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Trump supporters pray over him at Versailles in Miami’s Little Havana, sing him ‘Happy Birthday’

Trump pleads not guilty to 37 counts for allegedly mishandling classified documents

MIAMI – After leaving the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in downtown Miami, former President Donald Trump stopped at the Versailles Restaurant on Tuesday afternoon in Miami’s Little Havana.

Inside the crowded iconic Cuban food restaurant, the front-runner for the Republican 2024 nomination met with two Cuban-American Christian and Jewish religious leaders who took turns to pray over him. Rev. Mario Bramnick’s prayer included a plea to keep Communism outside of the United States.

Related story: Video shows man dressed as convict run in front of Trump’s motorcade

Trump, who faces 37 felony charges for the alleged mishandling of classified documents, posed for photos with UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal. He later turned to his supporters and said, “Food for everyone!” He greeted several of the attendees and delivered his first public statement after court.

“I think it’s a rigged deal here. We have a rigged country. We have a country that’s corrupt. We have a country that’s got no borders. We have a country that’s got nothing but problems. We’re a nation in decline, and then they do this stuff, and you see where the people are,” Trump said.

The crowd also sang him “Happy Birthday” since he turns 77 on Wednesday.

Former President Donald Trump prays with pastor Mario Bramnick, third from right, and others at Versailles restaurant on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Trump had appeared before Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, and not U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who Trump appointed, for an arraignment hearing.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 31 counts of 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.

Related story: Trump makes history at Miami’s federal court

Attorney Alina Habba, who is part of Trump’s legal team, told reporters outside of the courthouse that today was not about “Trump, who is defiant. It is not about the Republican Party, it is not about the 2024 election. It is about the destruction of longstanding principles that have set this country apart.”

Trump had announced the indictment on Thursday night on the Truth Social platform and referred to Special Counsel Jack Smith, who leads the case, as a “deranged lunatic,” a “Trump hater” and a “psycho.”

A federal grand jury indicted the 45th president of the United States on Friday. Smith, a U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointee, announced the indictment.

Related story: Law enforcement watches over courthouse protesters

The document included photographs of the classified documents stored at The Mar-a-Lago Club in cardboard boxes near a toilet and shower in a bathroom, on the stage of a ballroom, in an office, in a bedroom, and in a storage room.

Former President Donald Trump greets supporters at Versailles restaurant on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department's efforts to get the records back. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

“I don’t want anybody looking, I don’t want anybody looking through my boxes, I really don’t,” Trump told one of his attorneys about the classified documents, according to the indictment. “I don’t want you looking through my boxes!”

The National Archives and Records Administration had asked the U.S. Department of Justice for help to recover documents last year and this resulted in the May 2022 grand jury subpoena and the FBI raid in August.

Related story: Trump accuses Biden of election interference, calls special counsel ‘thug’ on ‘political hit job’

Former President Donald Trump's valet Walt Nauta visits Versailles restaurant with Trump on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Nauta, a personal aide whom prosecutors say moved boxes from a storage room to Trump's residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement, joined Trump on Tuesday in federal court. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The content of some of the documents the FBI recovered included another country’s “nuclear capabilities,” U.S. “nuclear weaponry,” and “military operations” against the U.S., according to the indictment.

The indictment alleged one of Trump’s attorneys found 38 classified documents in the storage room, placed them in a folder, and closed it with duct tape. Some of the boxes also allegedly traveled from Mar-a-Lago and on a plane to be delivered to Trump’s club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Former President Donald Trump's valet Walt Nauta, left, watches as Trump greets supporters at Versailles restaurant with Trump on Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Nauta, a personal aide whom prosecutors say moved boxes from a storage room to Trump's residence for him to review and later lied to investigators about the movement, joined Trump on Tuesday in federal court. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

COMPLETE COVERAGE

Tuesday

Former President Donald Trump, center, flanked by his defense attorneys, signs his bond in federal court, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. Trump plead not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at his Florida estate. (Elizabeth Williams via AP) (Elizabeth Williams)
Domenic Santana is detained after jumping in front of the car carrying former President Donald Trump as he left the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Monday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump, rally outside the Trump National Doral resort, Monday June 12, 2023 in Doral, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Sunday

Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather outside Mar-A-Lago, Sunday, June 11, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Saturday

Friday

This image, contained in the indictment against former President Donald Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom and shower in the Lake Room at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents according to an indictment unsealed Friday, June 9, 2023. (Justice Department via AP)

About the Authors
Bridgette Matter headshot

Bridgette Matter joined the Local 10 News team as a reporter in July 2021. Before moving to South Florida, she began her career in South Bend, Indiana and spent six years in Jacksonville as a reporter and weekend anchor.

Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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