Former US President Donald Trump, indicted over classified documents, said on Tuesday he had every right to have these documents.
“I had every right to have these documents,” Trump told supporters at a rally at his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club, where he returned after the court appearance.
“In other words, whatever documents a president decides to take with him, he has the right to do so. It’s an absolute right,” he added.
Trump also said he would appoint a special prosecutor to go after Biden if elected.
“I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States of America, Joe Biden and the entire Biden crime family, name a special prosecutor and all others involved with the destruction of our elections, our borders, and our country itself,” he said.
Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal criminal charges that he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.
Trump’s plea, entered before US Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in a federal court in Miami, sets up a legal battle likely to play out over coming months as he campaigns to win back the presidency in a November 2024 election. Experts say it could be a year or more before a trial takes place.
Trump, wearing a blue suit and a red tie, frowned and leaned back in his chair but did not speak during the 47-minute hearing.
He was allowed to leave court without conditions or travel restrictions and no cash bond was required. Goodman ruled that he was not allowed to communicate with potential witnesses in the case.
It was the second courtroom visit for Trump in recent months. In April, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star.
Trump is the first former president to be charged with federal crimes.
Source: Reuters
