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Trump set to appear at courthouse to answer federal charges in Mar-a-Lago document case
Good morning, US politics blog readers. Donald Trump is expected to at 3pm ET today appear at a Miami federal courthouse to answer charges brought by special prosecutor Jack Smith over the classified documents discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort. It’s not the first time the former president has appeared as a defendant in court – Trump was arraigned in New York City two months ago after the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, accused him of falsifying business records ahead of the 2016 election, a case that remains ongoing. But the charges brought by Smith are even more serious, with potentially long jail sentences and chilling national security implications. The former president is expected to mount a vigorous defense, and there’s a chance the case will not be resolved by the time of the 2024 election, where Trump looks like a good bet for the GOP’s nomination. Thus, today is likely to be the first episode of a long series of court dates for the former president. As for this blog, we’ll be following his appearance today live as it happens.
Here’s what else is going on today:
Joe Biden’s schedule yesterday was upended by a surprise root canal, but the White House say he’s back in business and will meet with the Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, at 1pm.
Also reportedly functioning again is the House of Representatives. It’s been paralyzed since last week by a revolt by rightwing Republicans, but Politico reports speaker Kevin McCarthy has reached a deal with the group to end their rebellion.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s regular briefing will be at 1.30pm.
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