Donald Trump arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of a history-making federal court appearance on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get them back.Trump’s Tuesday afternoon appearance in Miami will mark his second time since April facing a judge on criminal charges. But unlike a New York case, the Justice Department’s first prosecution of a former president concerns conduct that prosecutors say jeopardised national security, with Espionage Act charges carrying the prospect of a significant prison sentence.
Ahead of his court date, he and his allies have been escalating efforts to undermine the criminal case against him and drum up protests.He has ratcheted up the rhetoric against the Justice Department special counsel who filed the case, calling Jack Smith “deranged” as he repeated without any evidence his claims that he was the target of a political persecution. He vowed Monday to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden and his family if Trump is elected to a second term.
Trump landed in Miami around 3 pm and got into a waiting SUV. He was expected to huddle with advisors before his court appearance, as he looks to line up additional lawyers following the departure before his indictment last week of two attorneys who had handled the defence for months.He’s encouraged supporters to join a planned protest at the Miami courthouse Tuesday, where he will face the charges and surrender to authorities.
Trump’s calls for protest echoed exhortations he made ahead of a New York court appearance in April, where he faces charges arising from hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.
