Miami: Slamming the administration of President Joe Biden over his indictment, former President Donald Trump has called his predecessor "a corrupt sitting president," reported CNN.
Former President Donald Trump made these remarks on Tuesday night in Bedminster, New Jersey while criticising the current administration over his indictment for the alleged mishandling of classified documents. Trump said to a crowd of supporters, "Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country," adding, "Very sad thing to watch, a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he's losing very badly." Trump was arrested in a historic arraignment in a Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to 37 criminal charges.
Trump, who was arrested along with his adviser and co-defendant Walt Nauta, is the first former president to be charged with a crime on a federal level.
Just a few months ago, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump in a different hush-money case.
Earlier in the day, Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents, CNN reported. His lawyers have asked for a jury trial during Trump's arraignment at a federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday. Trump's attorney Todd Blanche said to the judge, "We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty."
Trump was arrested after surrendering to federal authorities at the Miami courthouse, NBC News reported. The booking process took around 10 minutes.
Prior to the arraignment, deputy marshals booked Trump and took electronic copies of his fingerprints, according to CNN report. The officials did not take a mugshot of the former US President considering he is easily recognizable.
Trump's aide and co-defendant Walt Nautu has also been arrested, fingerprinted and processed. The criminal charges in the US Justice Department's classified documents case escalate the legal jeopardy surrounding the Republican Party front-runner for the 2024 Presidential elections, the report said. Former US President Donald Trump is facing 37 felony counts, alleging he illegally retained national defence information and that he concealed documents violating witness-tampering laws in the US Justice Department's investigation into the materials, CNN reported. Trump's aide Walt Nauta has also been charged in the indictment which alleges the two men were involved in a conspiracy to hinder the federal probe. —ANI
