Donald Trump pleads not guilty to classified document charges

Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges that he broke the law dozens of times by hiding classified documents in his Florida home as he was formally arraigned at a Miami court, becoming the first former US president to face federal criminal charges.

Wearing a navy suit and red tie, Trump, 77, was brought in about 15 minutes before the hearing began on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Miami, Florida, and sat slumped over in his chair, hands clasped in his lap, as he waited for the judge to arrive.

Trump’s son, Eric Trump, accompanied his father to the courthouse for the historic case that could alter the country’s political and legal landscape ahead of the 2024 race for the White House.

Trump, who has announced his second bid for the presidency, looked down at the floor for most of the hearing and his lawyer waived a reading of the 49-page indictment, ABC News reported.

Federal prosecutors accused Trump, a Republican, of wilfully withholding classified documents obtained during his presidency and obstructing justice in his efforts to conceal those materials from authorities, as a detailed indictment unsealed on Friday.

The former president was charged with 37 federal counts, including 31 violations of the Espionage Act.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said at the arraignment in a small but packed courtroom.

Flanked by two of his lawyers, Blanche and Christopher Kise, the former president listened impassively as US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman said he planned to order the former president not to have any contact with witnesses in the case or his co-defendant, Waltine “Walt” Nauta as the case proceeds. Trump did not speak except to whisper to Blanche and Kise.

Blanche objected to the judge’s proposal, saying that Nauta and a number of witnesses are members of Trump’s staff or security detail who rely on him for their livelihood. The facts of the case, Blanche said, revolve around “everything in President Trump’s life.”

The judge relented somewhat, saying that Trump should not speak to Nauta or witnesses about the facts of the case.

As to which Trump employees might be affected by the restriction, the judge instructed the prosecution team to provide

a list.