Trump Leaves Miami After Pleading Not Guilty In Documents Case

MIAMI, FL — After pleading not guilty to 37 charges related to the mishandling of classified documents, former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was headed back to his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to reports. Trump entered the pleas during his first court appearance after being indicted on charges last week.

"Thank you Miami. Such a warm welcome on such a SAD DAY for our Country!" Trump said on his platform Truth Social.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Trump and aide Walt Nauta, charged as a co-conspirator, were booked shortly after they arrived at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday afternoon.

“We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty,” Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said in court, according to The Washington Post.

Trump approached his arraignment with bravado and sat scowling inside the courtroom with his arms crossed as his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf, The Associated Press reported. Trump left the arraignment without having to surrender his passport or otherwise restrict his travel.

Before the arraignment, Trump deputy marshals arrested the former president and took electronic copies of his fingerprints, CNN reported. No mugshot was taken since Trump is easily recognizable, according to CNN. The booking process took about 10 minutes.

Unsealed Friday, the indictment paints an unmistakably damning portrait of Trump’s treatment of sensitive information, accusing him of willfully defying Justice Department demands to return documents he had taken from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that we wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored in his estate.

The 49-page document, which alleges that Trump not only intentionally possessed classified documents but also cavalierly and boastfully showed them off to visitors, is startling in scope and in the breadth of allegations. The indictment is built on Trump's own words and actions as recounted to prosecutors by lawyers, close aides, and other witnesses, with prosecutors even using against Trump his own words as a candidate and president professing to respect and know procedures related to the handling of classified information.

The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw.

It’s also the second criminal case Trump is facing as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024. He’s also accused in New York state court of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in both cases and slammed the prosecutions as politically motivated.

The case is loaded with political implications for the 76-year-old Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Beyond that, it carries the prospect of a years-long prison sentence.

It's also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a former president. Attorney General Merrick Garland, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.”

The court appearance unfolded unfolding against the backdrop of protests. Some high-profile backers have used barbed rhetoric to voice support, and Trump himself has encouraged supporters to join a planned protest Tuesday at the courthouse.

It's unclear what defenses Trump is likely to invoke as the case moves forward. Two of his lead lawyers announced their resignation the morning after his indictment, and the notes and recollections of another attorney, M. Evan Corcoran, are cited repeatedly throughout the 49-page charging document, suggesting prosecutors envision him as a potential key witness.

Trump has said he's looking to add to his legal team though no announcements were made Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.