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.
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.
The former president appeared in court Tuesday for processing. Trump was booked, a procedure that included digital fingerprints. However, he was not in handcuffs, nor was his passport surrendered or travel limits placed on him.
During the hearing, attorneys for Trump and the government went back and forth over communication with potential witnesses in the case.
Ultimately, it was agreed that the government will provide a list of witnesses that Trump is not allowed to communicate with about the case — that's likely to include Nauta.
Outside the courtroom, law enforcement had prepared for crowds of up to 50,000 people, but in the end, only about a thousand Trump supporters gathered to show their support for the 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner. Crowds remained largely peaceful.
Trump then continued on to Bedminster, N.J., where he delivered remarks to a crowd gathered for a fundraiser at his golf club. Over the course of 30 minutes, Trump repeated his grievance that the the investigation was evidence of a corrupt administration weaponizing justice.
"Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of this country," were Trump's first words on the stage. "A corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges in which he and other presidents would've been guilty of — right in the middle of a presidential campaign in which he was losing badly."
Trump spent the remainder of the afternoon making his case to supporters
Trump spent the remainder of his afternoon surrounding himself with supporters, a sign he's determined to win at least in the court of public opinion.
Shortly after departing the courthouse, his convoy made an unannounced stop at Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood.
Smiling, Trump shook hands with dozens of people inside the restaurant. At one point he shouted, "food for everyone" as the crowd cheered and chanted "USA!"
A special counsel is currently looking into how Biden himself came to have classified documents from his time as vice president in his private office and residence. But in that case, there's no hint Biden is resisting turning over any of the papers, like Trump allegedly did for about a year.
What happens next?
Smith said Friday he is seeking a speedy trial. Under the law, that could mean within 70 days, which would be well ahead of the presidential primary season next year.
But there are a few factors that could push the date much further than that.
Given the case involves many classified documents, one question before the court may be whether Trump's lawyers are even authorized to see the material, and whether Trump would want to use the documents in the courtroom.
Trump could also make other pretrial motions contesting various aspects of the case that could add up to months of delays. The legal team could even try to postpone the trial until after the presidential election.
