Trump Arraignment: Former President Arrives At Miami Federal Courthouse As He Faces Another Set Of Criminal Charges
Networks trained their cameras outside of the Trump National Doral Resort as they prepare for a bit of deja vu: Former President Donald Trump making the trek to the circus outside a courthouse, where he is due to be arrested, booked and arraigned.
But if the scene as Trump faces a 37-count indictment looks similar to the historic moment in April, when he faced dozens of New York state charges, the circumstances are a bit different.
Throughout the morning, commentators flooded cable news to weigh in on the charges and how they pose a more serious legal threat to Trump, even if they don’t turn out to be politically. Federal prosecutors accuse Trump of putting “at risk the national security of the United States” over his handling of classified documents that contained some of the most valuable secrets. Trump faces a number of charges under the Espionage Act. Trump is also accused of trying to conceal the documents in response to a subpoena.
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“This is the second time we have seen this scene play out,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said, as the former president’s motorcade departed from the posh, palm-tree lined location.
“But two different interpretations for some people,” said commentator Van Jones. “They are seeing a persecuted hero going to stand up to the system that is trying to crush their movement. For others of us …a dangerous scofflaw who stole a bunch of federal documents that if anyone else stole they would be in jail by now. That’s the division.”
As happened in April, Trump is not expected to be handcuffed, nor will there be a mugshot. There also will be no TV coverage of the hearing itself, as the U.S. District Court in Miami has restricted journalists from any electronic devices or cell phones in the courthouse.
Trump’s defense has varied, including that he had declassified the documents and, as recently as Tuesday morning, that some of the documents were planted. He wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, “ON MY WAY TO COURTHOUSE. WITCH HUNT!!! MAGA.”
Also facing charges was Trump’s aide Walt Nauta.
Despite worries over violence and protests outside the courthouse, the images on TV resembled more of a carnival, as demonstrators waved Trump flags or full-sized images of Trump. Even though Miami authorities prepared for crowds in the thousands, far less than that showed up.
The arraignment hearing is due to start at 12:15 p.m. PT/3:15 p.m. ET. Trump then will travel to Bedminster, NJ, where he is expected to deliver remarks to supporters, just as he did during his first indictment. Broadcasters did not carry the speech in April, but CNN and Fox News carried portions of it. MSNBC is planning a special with Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid and Nicolle Wallace, but the network didn’t carry the speech following the first indictment.
Broadcast networks began breaking into their regular programming as Trump’s motorcade left the Doral, with plans to continue during the afternoon. CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell and NBC News’ Lester Holt were in Miami for the arraignment.
The lack of visuals inside the courtroom left news outlets to rely on legal experts to describe what they believed was happening. Networks then turned to legal experts and correspondents for even more analysis of the indictment, the charges and the political fallout, including the prospect that Trump would pardon himself if re-elected in 2024, or that GOP rivals would pledge to do so.
As images of Trump supporters waving flags outside the courthouse, Fox News commentator Brit Hume said that whether Special Counsel Jack Smith’s decision to indict Trump was the right decision “remains to be seen.”
“But we’re seeing right now in the streets of Miami, and in public sentiment reflected in the polls, that this is a move that further divides this country,” he said.
There also was come comparison of Trump’s case to that of Joe Biden, as documents were found in the president’s garage and post-vice presidential office. “Why does Biden skate here but the former president does not?” anchor John Roberts asked commentator Byron York.
“The Biden investigation is still going on, but we haven’t heard a word about it,” he said.
More to come.
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