BEDMINSTER, NJ — Former President Donald Trump continued to declare his innocence during a press conference at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster on Tuesday night.
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“Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country,” said Trump in Bedminster around 8:45 p.m. after pleading not guilty to 37 charges related to the mishandling of classified documents during his first court appearance in Miami earlier in the day. Read More: Trump Leaves Miami After Pleading Not Guilty In Documents Case
He went on to call the charges “fake” and “fabricated.”
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The indictment includes 37 counts — 31 of which pertain to the willful retention of national defense information, with the balance relating to alleged conspiracy, obstruction and false statements —that taken together could result in a yearslong prison sentence. Read More: Trump Indictment Unsealed In Mishandling Of Classified Documents Case
Trump claimed the “unreasonable search and seizure” of the documents at Mar-A-Lago was an act of “election interference” and an “attempt to steal yet another election.”
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“The espionage act has been used to go after traitors and spies and it has nothing to do with a former President legally keeping his own documents,” said Trump.
The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw.
It’s also the second criminal case Trump is facing as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024. He’s also accused in New York state court of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign.
Trump has denied wrongdoing in both cases and slammed the prosecutions as politically motivated.
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