What time is Donald Trump in court today? UK start time for indictment hearing and if you can watch live
Donald Trump makes his first appearance in a Miami federal court on Tuesday, facing 37 counts of mishandling classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida after he left the White House.
He is the first former US president to face federal criminal prosecution, and could face jail if he is found guilty.
Mr Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House in 2024, has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he is being persecuted for political purposes.
What time will Donald Trump appear in court?
Mr Trump will appear in court at 3pm ET (8pm BST) on Tuesday 13 June. He will appear alongside his close aide, Walt Nauta, who faces six criminal counts relating to handling national security documents.
The former president is unlikely to be handcuffed for any part of the process, and it is also unlikely that a mugshot will be taken of him.
US Secret Service officers will take him to the courthouse before handing him over to US Marshals and probation officers, who will gather electronic fingerprints and formally book him in.
In court, Mr Trump will be formally presented with the charges by a judge and informed of his rights.
He may enter a plea – which is expected to be “not guilty” given his repeated denials of the charges against him.
He could theoretically be detained following the arraignment but that is highly unlikely as he is not considered a flight risk.
Can I watch from the UK?
Mr Trump’s court appearance will not be televised or streamed, as cameras are not allowed in federal court. This means there also will not be any photographs from inside the courtroom. There may, however, be sketch artists.
There’s also a prohibition on reporters bringing electronic devices into the courthouse, so there will not be live updates by tweet or text. That rule is usually up to to each federal judge, but an order has been issued in this case specifically imposing restrictions for Mr Trump’s initial hearing.
The former president is not expected to speak publicly while in Miami, but his campaign announced he will deliver a statement at 8.15pm ET (12.15am BST) from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf club.
What is Donald Trump charged with?
Mr Trump faces 37 criminal charges which break down as follows:
- 31 counts of wilful retention of national defence information;
- three counts of withholding or concealing documents in a federal investigation;
- two counts of false statements;
- one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Mr Trump is accused of keeping documents related to “nuclear weaponry in the United States” and the “nuclear capabilities of a foreign country,” along with documents from White House intelligence briefings, including some that detail the military capabilities of the US and other countries, according to the indictment.
Prosecutors allege he showed off the documents to people who did not have security clearances to review them and later tried to conceal documents from his own lawyers as they sought to comply with federal demands to find and return them.
The top charges carry penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
Investigators seized roughly 13,000 documents from Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, nearly a year ago. One hundred were marked as classified, even though one of Mr Trump’s lawyers had previously said all records with classified markings had been returned to the government.
Mr Trump has previously defended his retention of documents, suggesting he declassified them while president. However, he has not provided evidence of this and his attorneys have declined to make that argument in court filings.
