The ex-president donald trump passed this Tuesday to the history of USA as the first to face a federal criminal indictment for 37 counts related to storing and refusing to return confidential documents at the end of his term, a charge he pleaded “not guilty” before a judge of Miami.
The Republican candidate for the 2024 elections, dressed in a blue suit and red tie, spent most of the audience, for about an hour, with his arms crossed.
Judge Jonathan Goodman did not have to read the list of the 37 crimes facing Trump, as his two lawyers consented.
“We will certainly plead not guilty”said Todd Blanche, one of them.
Among the charges is the deliberate retention of 31 national defense documents in his Mar-a-Lago (Florida) mansion and conspiracy to obstruct justice by concealing those pages from a grand jury.
These offenses each carry prison terms of between 5 and 20 years and a maximum fine of $250,000.
Prior to the hearing, the Marshals Service said that Trump had completed the initial process, without giving details of whether it was the fingerprints and the court photo.
Most of the audience focused on “a special condition” requested by the Prosecutor’s Office, which is going to prepare a “contact list” of witnesses with whom Trump is not to communicate.
The former president’s defense was opposed, among other reasons, because several of them are people who work with him.
In this regard, the judge pointed out that the list can be made by categories, including people with whom the former president should not have any direct contact, and others with whom he can, but should not talk about the court case.
The judge added that if the list turns out to be “problematic”the defense may file a motion.
For now, Trump should not discuss the case with any witness or with Walt Nauta, a Navy veteran who is accused of complicity with the former president.
To questions from the judge about other conditions, such as the prohibition to travel inside and outside the country, or to hand over the passport, the Prosecutor’s Office replied that these measures were not necessary.
The defense for its part requested a trial by jury, a guarantee given by the Constitutional Sixth Amendment.
From the early hours of the morning, supporters and detractors of the former president (2017-2021), who leads the polls among Republican candidates for the Presidency, flocked to the vicinity of the court.
Among them was Lázaro Ecenarro, of Mexican and Spanish origin, who slept outside the court and was one of the few Trump supporters who was able to enter the hearing.
Both the public and dozens of journalists who arrived early in the morning were able to enter a courtroom, without telephones or computers.
The hearing was also attended by Nauta, who requested more time for the formal reading of charges because he lacked a local lawyer. And without objections from the Prosecutor’s Office, Judge Goodman scheduled said hearing with Judge Edwin Torres for June 27.
Nauta, 40, one of Trump’s aides, was charged with conspiracy, making false statements and concealing documents as part of Trump’s effort to thwart government attempts to recover the classified documents.
Trump’s case is assigned to Judge Aileen M. Cannon, born in Colombia, who was precisely appointed in 2020 by him, who was then president.
The former president claims that the case against him is a political move by the US president, Democrat Joe Biden, who is running for re-election, to stop his return to the White House.
This is the second time Trump has been criminally charged since last April when he was indicted in a New York court on 34 counts of state falsification of business records.
Trump and Nauta are accused of misleading one of their lawyers by moving boxes of classified documents so that he could not find them or present them to the grand jury.
As well as concealing the continued possession of those documents from the FBI and presenting a false certificate to that federal agency, among other charges.
Nauta is also accused of lying during a voluntary interview with the FBI.
Once the hearing was over, the former president, who later traveled to New Jersey, where he is scheduled to raise funds for his presidential campaign, made a stop at the popular Versailles, a restaurant in Little Havana, the heart of the community. Cuban in Miami, where she celebrated her 77th birthday in advance, which is tomorrow, June 14.
Source: EFE
Source: Gestion
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