Donald Trump arrested: Protester disrupts former president’s motorcade departing Miami courthouse
Naomi Lim
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MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump waved at supporters who braved a Miami summer to be outside the city’s federal courthouse during his arrest and arraignment as part of his classified documents case.
Although most people along the downtown street were supporters, one apparent critic donning pretend prison garb tried to disrupt Trump’s motorcade before being intercepted by law enforcement.
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Trump’s entourage detoured to Versailles, a well-known Cuban restaurant in Little Havana, en route to Miami International Airport. Versailles has become a must-stop destination for Republicans campaigning in Florida. UFC fighter Jorge “Mas” Masvidal was among those who welcomed him there. Others prayed for him and sang him a happy birthday.
Trump is expected to speak and attend an anticipated $2 million fundraiser Tuesday night at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey. The campaign-courtroom juxtaposition will continue this election season, with his classified documents case unlikely to conclude before Nov. 4, 2024, due to motions and appeals.
Trump spent Monday night at Trump National Doral Miami with son Eric, co-defendant Walt Nauta, and attorneys, including Todd Blanche and Chris Kise, though he has been unable to retain Florida-based counsel. The former president spoke with hotel guests in the lobby, who cheered for him and asked for photographs, according to CNN. The Guardian reported he had dinner at BLT Prime.
“They’re all fake,” Trump told Americano Media earlier. “Under the Presidential Records Act, I’m allowed to do all those things. You’re allowed to keep the documents. You negotiate with the [National Archives].”
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Trump faces 37 felony counts, including under the Espionage Act, according to special counsel Jack Smith‘s 49-page indictment after the case was considered by a Miami grand jury, making him the first former president to be charged with federal crimes.
Smith’s indictment alleges Trump mishandled classified documents after he departed the White House and resisted efforts to return them to the National Archives. The government alleges the former president retained 31 documents related to sensitive defense secrets, from nuclear programs to attack plans, shared them with people without clearances on at least two occasions, and was personally involved in the decision to withhold them. He additionally allegedly stored the documents in unsecured locations, including in his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach resort and club’s ballroom and a nearby bathroom beside a toilet. The Espionage Act charges carry a sentence of up to 10 years each, obstructing justice up to 20 years, and making false statements five years.