Trump says he'll plead not guilty after federal indictment

Trump is set to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.

Last Updated: June 13, 2023, 10:43 AM EDT

To read live updates from Tuesday's court appearance, click here.

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges in an investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday.

The indictment comes after more than 100 documents with classified markings were found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022.

Trump was charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.

The indictment of Trump, who has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety, is unprecedented for a former president.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 08, 2023, 8:12 PM EDT

Who is special counsel Jack Smith?

Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped Jack Smith in November 2022 as special counsel to oversee the DOJ's investigation into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified materials after leaving office.

Prosecutor Jack Smith waits for the start of the court session in The Hague, Netherlands, Nov. 10, 2020.
Peter Dejong/AP, FILE

Former colleagues have characterized Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department's public integrity section, as an aggressive prosecutor who would not shy away from taking on difficult prosecutorial judgments, with the background and temperament that make him a strong selection for the high-profile role.

Read more about Smith here.

Jun 08, 2023, 7:57 PM EDT

What to expect at Tuesday's arraignment

When the former president arrives at Miami federal court on Tuesday, it will mark an extraordinary moment for the country: Trump will be formally placed under arrest by the very government he was once elected to lead.

Once he is arrested, Trump will be booked and processed as a federal defendant and then appear before a judge for an arraignment.

Trump, or one of his attorneys, will enter a not guilty plea, touching off the prosecution of the former president.

PHOTO: David Harbach, center, a key prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith's team, walks out of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, on June 8, 2023.
David Harbach, center, a key prosecutor on special counsel Jack Smith's team, walks out of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami, where a grand jury has been hearing from witnesses for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation of former President Donald Trump, on June 8, 2023.
Wilfredo Lee/AP

The courthouse has spent the last several days preparing for Trump's arrival, but there is no outward sign Thursday night that he is days away from appearing.

Prior to news of the indictment, members of the special counsel's team were seen going into and out of court and the room where a grand jury has been hearing evidence.

-ABC News' Aaron Katersky

Jun 08, 2023, 7:45 PM EDT

Trump calls investigation a 'hoax'

Former President Donald Trump posted on his social network Truth Social Thursday evening that his lawyers have been informed he's been indicted.

He called the investigation a "hoax" and said he's an "innocent man."

Trump said he has been summoned to appear at the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday.

Trump's campaign sent out a fundraising email following news of the indictment.

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