Former U.S President Donald Trump is slated on Saturday, June 10, 2023, to make his first public appearance since his federal indictment, addressing Republican audiences in Georgia and North Carolina.
Trump is expected to use his scheduled speeches at state party conventions in the two states to deliver a vehement denial of the accusations and amplify his claims that the Democratic President Joe Biden’s Justice Department is conducting a politically motivated “witch hunt” against him. Despite his mounting legal troubles, Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Former Vice President, Mike Pence also scheduled to address North Carolina Republicans on Saturday. It will be the first time the former running mates have appeared at the same venue since Pence announced his campaign against his previous Boss.
Trump’s appearances come a day after the disclosure of an indictment charging him with 37 felony counts in connection with his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The indictment accuses the former President of willfully defying Justice Department demands to return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his estate. The indictment includes allegations that he stored documents in a ballroom and bathroom at his resort, among other places.
The most serious charges against him carry potential prison sentences of up to 20 years each, but first-time offenders rarely get anywhere near the maximum sentence and the decision would ultimately lies on the judge.
31 of the 37 counts pertain to the willful retention of national defense information, with the balance relating to alleged conspiracy, obstruction and false statements; that, taken together, could result in a yearslong prison sentence.
Trump has insisted that he committed no wrongdoing, saying, “There was no crime, except for what the DOJ and FBI have been doing against me for years.”
Trump To Appear Before Court On Tuesday
Ex-U.S President Donald Trump is scheduled to make his first federal court appearance on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 in Miami.
He was charged alongside Walt Nauta, a personal aide whom prosecutors claim moved boxes from a storage room to Trump’s residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement. A photograph included in the indictment shows several dozen file boxes stacked in a storage area.
Campaigning in New Hampshire yesterday, Former Vice President Mike Pence noted that he was “deeply troubled” that Trump had been federally indicted because he believes it will further divide the nation.
Pence urged his audience to pray for Trump, his family and all Americans, and promised to uphold the rule of law and “clean house at the highest level” of the Department of Justice, if elected.
Other GOP candidates have largely attacked the Justice Department, rather than Trump, for the investigation.
