Donald Trump made more history Tuesday, becoming the first president ever to be formally booked on federal crimes as he pleaded not guilty in Miami’s federal court on charges that he retained and then conspired to hide from authorities documents containing some of the country’s most highly sensitive secrets.
The 37 felony counts are based on Trump’s refusal to turn over classified documents to the Department of Justice, even in defiance of a subpoena. The indictment filed last week accuses Trump of hiding national defense documents, including some that could be shared only with the nation’s closest allies, to keep them from prosecutors and the FBI.
Trump lawyer Todd Blanche entered the plea on Trump’s behalf shortly after 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, according to reporters in the room. The judge released both Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta, a personal aide to Trump, without bail and travel restrictions.
Trump was, however, ordered not to contact or speak with witnesses in the case, including Nauta, who continues to work for him.
Most of the charges carry prison terms as long as 10 years if convicted, but the obstruction charges have 20-year maximums.
The 49-page document included an extraordinary paragraph describing the documents the former commander in chief took with him when he left the White House, stored insecurely and then tried to keep prosecutors and the FBI from retrieving: |
