"Witch Hunt" Trump Appears at Miami Court... Indictment Procedure Soon

Donald Trump, the former U.S. president who is the first current or former president to be indicted by federal prosecutors, arrived at the Miami Federal Court in Florida on the 13th (local time) ahead of his arraignment. Before his appearance, he repeated his stance calling it a 'witch hunt,' saying, "Today is the saddest day in our country's history."

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Former President Trump arrived at the Miami Federal Court around 2 p.m. on the same day, about an hour before the arraignment, under the protection of Secret Service (SS) agents. The vehicle carrying Trump entered the courthouse through an underground garage. Major local broadcasters such as ABC, NBC, and CBS interrupted their afternoon programming to provide special live coverage of the scene.

Just before arriving at the courthouse, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, "On my way to court. Witch hunt!!! MAGA." He also emphasized, "One of the saddest days in our country's history" and "We are living in a declining nation." In other posts, he claimed "witch hunt," "election interference," and "rigged election." Earlier, on the 9th, the U.S. federal prosecutors indicted Trump on 37 counts related to the illegal removal of classified national documents to his residence after leaving office. These include 31 counts of intentionally possessing defense-related classified information and 6 counts related to obstruction of justice. This is the first time a former president has been indicted by U.S. federal prosecutors.

At the federal court on this day, the arraignment procedure will take place, during which the court will inform former President Trump of the charges and confirm whether he admits or denies the allegations. If he denies guilt, the trial process will begin. It is expected that Trump's legal team will plead not guilty. This is the second time Trump has appeared in court, following his appearance in April at the Manhattan court in New York related to allegations of hush money in a sexual misconduct case. As with that occasion, procedures such as taking a mugshot (a criminal identification photo) were reportedly omitted out of respect for the former president.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Photography and video recording are not allowed inside the court, so Trump’s appearance will not be publicly disclosed afterward. Currently, major broadcasters are focusing their live coverage on protesters outside the courthouse rather than inside. The Miami police anticipate up to 50,000 people gathering around the courthouse before and after the appearance and have set up barricades around the area in preparation. Trump supporters outside the courthouse cheered as the vehicle carrying the former president approached.

After his court appearance, former President Trump plans to return to New Jersey to appeal for his innocence. He continues to repeat his previous claims of a "witch hunt" and "political persecution." Before attending court, he also asked his supporters for donations to help with his campaign for next year’s presidential election. According to The Washington Post (WP), Trump sent an email titled "My last email before the arraignment," asking, "Please pray for America today," and stating, "Our justice system is dead. The Biden Department of Justice will ask my biggest rival (me) at the Miami Federal Court around 3 p.m. today whether I admit to the charges, even though I have committed no crime," appealing for support.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.