Biden Got His Top Political Opponent Arrested on False Charges amid Election Season: Trump
Donald Trump, former US president arraigned in the classified documents case, accused his successor, US President Joe Biden of getting him arrested on false and fabricated charges while addressing supporters on Tuesday (local time) in New Jersey.
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What is Trump accused of?
READ: Donald Trump Classified Documents Case: A Timeline of Events Leading to Former US Prez's Indictment
"Today we witnessed the most evil and heinous abuse of power in the history of our country. Very sad thing to watch, a corrupt sitting president had his top political opponent arrested on fake and fabricated charges of which he and numerous other presidents would be guilty, right in the middle of a presidential election in which he's losing very badly," Trump told his supporters at his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The former president was presented with 37 counts under seven charges in front of a magistrate judge at a Miami courthouse. Trump pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
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How many counts is he indicted on?
Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first former president to face federal charges and he was arrested and booked along with his co-defendant and close aide, Walt Nauta.
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Was he arrested?
A special counsel probe was launched 10 months ago after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found classified documents in his Florida mansion.
He appeared before a magistrate judge to be formally presented with 37 counts under seven charges brought by the special probe on Tuesday (local time).
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Is there any evidence against him?
READ: Trump's Secret Docs Case: What Happened at Miami Courthouse and What's Next?
The Biden administration is accusing the former president of violating the Espionage Act and other laws when he removed classified documents upon leaving office in 2021 and also accused him of not giving those up to the National Archives.
The US government, which has not prosecuted a former president before, accuses the businessman-turned-politician of conspiring to thwart investigators and sharing national security secrets with people who do not have the required qualifications.
However, his supporters greeted him with raucous applause when he addressed them from his summer resort. He also met supporters at Cafe Versailles, a renowned Cuban restaurant in the heart of Little Havana.
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How will his supporters react to this news?
"We've got a government that's out of control," Trump said, before shouting "Food for everyone" leaving all customers and staff pleased. Trump also celebrates his 77th birthday on Wednesday.
The US government recovered more than 300 documents with classified markings from Donald Trump. The case first came into the list after officials found that his correspondence with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was missing.
These records are written by the top national security and law enforcement agencies such as the CIA and NSA and also contain information about military and nuclear capabilities of the United States and foreign countries, including plans on how the US will retaliate against a foreign attack.
The indictment also includes photos of how Trump stored those documents at his Palm Beach residence. While some boxes were found overturned at a storage room in Mar-a-Lago, with its contents spilling on the floor, some boxes of records were stacked in a ballroom and in a bathroom and shower.