On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump will appear in court in Miami. The presiding judge has ruled that cameras, phones, and other electronic devices are not permitted in the courtroom.
“The ban was announced late on Monday by the chief judge for the Southern District of Florida, Cecilia M. Altonaga, as the time of the much-awaited appearance of the former president in court quickly approaches. Trump will be arraigned at a Miami court on Tuesday—an appearance that has posed an issue for many broadcasters and networks on how to cover the historic event,” Newsweek reported.
To quote Altonaga’s order: “On Tuesday, June 13, 2023, all cellular phones and/or electronic equipment are hereby prohibited for news reporters and other members of the media inside the Wilkie D. Ferguson, Jr. United States Courthouse in Miami.”
Scott MacFarlane, a correspondent for CBS News in the U.S. Congress, tweeted, “There will be no photos. No video. No audio. And no journalists permitted to communicate to the outside world through phone devices (or thru any other technology) during the first-ever federal arraignment of a former US President.”
WOW
At 11th hour, chief judge for the Southern District of Florida issues order prohibiting *journalists* from being phones or any electronic device into courthouse for Trump arraignment
Not just cameras and audio.. but phones are now banned toohttps://t.co/uIf6P1TspK pic.twitter.com/OOduqXq802
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) June 13, 2023
Special Counsel Jack Smith has accused Trump on 37 counts of unlawfully managing sensitive documents. Trump, who will challenge President Joe Biden in the 2016 election, could spend decades in prison if proven guilty of all charges.
At least twice, according to the indictment, Trump allegedly disclosed classified information to individuals who lacked the required security clearances. According to the Department of Justice, both incidents occurred at Trump’s New Jersey golf club.
CNN received information regarding one of the incidents reported.
On June 2, the network reported that federal prosecutors had “obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything.”
Trump stated on Thursday that he had been indicted by the US Department of Justice for handling classified materials.
The charges “include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, a scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations,” ABC News reported.
“Maximum sentences for the respective charges, per their statutes, range from five up to 20 years, although any eventual sentence should Trump be convicted would likely be much lower,” the outlet added.
“Any eventual sentence should Trump be convicted would likely be much lower,” ABC noted in its report.
According to Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant attorney general in the Trump administration, there is something troubling for the prosecution on page three of the 49-page indictment.
Clark stated on Twitter that because of the media disclosure, the lawsuit should be dismissed.
“I’m beginning to read the indictment against Trump,” he wrote. “But even three pages in, it’s clear that the leaks that preceded the indictment are far too close to what is actually being pleaded by DOJ to be a coincidence.”
“For example, in paragraph 6a on page 3, we hear about the recording of the Bedminster call, which the MSNBC’s of the world have been beating a dead horse about for quite a while based on such leaks. This means that Trump lawyers could not possibly be the source of the leaks,” Clark continued.
“Ergo, the leaks are coming from DOJ,” he said. “They must be investigated and punished. Also, this is grounds for granting a motion highlighting jury pool poisoning and dismissing the indictment before it reaches even its one-month birthday.”
He added: “All of this is so outrageous; it shocks the conscience. It’s fundamentally anti-American. Trump Witch Hunt Number … what? I’ve lost count. Let’s call it Trump Witch Hunt #99.”