Trump pleads not guilty in historic classified documents case

Former President Donald Trump entered a formal plea of not guilty to federal charges filed against him by the U.S. Dept. of Justice and Special Counsel Jack Smith, Tuesday afternoon shortly after his courtroom appearance started after 3 p.m.

Trump entered the plea to U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in the historic classified documents case, asserting his innocence in the 37 federal charges filed against him in the Justice Department’s 49-page indictment.

Reports from ADN correspondence covering the events at the courthouse indicated that Trump sat beside his counsel, Chris Kise and Todd Blanche, opposite of the federal prosecutors handling government’s case while Special Counsel Jack Smith sat in the front row.

Trump was recently forced to reassemble his legal team last week when his two primary lawyers, John Rowley and Jim Trusty, resigned after he was charged by federal prosecutors.

Trump’s lawyers are expected to demand a trial by jury, a case that expected to be heard by U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon, a jurist who was appointed by Trump in 2020.

Earlier in the day, as Trump’s motorcade headed to the courthouse, he blasted the government’s investigation, calling it a “witch hunt” as U.S. Secret Service details and Miami Metropolitan police drove him to the courthouse.  

“ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social just before 2 p.m.

Federal prosecutors refrained from handcuffing Trump or taking a mug shot of the former president, a decision that came after rumors surfaced the photograph was expected to go viral. Some online pundits suggested the mug shot of a former president would be historic and could be used a symbol of persecution against Trump.

While hundreds of demonstrators appeared in front of the courthouse to show their support for Trump, the demonstrations were peaceful and there were no reports of significant disturbances or violence.