17 Trump Attorney 1 remains unnamed in the document, but the designation appears to refer to Evan Corcoran, who played a key role in handling Mr. Trump’s responses to the government over its repeated requests for the return of the documents. Mr. Corcoran made a lengthy and detailed voice memo about his conversations with Mr. Trump. Mr. Smith fought a legal battle to obtain that material, and a federal judge ruled that the so-called crime-fraud exception to attorney-client privilege applied.

18 The indictment inserts this anecdote, apparently about personal emails on Mrs. Clinton’s private server that her lawyer had destroyed, without comment. The insinuation may be that Mr. Trump was implying, without directly asking, his lawyer to destroy classified documents he found problematic.

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19 The special counsel appears to be connecting phone records and surveillance footage to show a link between Mr. Trump’s and Mr. Nauta’s actions.

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New York Times Analysis

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20 The indictment suggests that Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta hid boxes of documents from Mr. Corcoran, who would soon tell the Justice Department that there were no other files responsive to the subpoena — which was not true.

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New York Times Analysis

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21 Here is another instance presented as Mr. Trump asking, without directly asking, for Mr. Corcoran to destroy classified documents rather than turn them over to the government.

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22 The lawyer who signed a statement stating that a diligent search had been conducted and that all known classified information had been returned to the government was Christina Bobb, who was serving as the formal custodian of records for Mr. Trump’s office. The indictment makes clear she did not know the statements in the attestation were false.

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23 The narrative ends with the F.B.I. search that turned up 103 classified documents.

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24 Trump has been charged with violating a provision of the Espionage Act, a 1917 law that makes it a crime to hold onto secret government documents without authorization. This provision was enacted before the advent of the modern classification system, and it does not require prosecutors to prove that the secret documents had been deemed classified. Trump has claimed that he declassified everything that he took from the White House, although no credible evidence has emerged to support that claim. The penalty is up to 10 years per offense.

25 Only Mr. Trump – not Mr. Nauta – is charged with violations of the Espionage Act.

26 The indictment lists 31 documents, each of which is the subject of a separate count of Espionage Act violation.

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27 Mr. Trump has been charged with violating a law that makes it a crime to corruptly impede an official proceeding. The penalty is up to 20 years per offense.

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28 Mr. Trump has been charged with violating a law that makes it a crime to conceal records to obstruct an official effort. The penalty is up to 20 years per offense.

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New York Times Analysis

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29 Mr. Trump and Mr. Nauta have each been charged with one count of violating a law that makes it a crime to issue false statements to federal investigators. Although Trump said little directly to law enforcement officials — instead communicating through his lawyers — people can be held liable for a crime if they induce other people to commit the action. The penalty is up to five years per offense.

30 Trump Attorney 3 appears to refer to Ms. Bobb. Mr. Trump is charged as the principal for the false statements made to the government in Ms. Bobb’s certification because he is accused of having induced them.

Correction:

June 9, 2023

An earlier of an annotation on this page misstated the number of documents listed in the indictment that are subject to Espionage Act violations. There are 31 listed, not 38.

ATTACHMENT (B) – From Yahoo

(For complete pdf version, including pictures, see: Arraignment – @x

TRANSCRIPT of MIAMI ARRAIGNMENT: Tuesday, June 13, 2023

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA

MIAMI DIVISION

CASENO 23-80101- cr- CANNON

Plaintiff,

DONALDJ. TRUMP and WALTINE

NAUTA,

Defendants.

APPEARANCES:

FOR THE GOVERNMENT:

FOR DEFENDANT

DONALD J. TRUMP:

Miami Florida

June 13, 2023

2:55 p.m. to 3:44 p.m.

Courtroom13-3

INITIAL APPEARANCE AND ARRAIGNMENT

BEFORE THE HONORABLE JONATHAN GOODMAN ,

UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

( Pages 1 to 36 )

JAY BRATT, ESQ.

DAVID HARBACH, ESQ.

JULIE EDELSTEIN, ESQ.

Counterintelligence and Export Control

Section

National Security Division

U.S. Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue , NW

Washington, DC 20530

(202) 233-2113

CHRISTOPHERM. KISE, ESQ.

Continental, PLLC

101 North Monroe Street

Tallahassee, FL 32301

( 805) 270-2211

ckise@continentalpllc.com

TODD BLANCHE , ESQ.

Blanche Law

99 Wall Street , Suite 4460

New York , NY 10005

( 212) 716-1250

toddblanche@blanchelaw.com

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APPEARANCESCONTINUED

FOR DEFENDANT

WALTINE NAUTA :

Also Present:

REPORTED BY:

STANLEY M. WOODWARD , ESQ .

BrandWoodwardLaw

2001 NW

Washington, DC 20006

( 202) 258-6597

Stanleymbrand@gmail.com

Susie Silva, Pretrial Services

STEPHANIE A. , RPR

Official Court Reporter

400 North Miami Avenue

Thirteenth Floor

Miami, Florida 33128

( 305) 523-5518

Stephanie_McCarn@flsd.uscourts.gov

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WITNESSESFOR THE GOVERNMENT:

EXHIBITSIN EVIDENCE

WITNESSESFOR THE DEFENDANTS:

Plaintiff'sExhibitNo.

DEX

Defendants' ExhibitNo.

WITNESSES

Proceedings.

IDENTIFIED

MISCELLANEOUS

Court Reporter's Certificate .

Page

Page

ADMITTED

Page

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30

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seated.

( The followingproceedingswere held at 2:55 p.m.)

THE COURTROOMDEPUTY: rise.

THE COURT: And good afternoon, folks. Please be

Make yourself comfortable.

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Good afternoon, Your Honor.

THE COURT: Give me half a minute to get organized and

get settled.

( Pause in proceedings . )

THE COURT : We're here , folks , for Case No.

23-80101- cr - Cannon . United States of America vs. Donald J.

Trump and WaltineNauta.

First, I want to thank Chief Judge CeciliaAltonaga

for letting me use this courtroom and also chambers .

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Second, I want to thank the U.S. Marshal and all of

his deputies for all the hard work that they've put in the past

several days. And also thanks to the entire law enforcement

community, all the multiple agencies who have been working over

the past several days to get this organized.

And finally, I'd like to thank the clerk of the court

and her staff for making arrangements under a time crunch.

want to remind everyone of the Court's broadcast ,

broadcasting prohibition rules . No photographs or videos in

this courtroom or otherwise in the building .

And I am also going to point out what I call the no

circumventing the rule , rule , which means for those folks who

are over in the spillover room watching this on television

monitors, you're not allowed to recordor broadcastfrom what

3 you see on TV, because that would defeat the entire

prohibition.

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We're going to start off by taking former President

Trump first , and then we'll handle Codefendant Waltine Nauta .

Who is here for the prosecution, please?

MR HARBACH : Good afternoon , Your Honor . David

Harbach of the Special Counsel's Office for the United States .

Sitting with me at the table are my colleagues , Jay Bratt and

Julie Edelstein.

Washington?

Florida.

THE COURT : Thank you.

Trump?

And all three of you are from

MR HARBACH: Yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT : Well , welcome to the Southern District of

MR HARBACH: Thank you, sir.

THE COURT: And who is here for former President

MR . KISE: Good afternoon , Your Honor . Christopher

Kise, Continental PLLC on behalf of President Donald Trump .

And I appreciate the Court already granting Mr. Blanche's pro

hac vice. enter his appearance .

THE COURT: Thank you.

credit, it was actuallyJudge Cannon who granted that motion

I don't want to take undue

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for pro hac vice , but thank you so much.

And your colleague ?

MR BLANCHE : Todd Blanche , just admitted pro hac

vice . Good afternoon , Your Honor .

City?

THE COURT: Good afternoon. And you are from New York

MR BLANCHE : I am,

Floridaas well.

Your Honor.

THE COURT: Welcome to the Southern District of

So I have a question for both of you. And you can

feel free to be seated , make yourself comfortable .

Are both of you here temporarily or permanently?

MR . KISE: Permanently , Your Honor .

MR BLANCHE : Permanently , Your Honor .

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THE COURT: Okay, that's good to know.

Have you filed a notice of permanent appearance yet ?

MR. KISE: Yes, Your Honor, I have.

THE COURT: Okay And Mr. Blanche.

MR BLANCHE : was just admitted , Your Honor . will

do so promptly.

THE COURT : All right. Well, why don't you take until

tomorrow to get that done , it's sort of an administrative step.

But thank you. Very well .

So since both of you are here permanently , let me ask

one other backgroundquestion, which is, are you here for trial

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purposes only or trial and appeal?

MR. KISE: Trial and appeal, Your Honor, as reflected

in our notice .

All right. Very good. Thank you so much.

Folks , the Indictment itself is 44 pages , 38 counts

with 37 counts against the former PresidentTrump and 6 against

the Codefendantand alleged coconspirator, Waltine Nauta.

Have you folks reviewed the Indictment with former

THE COURT:

President Trump?

MR BLANCHE : We have, Your Honor .

we read

THE COURT: And because both of you are in the case

permanently, would you like to arraignhim now?

MR BLANCHE: Yes, Your Honor.

MR. KISE: Yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT: All right. So let's move forward and do

that , please .

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So the custom in our district, customs vary from

district to district. But in our district, we typically don't

read aloud the entire Indictment, that would take quite a

while . The typical protocol is for the defense lawyers to say

we waive the formal reading.

Are you willing to waive the formal reading?

MR BLANCHE: We waive the formal reading, Your Honor.

THE COURT : All right. And the next step typically

would be you either enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

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MR BLANCHE : Your Honor , we most certainly enter a

plea of not guilty .

All right. And the other typical request

that we make in this district is , we'd like a jury trial, we

demand a jury trial. Is that something you're asking for?

MR BLANCHE: We so demand, yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT : All right. And the other typical step

that defense lawyers in our district take is to ask for the

issuance of the standing discovery order .

THE COURT:

Are you making that request as well?

MR BLANCHE: Yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT : All right. The standing discovery order

either has been uploaded or will soon be uploaded on our CM ECF

system .

I'm now going to be issuingwhat we call the Brady

order . I'm confident that the Department of Justice is fully

aware of its Brady obligations , but in an abundance of caution ,

we now issue an actual order to enforce the Brady obligations .

I'm going to be reading the Brady order, issuing the Brady

order, and this order also applies for the Codefendant,

Mr. Nauta, as well.

A written version of this Brady order will later

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appear on our CM- ECF written docket.

As required by Rule 5 ( f ) of the Rules of Criminal

Procedure, the United States is ordered to disclose to the

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Defendant all exculpatory evidence ; that is, evidence that

favors the Defendantor casts doubt on the UnitedStates'scase

as required by Brady vs. Maryland and its progeny .

The Governmenthas a duty to disclose any evidence

that goes to negating the Defendant's guilt, the credibility of

a witness or that would reduce a potentialsentence.

The Defendant is entitled to this information without

a request. Not doing so in a timely manner may result in

consequences , including , but not limited to , exclusion of

evidence , adverse jury instructions , dismissal of charges ,

contempt proceedings , disciplinary action or sanctions by the

Court.

the summons that the Government issued, Docket

Entry No. 4 is the summons that you asked the clerk of the

court to be signed. Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued

the summons on June 8th, 2023. A bond recommendation was

attached signed by J. Bratt , assistant special counsel .

That recommendation called for a personal surety bond

with no financial component. No dollar amount. Basically, it

was a personal recognizance type of release.

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Is this still the recommendation of the United States?

MR HARBACH: It is, Your Honor.

THE COURT : Have you discussed the proposed terms of

release or bond with any of the defense lawyers? In other

words, have you worked somethingout?

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this much. We had informed counsel for both Defendants that

MR HARBACH : Yes , Your Honor . Well , I can represent

our recommendationfor the conditionsassociatedwith the

personal surety bond that Your Honor just described will be the

in particular, a recommendation that the

Court impose what in this district under the standard

same . And they are,

conditions of bond are labeled Condition No. 1 .

instance.

THE COURT: Yes.

MR HARBACH: And ConditionNo. 5 .

THE COURT: Yes.

MR HARBACH : And that the remaining standard

conditions of bond need not apply here because the Government

does not review either Defendant as a flight risk and

furthermore , that no special conditions are necessary in this

I've related that to both defense counsel , Your Honor .

THE COURT : All right. And was there an agreement?

MR BLANCHE: There is, Your Honor.

THE COURT: All right. both sides, at least as to

former President Trump , are saying this should be a personal

surety bond, no dollar amount, no financial component and only

the standard Conditions 1 through 5 .

MR BLANCHE: No Your Honor.

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MR HARBACH: No Your Honor, 1 and 5 .

THE COURT: course. My mistake. 1 and 5 .

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Section B , subsection B , authorizes this , quote, less

6 the judicial officer, meaningme, determines that such release

will not reasonably assure the appearance of the person as

required or will endanger the safety of any other person or the

community. I think , as you've just indicated, the Government

is representingthat those concerns are not concerns in this

case for either of the two Defendants , correct?

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THE COURT : 18 USC 3142 ( a ) ( 1 ) authorizes a

defendant to be released on a personal recognizance or upon

executionof an unsecuredappearancebond.

MR HARBACH: Yes.

condition

MR. HARBACH: Yes, Your Honor.

THE COURT: SubsectionB requiresthe release to be

subject to the condition that the person not commit a federal,

state or local crime during the period of release, that is

Trump

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standardConditionNo. 5 .

I assume the Defendant, former President Trump, has no

problems with that condition?

MR BLANCHE: assure you he does not, Your Honor .

THE COURT : All right. Very good.

So understand the discussions that the two sides

have had. I , however , have some questions about the

prosecution's release recommendations , and I'll go through them

now . Right now we're just talking about former President

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Is the prosecution asking for former President Trump

to surrenderhis passport?

MR HARBACH: No, Your Honor.

THE COURT : Is the prosecution requesting any

international travel limits on former President Trump?

MR HARBACH: No Your Honor.

THE COURT : the prosecution asking for any limits

on domestic travel for former President Trump?

MR HARBACH: ,

THE COURT: So one of the standard conditions of our

Your Honor .

bond is no travel outside the Southern District of Florida

unlesspre- approvedby a Court. What is your positionon that?

MR HARBACH : That it's not necessary , Your Honor .

THE COURT : Fair enough.

the prosecution requesting that former President

Trump be forbidden from possessing firearms, ammunition or

dangerous devices?

MR HARBACH: No Your Honor.

THE COURT: Is the prosecutionasking that former

President Trump avoid all contact with codefendants , victims

MR

and witnesses except through counsel ?

either, Your Honor.

HARBACH: We are not requesting that condition

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THE COURT : Is the prosecution requesting that former

President Trump report to pretrial services in any way ?

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MR HARBACH:

THE COURT: Is the prosecution asking for any other

MR HARBACH:

special conditions of pretrial release?

, sir.

,

THE COURT: Is pretrialservices

Yes, Ms. Silva.

representative from pretrial services here?

conditions?

sir.

MS SILVA: Yes , Your Honor .

Nos 1 and 5 .

THE COURT : Good to see you , Ms. Silva .

Is pretrialservices requestingany special

MS SILVA: No, Your Honor.

conditions.

is a

THE COURT : I'm going to authorize a personal

surety appearance bond for former President Trump without a

financial component . It is, in fact , a personal recognizance

release with the following conditions : you have indicated,

However, despite the parties' recommendationsto me, I

am also going to be imposing some additionalspecial

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Former President Trump will avoid all contact with

witnesses and victims except through counsel . This condition

will be effective once defense counsel receives a written list

of those witnesses and victims from the prosecutor . Please

send a copy to pretrialservices as well.

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The prohibition will be effective only as to those on

the written list. The prosecutionwill have the ability to

expand that list by submitting an amended list.

In addition, I'm imposingthe special conditionthat

former President Trump may not communicate with the

Codefendant, Waltine Nauta, about the case. And the reason I

am emphasizing the words "about the case" is that normally in

our district, and probably many others, the condition is no

contact whatsoever; so typically whenever there is a no contact

with a codefendant provision, it means no contact whatsoever

except through counsel.

However , it is my understanding that Mr. Nauta works

for former President Trump and is with you on a daily basis or

close to it. Therefore, it would be impossible for that

condition to work in the typical way , because if he works for

you, you are going to have contact with him on a daily basis .

Therefore , I am modifying that special condition so

that it's only discussionsabout the case, except through

counsel.

We have here a personal surety bond for former

President Trump to sign. I am going to check off the

appropriate boxes

MR BLANCHE : Your Honor?

THE COURT:

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Yes , sir.

MR BLANCHE: May be heard on the special condition?

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THE COURT:

MR. BLANCHE:

Yes.

Thank you .

The challenge with the special condition that

President Trump not have contact with witnesses is that many

we don't know who the witnesses are , every one of them , but

many of the witnesses who we understand to be involved in this

case include members of President Trump's protection detail ,

include members of President Trump's staff that work with him

and for him and have for many , many years . And so the

practical implication of that special condition doesn't work in

our view , in this case. Everybody that he interacts with

many of the people that he interacts with on a daily basis ,

including the men and women assigned to protect him, are

potential witnesses in this case.

So for him not to allowed

from the Court.

be allowedto have

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the

contact with them , in our view , isn't appropriate and doesn't

work . We have certainly communicated with our client about

what he can and cannot do and say as it relates to witnesses

and potential witnesses ; and I assure the Court he will not

violate our direction or your direction to the extent it comes

But the special you were correct about the

Codefendant , Your Honor , that he works very closely with the

President, but that is similarly true for many of the witnesses

that we understand to be involved in this case. So the same

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challenges that exist with respect to the Codefendant exist for

many of the witnesses as well. I would respectfully request

that Your Honor reconsider that special condition.

We are happy to speak with the Government about any

concerns that they may have about about President Trump ,

communications with witnesses and bring any issues to the

Court's attention , but I believe the reason why we decided that

special condition didn't fit with this case , Your Honor , is

the facts of this case are everything in

President Trump's life. So it's what happened at Mar-a-Lago,

it's what happened at Bedminster , among other things . And the

folks that are part of the Government's case are the folks that

work with President Trump and have worked for President Trump

every day , especially as it relates to his staff and the United

becauseof the

States SecretService.

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THE COURT: I think what you are saying to me is that

many of the witnesses many of the witnesses would also be in

the same status as the Codefendant. You have the practical

problem of being on staff and having close contact every day.

MR HARBACH: Your Honor, may

THE COURT : Just a minute. I can't tell if you were

going to say somethingbecauseyou were chatting.

Did you have anything else you would like to say?

MR BLANCHE: I do. A helpful, important fact. One

of the key witnesses that we know is still the President's

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lawyer. a special conditionthat PresidentTrump cannot

communicatewith his lawyer, obviouslydoesn't work,

respectfully, Your Honor.

THE COURT : Not phrased that way , but let me hear from

the Governmen. t

MR . HARBACH : Thank you , Your Honor.

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I'd like to offer maybe a suggestionabout how to

proceed. Your Honor pointed out, your order requires the

Government to produce a list of witnesses to be subject to this

condition.

I should also say that the Government is cognizant of

the issuesthat Your Honorhas raisedand that Mr. Blanchehas

already identified about the practical difficulties of

enforcing a no-contact order with certain personnel. our

suggestion would be that the Government come up with a list,

which, full disclosure , would not be an exhaustive list of all

witnesses that might potentially be called at trial, but will

be a list of witnesses reflecting our effort to narrow the

scope of witnesses as to whom such an order might actually be

necessary , and including an effort on our part to reasonably

accommodate the types of concerns that Mr. Blanche has just

expressed.

And so our suggestionwould be that you let us prepare

a list, let us discuss it with counsel for the former President

and, hopefully, we can agree on on a list as to which this

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4 contact with Mr. Nauta, might also apply as to some of those

other witnesses with whom he is required to work closely on a

daily basis . In other words , the restriction could be limited

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condition makes sense .

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I'llalso point out that the same specialized

conditionthat Your Honorarticulatedfor the President's

to contact about the case .

go.

Suffice it to say that in our view, giving the parties

a chance to iron out those details might be an efficient way to

THE COURT: What about if we come up with this plan:

First of all, as the party generating the list of witnesses,

you have a great deal of discretion, and you can choose to put

a witness on the no-contact list or not. And second of all,

what I will permit you to do is delineate witnesses into two

categories. One will be the more traditional category of no

contact whatsoever, and then the other would be no contact or

no communications about the case .

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So if we're talking about peoplewho are members of

the protectivedetail, people who work at his golf course,

people who are on staff , seems to me those folks could still be

on the no communicationabout the case list. Make sense?

MR HARBACH : Yes , sir, it does .

THE COURT: Make sense for the Defense?

MR BLANCHE: still do not believe the special

condition is necessary in this case. Even as Your Honor just

described, having two lists that the Governmentgets to come

with about completely no contact or limited contact but not to

discuss the case, it still is potentiallyunworkable.

Certainly, we can try to work it out with the Government, Your

Honor , but I don't know the names of for example, if the

7 Government selects and says no contact with somebody who has

worked for President Trump for years and continues to rely on

President Trump for their livelihood, that certainly doesn't

seem fair or appropriate.

I don't believe it's appropriate for the Government

to be allowed to come up with this list and that becomes the

list. believe the more appropriate path would be for us to

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have a discussionwith the Governmentand see if we can reach

an agreement about an appropriate way to address Your Honor's

concern about contact , but really contact about the case as it

relatesto most witnessesthat the Presidentinteractswith

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that also happen to be witnesses .

THE COURT : Well, to follow up on the example that you

just gave , that they were talking about somebody who worked for

former President Trump for many years and may still work for

the former president, what would be the difficulty in having a

no discussion with that long- term employee about the facts of

the case? That shouldn't be a problem, right?

MR BLANCHE : That is not a problem , Your Honor .

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THE COURT: Okay. That's what I am saying. You'd

have a no- contact list, and then you have a list of no

communications about the case , but otherwise you'd have full

contact, full contact with those folks . Am I making sense?

MR.

this case.

BLANCHE: Your Honor, it

it's

Court's concern , and what Your Honor just said makes sense .

But we still object to that condition , Your Honor . I don't

first of all, I don't believe it's necessary or appropriate in

understandthe

There is not

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the individuals who we understand to

be witnesses that the President interacts with and speaks with

every day all have lawyers and all have competent lawyers. And

so to the extent that the remedy that the Court seeks to

address, which is improper communications between someone who

is charged with a crime and potential witnesses, in this case

it's not a remedy the Court needs to address. Because

the individuals that potentially could have contacts that the

Court is concerned about have counsel and have a way to deal

with that, which will then quickly go to the Government, I am

sure, and be able to be brought to the Court's attention.

I just continue to believe that this special

condition doesn't apply to the facts of this case and shouldn't

be imposed as a condition on President Trump .

THE COURT: You made a very broad statement. You said

that all these witnesses have their own lawyers. Is that true,

2 MR BLANCHE : I don't know all the witnesses , Your

believe what I said , and if I didn't , I

4 misspoke, is our understandingof the witnesses that are

that interact and communicate with President Trump, which it's

not just his employees , it's other it's others as well that

that interact with him occasionally or that work with

him on the campaign. So it's a broad group of individuals.

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every single fact witness has their own lawyer?

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Honor. What I

are

Those individualsthat we are awareof all have their own

lawyers, and so that remedy is addressed.

There may be an unknown witness that we don't know

about that doesn't have their own lawyer , I'm not sure.

the remedy that the Court is trying to fix and address in this

case is already fixed and addressed by the fact that that

the witnesses that will have contact with President Trump have

their own counsel. And so imposing a condition, even a broad

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But

one that sets limits on what can be said and not said for

not aware of that witness.

particular witnesses and having separate lists for other

witnesses that's no contact, as a special condition of release,

isn't appropriate in this case.

I think there's other ways to address any issues that

come up with improper contact by anybody in this case. And the

fact that everybody has lawyers, everybody has counsel, for the

most part. And again, if there is a witness who doesn't, I'm

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And the special counsel is there's 13 lawyers here.

The special counsel is able to bring any issue to the Court's

attention about improper contact. And so as a condition of

release, a special condition of release, it's just not

necessary in this case .

THE COURT : So I have been listening to you for a

Let me hear from the Governmentagain, please.

MR HARBACH : Your Honor , we offered advice a moment

ago , understanding the Court's position that such a condition

while .

is necessary. And all I can do is reiterate our view that

there is a way to make the Court's decision about no contact

with with witnesses and the like perfectly workable .

The elephant in the room , if you will , is that we

don't have a list yet. Mr. Blanche has referred a couple of

times to the fact that he doesn't know who everyone on the list

is, and that's because we haven't generated one yet .

mindful of what Your Honor said earlier about a way that we

could go about doing it, and we're happy to do that . And I've

already made the point that it would not include every it

would definitely not include every conceivable witness we might

call at trial, but a subclass of those witnesses as to whom we

think the order that the Court has already decided to enter

should apply .

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We are

It seems easily workable. There shouldn't be a

logistical problem with it.

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THE COURT: So here's what I'd like to do. Instead,

just have one list. We're not going to segregate it into

different categories . It will simply be one list that you , the

prosecution, will generate . You can choose how many people to

put on the list or not.

But it won't actually be a no- contact list. That

it's too broad, especially given all the folks who are still

working for former President Trump and he still sees on a

regularbasis.

Instead, this list will be a no communication about

the facts of the case with the folks on the list, other than

through counsel.

That should not be a problem for you because you've

already told me that there shouldn't be any issues . These

folks have their own lawyers . This is not a concern . This

won't be happening . So perhaps in your view , it's simply

restating the obvious , because you don't intend for your client

to be communicating with any witness about the facts of the

case, right?

MR BLANCHE : Yes , Your Honor , of course .

THE COURT: Okay. So that will be a special

condition. No communication with fact witnesses no

communication about the case with fact witnesses who are on a

list provided by the Government .

23

If you believe that the list is inappropriate ,

excessive , unwielding , illogical or in any other way

2 problematic, you can file a motion with me, and I will

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reconsider that requirement , and we can talk about it in

greater specificity . But for right now, that will be a special

conditionof the bond.

witnesslist? Becausethat

MR BLANCHE: One question, I might have misheard.

Your Honor's requirement the Government provide us with a full

I mean , I'm

not sure what The Honor's ruling is about this . They get to

pick which witnesses they want to be added to the bond that

that take.

we're allowedto have contactwithbut not communicatewith

about the case with, but they don't have to give us a full list

of witnesses, just a list they select?

THE COURT: These are witnesses who the Government

says your client , except through counsel, should not be

communicating about the facts of the case .

24

Now , if they don't put a witness on a list, let's say

there is some witness , John Smith , they don't have that witness

on the list. If former President Trump , except through

counsel , happens to speak to John Smith about the facts of the

case , no worries , he's not in violation of the terms of the

bond because that person isn't on the list.

MR BLANCHE: Understood.

condition.

right?

THE COURT : Okay . So that will be a special

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We have here the bond for former President Trump , and

let me just briefly go through it. Itwill be Conditions 1 and

5 and the special condition that we just spent the past few

minutes talking about.

There is a space at the very last page of the bond for

the signature of former President Trump, and then there is a

place for a date and then for my signature as well.

my courtroomdeputy, Trina, has that bond.

could come up and retrieve it, review it with your client and

then have him sign it and bring it back to the bench , I'd

appreciate that.

( Pause in proceedings. )

MS SILVA: Your Honor, if I may?

THE COURT : Yes .

MS SILVA: Your Honor, since accordingto pretrial

since reporting

Government.

services , it is not a special condition of

to pretrial services is not part of the special conditions of

release, we will not need a copy of the list provided to the

THE COURT: Good point. Correct.

MS SILVA: Thank you, Your Honor.

( Pause in proceedings . )

Thank you.

THE COURT : Take your time, folks.

THE COURTROOM DEPUTY: Six and seven.

( Pause in proceedings . )

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Ifyou

2 a charm.

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THE COURT: I think the expressionis the third time's

THE COURTROOM DEPUTY : Thank you

THE COURT: Anything further from either side this

afternoon concerning former President Trump?

MR HARBACH: Nothing further from the Government,

Your Honor.

MR BLANCHE : No Your Honor . Thank you.

THE COURT: All right. Thank you.

Let's turn now to Codefendant , Waltine Nauta . I

assume we have the same three Government lawyers for the

prosecution.

Who is here for the Defensefor Mr. Nauta?

26

MR WOODWARD : Good afternoon , Your Honor . Stanley

Woodward. I'm here with Mr. Nauta, though I understand I may

not enter an appearance with the Court until I have local

counsel to sponsor me. We appreciate the Court's indulgence in

allowing me to join Mr. Nauta at counsel's table for these

proceedings.

We'd request a brief extensionof time for the

arraignment only , for purposes of ascertainment of counsel .

Mr. Nauta is prepared to proceed with his initial presentment

or his initialappearancewith the Court today.

Thank you , sir .

THE COURT: What's the Government's position on that

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So the general rule is that only members of the

SouthernDistrictof Floridabar can appear in court. I

7 understandyou are in the process of making those arrangements,

but those have not be finalized. I'm going to exercisemy

discretion and permit you to represent Mr. Nauta this afternoon

concerning the first appearance portion, but we can't go

through with the arraignment because we need permanent

appearance of counsel who is either a member of the Southern

District of Florida bar or who has been sponsored by someone

who has filed a motion for pro hac vice , like Mr. Kise.

we can go forward with the first appearance.

the Government's position concerning the bond precisely the

same for Mr. Nauta as for former President Trump?

MR HARBACH : Yes , Your Honor .

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request?

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MR HARBACH: We don't oppose it as long as it's

reasonably prompt , Your Honor .

THE COURT : Sure .

THE COURT: All right. And the answers to all of the

questions that I asked you concerningformer PresidentTrump

would be the same answers for Mr. Nauta?

27

MR. HARBACH : Yes , Your Honor .

THE COURT: All right.

By the way , before I forget, we're going to get to the

bond in just a minute, but the arraignment will be two weeks

3

June 27th, at 9:45 a.m. That will be before Chief

2 Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres. But let me just mention a

possibility to you because I know you are not from this

district and you may not be familiar with the rules , and I'm

simply putting it out there .

Under Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 10( b ) , your

client, Mr. Nauta, need not appear physicallyin court for the

8 arraignmentif you follow the procedures of the rule. And

basically it requires you to have your client sign a form that

follows the protocol of the rule. If Mr. Nauta does that , then

he doesn't need to appear on June 27th at 9:45 p.m.

However, you, as his lawyer, and the lawyer who is

filing the pro hac vice motion, would have to appear. I'm not

asking you to make a decision now, that's entirely up to you;

and you can consult with your client and your soon-to-be

cocounsel , but I'm just flagging that for you as a possibility ,

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from now,

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all right?

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MR WOODWARD : Thank you , Your Honor .

THE COURT: All right. So this will be the same bond

for Mr. Nauta , which will be a no financial condition , personal

surety bond, in effect a personal recognizance bond. The same

standards , conditions . And we're also going to include the one

special condition as we spent several minutes talking about

earlier . So if I just say " that condition, " you folks will

know what I mean?

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THE COURT : All right. Very well . I have for you a

bond for Mr. Nauta to sign and to be witnessed. If you could

come up and get the bond form for Mr. Nauta, I'd appreciate

that.

MR WOODWARD : Yes , Your Honor .

( Pause in proceedings. )

MR WOODWARD I'm sorry , Your Honor , as I read the

form providedby your clerk, it appears to impose all five of

the standardconditions.

that.

THE COURT: Is that right? Well, let's double- check

If there's a mistake , we'll quickly correct it.

MR. WOODWARD: May approach, Your Honor?

THE COURT : Sure.

( Pause in proceedings . )

MR WOODWARD : May I approach , Your Honor?

THE COURT : Yes , sir , you may .

( Pause in proceedings. )

THE COURT : Thank you.

Anything further from either side this afternoon

concerningMr. Nauta?

MR WOODWARD : Not for the Defense , Your Honor .

MR.

Thank you.

HARBACH : Not from the Government , Your Honor .

THE COURT : All right. As indicated

MR HARBACH : I was just saying not from the

yes, sir?

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Governmen. t

THE COURT: Thank you so much.

So just remember June 27th at 9:45 , either with

Mr. Nauta or without , but either way , June 27th at 9:45 .

MR. WOODWARD : look forward to seeing you then .

Thank you , Your Honor .

THE COURT : The good news is it will not be me, it

will be the Chief Magistrate Judge Ed Torres. My involvement

in this case , sir, I think ends right about now .

much.

be adjourned. Take care.

COURT SECURITY OFFICER: rise.

( The proceedings adjourned at 3:44 p.m.)

CERTIFICATE

hereby certify that the foregoing is an

accurate transcriptionof the proceedingsin the

above- entitled matter.

06/ 13/

DATE

30

Thank you so

STEPHANIEA. , RPR

OfficialUnited States Court Reporter

400 NorthMiami Avenue, 13th Floor

Miami, Florida 33128

( 305) 523-5518

06/13/2023 30:19

1

1 1 : 8 , 10:5 , 10:20,

10:22, 10:23, 13:15,

24:25

10(b 1 28:4

10005 1:24

101 1:20

13 1:5 , 21:24

13-3 1:7

13th 30:21

18 10:25

2

20006 2:4

2001 2:3

202 1:17, 2:4

2023 1:5, 9:14

20530 1:17

212 1:24

23-80101-cr-Cannon

4:8

23- -80101-cr

CANNON 1:2

233-2113 1:17

258-6597 2 :4

270-2211 1:21

27th 4 27:24, 28:9,

30:1, 30:2

2:55 1:6, 4:1

3

30 1:8 , 3:17

305 2:11, 30:22

3142(a ) 1 10:25

32301 1:20

33128 2:10 , 30:21

37 7:4

38 7 : 3

3:44 1 :6 , 30:11

4

4 3:16, 9:12

400 2 :9 , 30:21

44 7 :3

4460 1:23

5

5 10:7, 10:20,

10:22, 10:23, 11:14,

13:15, 25: 1

5( f 1 8:22

523-5518 2:11,

30:22

6 7 : 4

6

7

716-1250 1:24

8

805 1:21

8th 9:14

9

950 1:16

99 1:23

9:45 27:24, 28:9 ,

30:1, 30:2

A

a.m 27:24

ability 13:25

able ] 20:18, 21:25

above-entitled

30:17

abundance ] 8:15

accommodate ]

17:19

according ] 25:13

accurate ] 30:16

action 9:9

actual 8:16

added 24:8

addition ] 14:2

additional 13:17

address 19:13,

20:12, 20:14 , 21:11,

21:19

addressed 2] 21:8 ,

21:12

adjourned ] 30:9 ,

30:11

administrative[ 1

6:20

ADMITTED 1] 3 :9

admitted 6 : 1,

6:17

adverse ] 9 :8

advice ] 22:6

afternoon ] 4 :3,

5 :6, 5:18, 6 :2 , 6 :3 ,

26:3, 26:12, 27:7,

29:17

agencies 4:15

ago 22:7

agree 17:23

agreement 10:15,

19:13

alleged ] 7:5

allowed 4:25,

15:13, 19:10, 24:9

allowing ] 26:16

aloud 7:17

Altonaga 4:10

amended ] 14:1

AMERICA 1:4

America 4 :8

ammunition

12:14

amount ] 9:17,

10:19

AND 1:10

answers 2] 27:17,

27:19

appeal 6:24, 6:25

appear5 8:21,

27:4 , 28:5 , 28:

28:11

APPEARANCE -

1:10

appearance [10]

5:21, 6:14, 11:2 ,

11:5 , 13:12, 26:14 ,

26:21, 27:8 , 27:10 ,

27:13

APPEARANCES -

1:12, 2 :1

applies 8:18

apply 10:10, 18:2 ,

20:20 , 22:21

appreciate - 5:20,

25:9 , 26:15, 29:2

approach 2 29:10,

29:13

appropriate ]

14:20 , 15:14, 19:8,

19:9 , 19:11, 19:13,

20:6 , 21:18

approved 12:10

arraign 7:10

arraignment

26:19 , 27:9 , 27:23,

28:6

ARRAIGNMENT

1:10

arrangements

4:18, 27:5

articulated 18: 1

ascertainment

26:19

assigned 15:11

assistant 9:15

associated1 10:1

assume2 11:15,

26:9

assure ] 11:5,

11:17 , 15:17

attached ] 9:15

attention ] 16 :5 ,

20:18, 22:1

authorize 13:11

authorizes ] 10:25,

11:3

Avenue 1:16, 2 :9,

30:21

avoid ] 12:18,

13:19

aware ] 8:15, 21:7 ,

21:23

B

background 6:23

bar 2 27:4, 27:11

basis 14:11,

14:14, 15:10, 18:4,

23:7

becomes ] 19:10

Bedminster 16:9

BEFORE 1:10

behalf 5:19

bench 25:8

between [1] 20:12

Blanche 6:1,

6:16, 17:10, 17:19,

22:12

BLANCHE 26 1:22,

6:1, 6: 5, 6:12, 6:17,

7: 8, 7:11, 7:21, 7:24,

8:4, 8: 9, 10:16,

10:21, 11:17, 14:21,

14:23, 14:25, 16:22,

18:23, 19:23, 20:3,

20:25, 23:18, 24:4,

24:21, 26:6

blanche ] 1:23

Blanche's 5:20

bond 24] 9:14, 9:16,

9:22, 10:2, 10:5,

10:10, 10:19, 11:2,

12:9, 13:12, 14:18,

24:3, 24:8, 24:20,

24:24, 25:3, 25:6,

27:14, 27:23, 28:17,

28:19, 29:1, 29:2

boxes ] 14:20

Brady 8:13, 8:15,

8:16, 8:17, 8:20, 9:1

Brand 2:3

BRATT 1 1:13

Bratt 5:8, 9:15

brief ] 26:18

briefly 24:25

bring 16:4, 21:25,

25:8

broad 4 20:22,

21:6 , 21:14 , 23:5

broadcast ] 4:19,

4:25

broadcasting

4:20

brought 20:18

building 4:21

BY 2 :8

campaign 21:6

Cannon 5:23

cannot 15:16,

16:24

care 30:9

case 35] 7:9, 8:25,

11:9, 14:4 , 14:5,

14:16, 15 :5, 15 :9,

15:12, 15:23, 16:6,

16:7, 16:10, 18:5,

18:16, 18:20, 18:24,

19:2, 19:14, 19:22,

20:1, 20:7, 20:13,

20:20, 21:12, 21:18,

21:20, 22:3, 23 :9,

23:17, 23:21, 24:10 ,

24:14, 24:19, 30:7

Case 4:7

CASE 1:2

casts 8:25

categories ] 18:14,

23:1

category ] 18:14

caution 8:15

Cecilia 4:10

certain 1 17:12

certainly 7:24,

15:15, 19:3, 19:7

Certificate

1 3:17

certify 30:15

challenge 15:1

challenges ] 15:24

chambers ] 4:11

chance 18:7

charged 20:13

charges 9:8

charm 25:25

chatting 16:20

check 14:19, 29:8

chief 9:13

Chief 4:10, 27:24,

30:6

choose 18:11,

23:2

Christopher 5:18

CHRISTOPHER1

1:19

1

circumventing

4:23

City 6 :4

ckise@

continentalpllc.

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clerk 4:17, 9:12,

29:6

client 15:15,

23:15, 24:13, 25:7 ,

28:5 , 28:7 , 28:13

close 2] 14:12,

16:17

closely2 15:21,

18:3

CM 8:11, 8:21

CM-ECF2 8:11,

8:21

coconspirator

7:5

cocounsel ] 28:14

Codefendant8 5 :4 ,

7:5 , 8:18, 14:4,

15:21, 15:24, 16:16,

26:8

codefendant 14:8

codefendants1

12:18

cognizant 17: 9

colleague ] 5:25

colleagues ] 5 :8

comfortable 4 :4 ,

6 :9

commit1 11:12

communicate[4

14:3 , 16:25, 21:3 ,

24: 9

communicated

15:15

communicating

23:16 , 24:14

communication 4

18:20, 23:8 , 23:20 ,

23:21

communications4]

16:4 , 18:16, 20:1,

20:12

community 4:15,

11: 7

competent 20:10

completely 19:1

component ] 9:17,

10:19, 13:13

conceivable1

22:18

concern ] 19:14,

20:4 , 23:13

concerned ] 20:16

concerning ] - 26:3,

27:8 , 27:14, 27:18,

29:18

concerns 4 11:8,

16:3, 17:19

Condition ] 10:5 ,

10:7, 11:14

condition 35] 11:12,

11:14, 11:16, 12:20,

13:20, 14:2 , 14:6,

14:13, 14:15 , 14:23 ,

15: 1, 15:8 , 16:1 ,

16:6 , 16:24, 17:8 ,

17:24, 18:1, 18:24,

20:5 , 20:20 , 20:21,

21:14 , 21:17 , 22:1,

22:2 , 22:7 , 23:20 ,

24:3 , 24:23 , 25:1,

25:14 , 28:18, 28:21,

28:22

conditions 12] 10: 1,

10:5 , 10:10, 10:12,

12:8 , 13:1 , 13:9 ,

13:14, 13:18, 25:15 ,

28:20, 29:7

Conditions 2 -

10:20, 24:25

confident 8:14

consequences [1]

9 : 7

consult 28:13

contact 30] 12:18,

13:19, 14 :7, 14 :8 ,

14:14, 15:2 , 15:14,

16:17, 17:12, 18:2 ,

18:5 , 18:12, 18:15,

19:1 , 19 :5, 19:14,

19:25, 20:2 , 21:13,

21:17, 21:20 , 22:1,

22:9 , 23:4 , 24:9

contacts ] 20:15

contempt 9: 9

Continental 2 1:19,

5:19

continue 20:19

CONTINUED 2 : 1

continues 1] 19:6

Control 1:14

copy 13:23, 25:16

correct 4] 11:9 ,

15:20, 25:18, 29:9

counsel20] 9:15,

9:25, 10:14, 12:19,

13:20, 13:21, 14:9 ,

14:17, 17:22, 20:16,

21:14, 21:21, 21:24,

21:25, 23:10, 24:13,

24:18, 26:15, 26:19,

27:10

counsel's[1] 26:16

Counsel's 1 5 :7

Counterintelligence

1:14

counts 7: 3, 7 :4

couple 22:12

course ] 10:23,

18:18, 23:18

court 4 4:17 , 9:13,

27:4 , 28:5

COURT 73 1:1 , 4 :3 ,

4 :7 , 5:10, 5:13, 5:16,

5:22, 6 :3 , 6 :6 , 6:13,

6:16, 6:19, 7:2 , 7: 9,

7:13, 7:22, 8: 1, 8 :5,

8:10 , 9:21, 10:6 ,

10:8 , 10:15, 10:17,

10:23, 10:25 , 11:11,

11:18, 12:2, 12:5,

12:8 , 12:12, 12:17,

12:22, 12:25 , 13:3 ,

13:7, 13:11, 14:22,

14:24, 16:14 , 16:19,

17:2 , 18:9 , 18:22,

19:17, 19:24, 20:22 ,

22:4 , 22:24 , 23:19,

24:12, 24:22 , 25:12 ,

25:18 , 25:21, 25:24 ,

26:2 ,26:7, 26:23,

27:2 , 27:17 , 27:21,

28:17 , 28:25 , 29:8 ,

29:11, 29:14 , 29:16 ,

29:22 , 29:25 , 30:5 ,

30:10

Court 16 2 :9 , 3:17 ,

5:20, 9:10, 10:4 ,

12:10, 15:17, 15:19 ,

20:11, 20:14 , 20:16 ,

21:11, 22:20 , 26:14 ,

26:21, 30:20

Court's 8 4:19,

16:5 , 20:4 , 20:18,

21:25 , 22:7 , 22:9,

26:15

COURTROOM

4 :2 , 25:22, 26: 1

Courtroom 1 :7

courtroom ] 4:11,

4:21, 25:6

credibility 9 :3

credit 1 5:23

crime 11:13,

20:13

Criminal 8:22,

28:4

crunch 4:18

custom 1 7:15

customs ] 7:15

D

daily 14:11,

14:14, 15:10, 18:4

dangerous 12:15

date 1 25:5

DATE 1 :20

David 5:6

DAVID 1:13

days 4:14, 4:16

DC 1:17, 2:4

deal 18:11,20:16

decided 16:5 ,

22:20

decision 2 ] 22:9,

28:12

defeat ] 5:1

defendant 11:1

DEFENDANT

1:19,2:2

Defendant 8:24,

8:25, 9:5, 10:11,

11:15

Defendant's 9:3

Defendants 1:8,

9:25, 11:9

DEFENDANTS -

3 :6

Defendants 3:11

defense 5 7:18,

8 :6 , 9:22, 10:14,

13:21

Defense ] 18:22,

26:11, 29:19

definitely 1 22:18

delineate ] 18:13

demand 8 :3, 8 :4

Department 1:16,

8:14

deputies 4:13

deputy ] 25:6

DEPUTY 4 :2 ,

25:22 , 26: 1

described 10:2 ,

18:25

despite ] 13:16

detail 2 15:5, 18:18

details ] 18:7

determines 11:4

devices ] 12:15

different 23:1

difficulties 17:11

difficulty 1 19:20

direction ] 15:18

disciplinary ] 9: 9

disclose ] 8:23, 9:2

disclosure 17:14

discovery ] 8:7,

8:10

discretion ] 18:11,

27:7

discuss 17:22,

19:2

discussed ] 9:21

discussion -

19:12, 19:21

discussions

11:19, 14:16

dismissal 9:8

District ] 5:13, 6:6,

12:9, 27:4, 27:11

district 7:15,

7:16, 8:2, 8:6, 10:4,

14:6, 28:2

DISTRICT 1:1,

1:1, 1:11

DIVISION 1:2

Division 1:15

Docket 9:11

docket 8:21

dollar 2 9:17, 10:19

domestic ] 12:6

Donald 2 4:8,5:19

DONALD 2 1:7,

1:19

done 6:20

double 29:8

double-check [

29:8

doubt ] 8:25

during 1 11:13

duty 9 :2

E

easily 22:22

ECF 8:11, 8:21

] 30:6

EDELSTEIN 1:14

Edelstein ] 5 :9

Edwin 9:13,

27:25

effect 28:19

effective ] 13:21,

13:24

efficient 18:7

effort 17:16,

17:18

either 10] 7:23, 8:11,

10:11, 11:9, 12:21,

26:2,27:10, 29:17,

30:1, 30:2

elephant 22:11

emphasizing

14:5

employee ] 19:21

employees ] 21:4

endanger 11:6

ends ] 30:7

enforce 8:16

enforcement 4:14

enforcing 17:12

enter 5:21, 7:23,

2

7:24, 22:20, 26:14

entire 4:14, 5: 1,

7:17

entirely 28:12

entitled 9 :5 ,

30:17

Entry 9:12

especially ] 16:12,

23:5

ESQ 1:13, 1:13,

1:14, 1:19, 1:22, 2 :2

evidence 8:24,

9: 2, 9:8

EVIDENCE1 3 :9

example ] 19:4 ,

19:17

except 12:19,

13:20 , 14:9 , 14:16,

24:13, 24:17

excessive 23:24

exclusion 9:7

exculpatory 8:24

execution ] 11:2

exercise ] 27:6

exhaustive 17:14

Exhibit 2 3:10, 3:11

EXHIBITS 3:9

exist 15:24

expand 14:1

Export 1:14

expressed ] 17:20

expression 25:24

extension ] 26:18

extent 15:18,

20:11

F

fact ] 13:13, 16:22,

20:24, 21:12, 21:21,

22:13, 23:20, 23:21

facts 16 :7, 19:21,

20:20, 23:9, 23:16,

24:14, 24:18

fair 2 12:12, 19:8

familiar 28:2

favors ] 8:25

Federal 28:4

federal 11:12

few 25:1

file 23:25

filed 6:14, 27:12

filing - 28:11

finalized 1 27:6

finally 1 4:17

financial 4 9:17,

10:19, 13:13, 28:18

firearms 12:14

first 4:10, 5:4,

18:10 , 20: 6 , 27: 8 ,

27:13

fit 16: 6

five ] 29:6

fix 21:11

fixed 21:12

FL 1 1:20

flagging 28:14

flight 10:11

Floor 2:10, 30:21

FLORIDA 1 1:1

Florida 1:4, 2:10,

5:14, 6:7, 12 :9, 27:4,

27:11, 30:21

folks 14 4 :3 , 4 :7 ,

4:23, 7 :3 , 7:6 , 16:10,

18:19, 20:2 , 23:5 ,

23:9 , 23:13, 25:21,

28:22

follow 2] 19:17, 28:6

following ] 4: 1,

13:14

follows1] 28:8

1:13, 1:19,

2:2 , 3 :3, 3: 6

forbidden 12:14

foregoing ] 30:15

forget 1 27:22

form 28:7, 29:2,

29:6

formal ] 7:19, 7:20,

7:21

former 28 5 :3 , 5:16,

7: 4, 7: 6, 10:18,

11:15, 11:22, 11:24,

12:3 , 12:6 , 12:13,

12:17, 12:22, 13:12,

13:19, 14:3 , 14:11,

14:18, 17:22, 19:19,

19:20, 23:6 , 24:17,

24:24 , 25:4 , 26:3 ,

27:15 , 27:18

forward 3] 7:13,

27:13 , 30:3

free ] 6: 9

full 17:14 , 20:1 ,

20:2 , 24:5, 24:10

fully 8:14

furthermore

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G

general 27:3

generate ] 23:2

generated 22:14

generating 18:10

given 23:5

golf 18:18

GOODMAN 1:10

Government 24

9:2 , 9:11, 10:10,

11:7, 16: 2, 17:3 ,

17:7 , 17: 9, 17:13,

18:25, 19:3 , 19:5,

19:9 , 19:12, 20:17 ,

22:5 , 23:22, 24:5,

24:12, 25:17 , 26:4 ,

26:9 , 29:20, 29:24

GOVERNMENT

1:13, 3 :3

Government's

16:10, 26:23, 27:14

granted 5:23

granting 5:20

great 18:11

greater 24: 2

group 21:6

guilt 9 :3

guilty 7:23, 7:25

H

hac 5:21, 5:24,

6:1, 27:12, 28:11

half 4:4

handle 5:4

happy 16:2, 22:16

Harbach 5:7

HARBACH 29 1:13,

5:6, 5:12, 5:15, 9:20,

9:24, 10:7, 10:9,

10:22, 10:24, 11:10,

12:1, 12:4, 12:7,

12:11, 12:16 , 12:20,

12:24, 13:2, 16:18,

17:4 , 18:21, 22:6,

26:4, 26:25, 27:16,

27:20, 29:20, 29:23

hard 4:13

hear 2 17:2, 22:5

heard 14:23

held 4:1

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hereby 30:15

Honor 71 5:6, 5:12,

5:18, 6:2, 6:5,6:11,

6:12, 6:15, 6:17,

6:25, 7:8, 7:11, 7:12,

7:21, 7:24, 8 :4, 8:9,

9:20, 9:24, 10:2,

10:14, 10:16 , 10:21,

10:22, 11:10, 11:17,

12:1, 12:4 , 12:7,

12:11, 12:16, 12:21,

13:6, 13:10, 14:21,

15:21, 16:1, 16:6,

16:18, 17:1, 17:4 ,

17:6 , 17:10, 18:1,

18:24, 19:4, 19:23,

20:3, 20:4, 20:5,

21: 1, 22:6 , 22:15 ,

23:18, 25:11 , 25:13 ,

25:19, 26:5 ,26:6,

26:12, 27:1, 27:16 ,

27:20, 28:16 , 28:24 ,

29:5 , 29:10 , 29:13 ,

29:19 , 29:20, 30:4

Honor's ] 19:13,

24:5 , 24:7

hopefully 17:23

IDENTIFIED 3:9

identified ] 17:11

illogical 23:24

implication 15:8

important 16:22

impose 10:4,

29:6

imposed ] 20:21

imposing 13:17,

14:2, 21:14

impossible 14:12

improper 20:12,

21:20, 22:1

IN 3:9

inappropriate [1

23:23

include 5] 15:5,

15:6, 22:17, 22:18,

28:20

including ] 9:7,

15:11, 17:18

indicated 11:7 ,

13:14, 29:22

Indictment 7:3,

7:6, 7:17

individuals 4] 20 :8,

20:15, 21:6, 21:7

indulgence 26:15

information 9:5

informed 1 9:25

initial 2 26:20,

26:21

INITIAL 1 1:10

instance 1] 10:13

instead 22:24,

23:8

instructions ] 9 :8

intend 23:15

interact ] 21:3,

21:5

interacts 4 15:9,

15:10, 19:15, 20:9

international

12:3

involved 15:4

15:23

involvement 30:6

iron 18:7

issuance 8 :7

issue 8:16, 21:25

issued 9:11, 9:13

issues 16:4 ,

17:10, 21:19, 23:12

issuing 8:13,

8:17

itself 7:3

J

JAY 1:13

Jay 5 :8

John 24:16,

24:18

join 26:16

JONATHAN 1:10

Judge 5 4:10 , 5:23,

9:13, 27:25 , 30:6

JUDGE 1:10 , 1:11

judicial 11:4

Julie 5 :9

JULIE 1 1:14

June ] 1:5 , 9:14,

27:24 , 28:9 , 30: 1,

30:2

jury 8:2, 8: 3, 9 :8

Justice 1:16, 8:14

key 16:23

KISE 1:19, 5:18,

6:11, 6:15, 6:25,

7:12

Kise ] 5:19, 27:12

L

labeled 10:5

Lago 16:8

last ] 25:3

law 4:14

Law 1:23, 2:3

lawyer ] 16:24,

16:25, 20:24, 21:10,

28:10

lawyers 11] 7:18,

8: 6, 9:22 , 20:10 ,

20:23 , 21:8 , 21:21 ,

21:24 , 23:13 , 26:9

least 10:17

less 11:3

letting 4:11

life ] 16:8

limited ] 9 :7 , 18:4 ,

19:1

limits 12:3 , 12:5 ,

21:15

3

list 34] 13:21, 13:25,

14: 1, 17:7 , 17:13 ,

17:14, 17:16, 17:22,

17:23, 18:10, 18:12,

18:20, 19:10, 19:11,

19:25, 22:12, 22:13,

22:25, 23:1 , 23:3 ,

23:4 , 23:8 ,23:9 ,

23:22, 23:23, 24:6 ,

24:10, 24:11, 24:15 ,

24:17 , 24:20, 25:16

listening 22:4

lists ] 18:25, 21:16

livelihood 1 19:7

local 11:13, 26:14

logistical 22:23

long-term ] 19:21

look 30 :3

M

Magistrate ] 9:13,

27:25, 30:6

MAGISTRATE 1

1:10

manner 9: 6

Mar 16:8

Mar-a-Lago 16:8

Marshal 1 4:12

Maryland 9:1

matter 30:17

2 2:8 ,

30:20

mean 24:6, 28:23

meaning 11:4

means 4:23, 14:8

member 27:10

members ] 15:5,

15:6, 18:17, 27:3

men 15:11

mention ] 27:25

MIAMI 1:2

Miami 1:4 , 2:9,

2:10, 30:21, 30:21

might 17:15,

17:17, 18:2 , 18:7,

22:18, 24:4

mindful1 22:15

minute ] 4:4 ,

16:19, 27:23

minutes ] 25:2 ,

28:21

MISCELLANEOUS1

3:15

misheard 24:4

misspoke ] 21:2

mistake 10:23,

29:9

modifying 14:15

moment ] 22:6

monitors 4:25

Monroe1 1:20

most 7:24, 19:15,

21:22

motion 5:23,

23:25, 27:12, 28:11

move ] 7:13

MR 66 5:6,5:12,

5:15, 5:18, 6:1, 6:5,

6:11, 6:12, 6:15,

6:17, 6:25, 7 :8, 7:11,

7:12, 7:21, 7:24, 8:4,

8: 9, 9:20, 9:24, 10:7,

10:9, 10:16, 10:21,

10:22, 10:24, 11:10,

11:17, 12:1, 12:4,

12:7, 12:11, 12:16,

12:20, 12:24, 13:2,

14:21, 14:23 , 14:25,

16:18, 16:22, 17:4,

18:21, 18:23, 19:23,

20:3, 20:25, 22:6,

23:18, 24:4, 24:21,

26:4, 26:6, 26:12,

26:25, 27:16, 27:20,

28:16, 28:24,29:5,

29:10, 29:13, 29:19,

29:20, 29:23, 30:3

MS 13:6, 13:10,

25:11, 25:13, 25:19

multiple 4:15

N

names ] 19:4

narrow 17:16

National 1:15

Nauta22] 4 :9, 5 :4 ,

7: 5, 8:19 , 14 :4 ,

14:10, 18:2 , 26:8 ,

26:11, 26:13 , 26:16 ,

26:20 , 27:7 , 27:15,

27:19 , 28:5 , 28:8 ,

28:18, 29: 1, 29:2 ,

29:18 , 30:2

NAUTA ] 1:7 , 2 :3

necessary 10:12,

12:11, 17:18, 18:24,

20:6 , 22:3 , 22:8

need 10:10,

25:16 , 27:9 , 28:5 ,

28:9

needs ] 20:14

negating 9 :3

New2 1:24, 6: 3

news ] 30:5

next 7:22

NO 1: 2

no- contact4 17:12,

18:12, 19:25, 23:4

normally 14:5

North 1:20, 2 :9 ,

30:21

13:15

Nothing 26:4

notice ] 6:14, 7 : 1

NW 1:16, 2:3

NY 1:24

object 20:5

obligations 8:15,

8:16

obvious ] 23:15

obviously 16:25

occasionally ] 21:5

OF 1:1, 1:4

offer 17:5

offered 22:6

Office ] 5:7

OFFICER ] 30:10

officer 11:4

Official 30:20

official 2:9

once 13:21

one 11 6:23, 12:8,

15:3, 16:22, 18:14,

21:15, 22:14 ,22:25,

23:1, 24:4, 28:20

oppose 26:25

order 12 8:7, 8:10,

8:14, 8:16, 8:17,

8:18, 8:20, 17:6,

17:12, 17:17, 22:20

ordered 8:23

organized 2 4 :5,

4:16

otherwise ] 4:21,

20:1

outside 12:9

own 20:23, 20:24,

21:7, 21:10, 21:14,

23:13

P

p.m 1: 6, 4 :1 , 28:9 ,

30:11

page 25: 3

Page 3 :3 , 3 :6,

3:16

Pages 1:8

pages 7:3

part 16:10, 17:18,

21:22 , 25:15

particular 10:3 ,

21:16

parties 18: 6

parties 13:16

party 1 18:10

passport ] 11:25

past 4:13, 4:16,

25:1

path 19:11

Pause ] 4 :6 , 25:10,

25:20, 25:23, 29:4 ,

29:12, 29:15

Pennsylvania

1:16

people 15:10,

18:17, 18:18, 18:19,

23:2

perfectly 22:10

perhaps 23:14

period 1 11:13

permanent 6:14,

27:9

permanently ]

6:10, 6:11, 6:12,

6:22, 7:10

permit 18:13,

27:7

person 11:5,

11:6, 11:12, 24:20

personal 10] 9:16,

9:18, 10:2, 10:18,

11:1, 13:11, 13:13,

14:18, 28:18, 28:19

personnel 17:12

photographs

4:20

phrased 17:2

physically 28:5

pick - 24:8

place 25:5

Plaintiff 1 1:5

Plaintiff's 3:10

plan 18:9

plea 7:23, 7:25

PLLC 1:19, 5:19

point 4 4:22, 17:25,

22:17, 25:18

pointed 17:6

portion 27:8

position 12:10,

22:7, 26:23, 27:14

possessing ]

12:14

possibility ] 28:1,

28:14

potential4] 9 :4 ,

15:12, 15:17, 20:13

potentially 17:15,

19:2 ,20:15

practical 15:8,

16:16, 17:11

pre 12:10

pre-approved

12:10

precisely 1 27:14

prepare 17:21

prepared 26:20

Present ] 2:7

presentment

26:20

President 44 5:3,

5:16,5:19, 7:4, 7:7,

10:18, 11:15, 11:22,

11:24, 12:3, 12 :6,

12:13, 12:18, 12:23,

13:12, 13:19, 14:3,

14:11, 14:19, 15:2,

15:5, 15:6, 15:22,

16:3, 16:8 , 16:11,

16:24, 17:22, 19:6,

19:7, 19:15, 19:19,

20:9, 20:21, 21:3,

21:13, 23:6, 24:17,

24:24 , 25:4, 26:3,

27:15, 27:18

president ] 19:20

President's 2

16:23, 18:1

Pretrial 2:7

pretrial 12:23,

13:1, 13:3, 13:4 ,

13:8, 13:23, 25:13,

25:15

pro 5:20, 5:24,

6:1, 27:12, 28:11

problem 16:17,

19:22, 19:23, 22:23,

23:11

problematic

23:25

problems ] 11:16

Procedure ] 8:23,

28:4

procedures - 28:6

proceed 17:6,

26:20

proceedings 12

4:1, 4 :6, 9:9, 25:10,

25:20, 25:23, 26:17,

29:4, 29:12, 29:15,

30:11, 30:16

Proceedings..

3:16

process 27:5

produce 17:7

progeny 9 :1

prohibition 4:20 ,

5 :2 , 13:24

prompt 27: 1

promptly 1 6:18

proposed 9:21

prosecution 11 5 :5 ,

11:24, 12:2 , 12 :5 ,

12:13, 12:17 , 12:22,

12:25, 13:25, 23:2 ,

26:10

prosecution's [

11:21

prosecutor 13:22

protect 15:11

protection ] 15:5

protective 1 18:18

protocol 2 7:18,

28:8

provide 24:5

provided 23:22,

25:16, 29:6

provision ] 14:8

purposes2 6:24,

26:19

put 4:13, 18:11,

23:3 , 24:15

putting 28:3

questions 11:20,

27:18

quickly 20:17,

29:9

quite 7:17

quote 11:3

R

raised 17:10

reach 19:12

read ] 7:17, 7:19,

29:5

reading 4 7:19,

7:20 , 7:21, 8:17

really 19:14

reason 14:4 , 16:5

reasonably 11:5,

17:18,27: 1

receives 13:21

recognizance [4]

9:18, 11:1, 13:13,

28:19

recommendation5

9:14, 9:16, 9:19,

10:1 , 10:3

recommendations2]

11:21, 13:16

reconsider2 16:1,

24: 1

record ] 4:25

reduce ] 9:4

referred 1] 22:12

reflected ] 6:25

reflecting 17:16

regular 23:7

reiterate ] 22:8

related 10:14

relates 15:16,

16:12, 19:15

release[12] 9:18,

9:22, 11:4 , 11:11,

11:13, 11:21, 13:1,

13:14, 21:17, 22:2,

25:16

released 11:1

rely 19:6

remaining 10:9

remedy 4 20:11,

20:14, 21:8, 21:11

remember ] 30:1

remind 4:19

report 12:23

REPORTED 2:8

Reporter ] 2:9,

30:20

Reporter's 1 3:17

reporting 25:14

represent 9:24,

27:7

representative[ 1

13:4

representing

11:8

request ] 8:1, 8:8,

9: 6, 15:25, 26:18,

26:24

requesting 5 12:2,

12:13, 12:20 , 12:22,

13:8

required 4 8:22,

9:1, 11:6, 18:3

requirement

24:1, 24:5

requires 11:11,

17:6, 28:7

respect 15:24

respectfully

15:25, 17:1

restating 23:15

restriction 18:4

result ] 9:6

retrieve ] 25:7

review ] 10:11,

25:7

reviewed 7:6

rise 4 :2, 30:10

risk 10:11

room ] 4:24, 22:11

RPR 2:8, 30:20

rule 4:23, 27:3,

28:6, 28:8

Rule 8:22, 28:4

rules ] 4:20, 28:2

Rules ] 8:22

ruling 24:7

safety 11:6

sanctions 9:9

scope 1 17:17

seated 4:3,6:9

second ] 4:12,

18:12

Secret 16:13

section 1] 11:3

Section 1:15

SECURITY 30:10

Security 1:15

see 5:1, 13:7,

19:12

seeing 30:3

seeks 20:11

seem 19:8

sees 23:6

segregate ] 22:25

select 24:11

selects 19:5

send 13:23

sense ] 17:24,

18:20, 18:22, 20:2,

20:4

sentence [1] 9:4

separate 1] 21:16

Service ] 16:13

services 12:23,

13:3, 13:4 , 13:8 ,

13:23, 25:14, 25:15

Services 2:7

sets 21:15

settled 4:5

seven 25:22

several ] 4:14,

4:16, 28:21

side 26:2, 29:17

sides 10:17,

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sign 14:19, 25: 8,

28:7 , 29:1

signature 2] 25:4 ,

25:5

signed ] 9:13, 9:15

Silva 2 :7 , 13:5 ,

13: 7

SILVA ] 13:6 ,

13:10, 25:11, 25:13 ,

25:19

similarly 1 15:22

simply 3 23:1,

23:14 , 28: 3

single 20:24

sitting 5 :8

25:22

Smith 24:16 ,

24:18

someone[2] 20:12,

27:11

soon 2] 8:11, 28:13

soon -to-be [1 28:13

sorry 29:5

sort 6:20

Southern 5:13,

6:6, 12:9, 27:4,

27:10

SOUTHERN 1:1

space 25:3

speaks 1 20:9

special 27 9:15,

10:12, 13:1, 13:8,

13:17, 14:2 , 14:15,

14:23, 15:1, 15:8,

15:20, 16:1, 16:6,

16:24, 18:23, 20:19,

21:17, 21:24, 21:25,

22:2, 23:19 ,24:2,

24:22, 25:1, 25:14,

25:15, 28:21

Special 5:7

specialized 1 17:25

specificity ] 24:2

spent 25:1, 28:21

spillover 4:24

sponsor 1] 26:15

sponsored 27:11

2:3

staff 4:18, 15:6,

16:12, 16:17, 18:19

standard 10:4,

10:9, 10:20 , 11:14,

12:8, 29:7

standards 1] 28:20

standing ] 8:7,

8:10

Stanley 26:12

STANLEY 1 2:2

stanleymbrand@

gmail.com 2:5

start 5:3

state 11:13

statement ] 20:22

States 6 4:8, 5:7,

8:23, 9:19, 16:13,

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STATES 1:1, 1:4,

1:11

States's 8:25

status 1 16:16

step 6:20, 7:22,

8:5

STEPHANIE2 2:8 ,

30:20

StephanieMcCarn

flsd.uscourts .

gov 2:11

still 9:19, 16:23,

18:19, 18:23, 19:2 ,

19:19, 20:5 , 23:5 ,

23:6

Street 1:20, 1:23

subclass ] 22:19

subject 11:12,

17:7

submitting 14:1

subsection 11:3 ,

11:11

suffice 1] 18:6

suggestion 17 :5,

17:13, 17:21

Suite ] 1:23

summons ] 9:11,

9:12, 9:14

surety 9:16 , 10:2 ,

10:19, 13:12, 14:18,

28:19

surrender 11:25

Susie 2 : 7

system ] 8:12

T

table 2] 5:8, 26:16

Tallahassee 1:20

television 4:24

temporarily ] 6:10

term 19:21

terms ] 9:21, 24:19

THE 78 1:10, 1:13,

3: 3, 3:6, 4:2, 4:3,

4:7, 5:10, 5:13, 5:16,

5:22, 6:3, 6:6, 6:13,

6:16, 6:19, 7:2, 7:9,

7:13, 7:22, 8: 1, 8:5,

8:10, 9:21, 10:6,

10:8, 10:15, 10:17,

10:23, 10:25, 11:11,

11:18, 12:2, 12:5,

12:8, 12:12, 12:17,

12:22, 12:25, 13:3,

13:7, 13:11, 14:22,

14:24, 16:14, 16:19,

17:2, 18:9, 18:22,

19:17, 19:24, 20:22,

22:4 , 22:24, 23:19,

24:12, 24:22, 25:12,

25:18, 25:21, 25:22,

25:24, 26 :1, 26:2,

26:7, 26:23, 27:2,

27:17, 27:21, 28:17,

28:25, 29:8, 29:11,

29:14, 29:16, 29:22,

29:25, 30:5

therefore ] 14:12,

14:15

they've 4:13

third 25:24

Thirteenth 2:10

three ] 5:10, 26:9

time's ] 25:24

timely 9 :6

today 26:21

Todd 6 : 1

TODD 1 1:22

toddblanche@

blanchelaw.com 1]

1:25

tomorrow ] 6:20

Torres ] 9:13,

27:25, 30:6

traditional ] 18:14

transcription

30:16

travel ] 12:3 , 12:6,

12:9

trial 6:23, 6:24 ,

6:25, 8:2 , 8 :3 , 17:15,

22:19

Trina 25:6

true 15:22, 20:23

TRUMP 1: 7, 1:19

Trump 38 4:9 , 5:4 ,

5:17 , 5:19 , 7 :4 , 7 :7,

10:18, 11:15, 11:23,

11:24, 12:3 , 12:6 ,

12:14 , 12:18, 12:23,

13:12, 13:19 , 14:3 ,

14:11, 14:19, 15:2 ,

16:3 , 16:11, 16:24,

19 :6 , 19:7 , 19:19 ,

20:21, 21:3 , 21:13 ,

23:6 , 24:17 , 24:24 ,

25:4 , 26:3, 27:15 ,

27:18

Trump's3 15:5,

15:6 , 16:8

try 19: 3

trying 21:11

turn 26:8

TV - 5: 1

two 11:9 , 11:19,

18:13, 18:25, 27:23

type 9:18

types 17:19

typical 4] 7:18, 8: 1,

8:5 , 14:13

typically 7:16,

7:22, 14:7

U

U.S 1:16, 4:12

under 4:18, 10:4 ,

28:4

understood1

24:21

undue 5:22

United ] 4 :8 , 5:7 ,

8:23, 8:25, 9:19,

16:12, 30:20

UNITED 1 :1, 1:4 ,

1:11

unknown1 21:9

unless 12:10

unsecured 11:2

unwielding 23:24

unworkable 19:2

up 17:13, 18:9 ,

18:25, 19:10, 19:17,

21:20, 25:7 , 28:12,

29:2

uploaded 8:11

1] 10:25

V

vary 7:15

version ] 8:20

vice 5:21, 5:24,

6:2 , 27:12, 28:11

victims 12:18,

13:20, 13:22

videos 4:20

view ] 15:9, 15:14,

18:6, 22:8, 23:14

violate [ ] 15:18

violation 24:19

1 :6 , 4 :8 , 9: 1

waive ] 7:19, 7:20,

7:21

Wall 1:23

Waltine 4: 9, 5:4 ,

7:5, 14:4, 26:8

WALTINE 1:7,2:3

Washington -

1:17, 2:4, 5:11

watching 4:24

ways 1] 21:19

weeks 1 27:23

welcome ] 5:13

Welcome 1] 6:6

whatsoever ] 14:7,

14:8, 18:15

willing 7:20

witness [12] 9:4,

18:12, 20:24, 21:9 ,

21:22, 21:23, 22:18,

23:16, 24:6 , 24:15,

24:16

witnessed 1] 29:1

WITNESSES 3 :2 ,

3:3 , 3 :6

witnesses39]

12:19, 13:20, 13:22,

15: 2 , 15: 3 , 15: 4 ,

15:12, 15:16, 15:17 ,

15:22, 15:25, 16:4 ,

16:15, 16:23 , 17:7 ,

17:15, 17:16, 17:17,

18:3 , 18:10, 18:13,

19:15, 19:16, 20:9 ,

20:13 , 20:23 , 20:25 ,

21:2 , 21:13 , 21:16 ,

21:17 , 22:10 , 22:19 ,

23:20 , 23:21, 24:8 ,

24:11, 24:12

women 15:11

WOODWARD

2:2, 26:12 , 28:16 ,

28:24 , 29:5 , 29:10 ,

29:13 , 29:19 ,30:3

Woodward - 2 :3 ,

26:13

words ] 9:23, 14:5 ,

18:4

workable 2] 22:10,

22:22

works ] 14:10,

14:13, 15:21

worries 24:19

written 4 8:20,

8:21, 13:21, 13:25

Y

years 15:7 , 19:6 ,

19:19

York 1:24, 6 :3

yourself 4 :4, 6 :9

6