MIAMI – Former President Donald Trump is remaining defiant as he faces a federal criminal indictment that accuses him of mishandling sensitive government secrets.
“As far as the joke of an indictment, it’s a horrible thing, it’s a horrible thing for this country,” Trump said Saturday. “I mean the only good thing about it is it’s driven my poll numbers way up.”
That speech was in North Carolina during Trump’s first public appearance since it came down that he would be facing criminal charges.
The Justice Department’s 49-page indictment says Trump “endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued retention of classified documents.”
The documents contain information on the U.S. nuclear programs and defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries.
Boxes of documents were seized by the FBI in a raid last year at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Classified material was found in a bedroom, ballroom and bathroom.
Reaction about the special counsel’s decision to indict poured in across the Sunday morning political shows, including from Miami’s mayor.
“This just feels un-American. It feels wrong at some level, and I think people are very frustrated and they don’t see the equal application of justice, they don’t see the same fervor, the same intensity of investigations and prosecutions on the other side of the aisle, and I think that’s where a lot of the frustration lies,” said Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Media from across the country are now positioned outside of the Miami federal courthouse where Trump is set to appear before a magistrate on Tuesday.
Supporters are organizing an on-site rally outside the courthouse.