Trump has pleaded Not Guilty to Allegations of Leaking Classified Documents

Former US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he pleads not guilty to charges that he smuggled classified documents out of the White House.

Trump appeared in federal court in Florida, setting off a legal battle that is likely to play out over the months as Trump campaigns for the November 2024 presidential election.

Experts say it could be a year or more before the case goes to trial. Yesterday's hearing was held behind closed doors. Trump was charged with 37 federal charges, BTA reports. Most of them are related to the illegal storage of highly classified documents related to national security.

According to the BBC, the documents were stored in a bathroom, a ballroom and a bedroom at Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.

Former Trump aide Walt Nauta is also charged in the case and has also appeared in court.

It was Trump's second appearance in a courtroom in recent months. In April, he pleaded not guilty to New York state charges related to paying money to buy the silence of a porn star.

Trump is the first former US president to be charged with federal crimes.

At the courthouse in Miami, supporters wearing hats that said "Make America Great Again" waved American flags and chanted "Miami for Trump" and "Latinos for Trump."