After entering a not guilty plea to a number of criminal charges, former US President Donald Trump condemned “political persecution.”
Trump is charged in a historic first court appearance as a federal defendant with mishandling some of the most important secrets of the US government and plotting to hinder their return.
During the hearing in Florida, the former US president spoke to supporters and referred to the accusations as “political persecution.”
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“More importantly, it’s a political persecution like something straight out of a fascist or communist nation. As president, the law that applies to this case is not the Espionage Act, but very simply the Presidential Records Act which is not even mentioned in this ridiculous 44-page indictment. Under the Presidential Records Act, which is civil, not criminal, I have every right to have these documents”, said Donald Trump.
Donald Trump is the favourite candidate to fight next year’s presidential election for the Republicans.
The US government, which has never before prosecuted a former president, accuses Trump of violating the Espionage Act and other laws when he removed classified documents upon leaving office in 2021 and failed to give them up to the National Archives.
