Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on seven criminal charges in connection with his alleged mishandling of more than 100 classified documents that were discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort.
On his social media platform Truth Social, Trump confirmed in a post Tuesday that he was "summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM."
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Although the documents were found at his home in Palm Beach, local attorney David Weinstein said Trump's court appearance is happening in the downtown Miami courthouse probably because of his stature.
"Given the stature of this particular defendant, although the case may have ties to West Palm Beach, certainly the courthouse in Miami is best suited to accommodate an initial appearance of the former president," Weinstein said.
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"The Palm Beach courthouse would be overwhelmed by the throng of media that’s going to appear to look and see what’s going on here," he said.
MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin said the location choice is probably tied to where the alleged crimes happened.
"The majority of the conduct that’s likely at issue here and the indictment we still haven’t seen took place in this district aided by a panoply of people favorable to Trump," she said.
Weinstein said it's too early to tell whether this will make it to trial, and if the trial will be in Miami.
"Until we see an actual indictment, we’re all just guessing on what the charges might be," he said.
The Justice Department and Homeland Security are sending additional federal agents to Miami ahead of Trump’s expected court appearance in the coming days, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the sensitive security plans.
Miami-Dade Police said Thursday they're prepared to provide resources for security support, along with the City of Miami Police Department.
The twice-impeached former commander-in-chief is the first former president to face federal criminal charges.
The federal charges represent the biggest legal jeopardy so far for Trump, coming less than three months after he was charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis condemned the indictment of Trump, his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination, as a political hatchet job.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society. We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation,” DeSantis tweeted.
“Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?” he added.
DeSantis also promised to end what he called political bias and to “bring accountability” to the Department of Justice if elected.
Other high-ranking Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, have used similar language in their responses to the indictment, which they are portraying as political persecution.
