Donald Trump indictment: Former US president pleads not guilty to 37 charges over classified documents

Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to the first criminal charges ever brought against a sitting or former president of the United States. Trump, who turned himself in on Tuesday afternoon (June 13) at a federal courthouse in Miami, was arrested on the second set of criminal allegations he has faced this year.

The leading Republican presidential candidate for 2024 was charged and pleaded not guilty to 37 counts connected to allegations that he kept hundreds of sensitive documents after leaving the White House and refused to turn them over to government recordkeepers.

Trump is charged with willful retention of national defence information; conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding a document or record; corruptly concealing a document or record; concealing a document in a federal investigation; scheme to conceal; and false statements and representations.

The indictment, according to reports, details the locations where Trump allegedly stored classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, including “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.”

Walt Nauta, a Trump assistant and co-defendant, was also arraigned on Tuesday. He appeared in court with Trump, surrendered, and was booked. Trump reportedly plans to return to his home in Bedminster, New Jersey for a presidential fundraiser on the eve of his 77th birthday.

Trump was arraigned on criminal charges for the second time in less than two months In April, he pled not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. These claims originate from a Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election in order to purchase her silence about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump years ago.

Beyond the two criminal instances, the former president may face additional legal consequences. Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought charges against Trump in the papers investigation, is now looking into Trump and his associates’ efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Fani Willis, the district attorney in Atlanta’s Fulton County, is also looking into Trump’s plot to undo Biden’s 2020 victory in Georgia.

Trump will navigate the legal battles while holding a commanding lead in early polls for the GOP presidential primary in 2024. Republicans have mainly supported the former president’s actions, accusing the Justice Department of conducting a politically motivated investigation.