He appeared to glance occasionally at Smith, who entered with his own security detail and the prosecutors assigned to the case.

When the court deputy read aloud the name of the case – “United States of America v. Donald J. Trump” – the former president shook his head in disapproval.

Trump previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he retained classified documents after leaving office and New York state charges that he falsified documents in connection with hush money payments to a porn star.

He may soon face more charges in Georgia, where a state prosecutor is investigating his attempts to overturn the election there. The Atlanta-area prosecutor, Fani Willis, has said she will file indictments by mid-August.

TRUMP STILL THE REPUBLICAN FRONT-RUNNER Trump’s legal woes have done little to damage his status as Republican front-runner. Forty-seven percent of Republican voters said they would support him in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after Tuesday’s indictment, extending his lead over second-place Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 13%.

Three-quarters of Republicans said they agreed that the charges were “politically motivated,” showing that Trump’s claim that he is the victim of political persecution resonates with his base.

That said, the same poll found about half of Republicans said they would not vote for Trump if he were convicted of a felony, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, underscoring the potential risks his legal entanglements pose for his candidacy.

Most prominent Republicans, including several competing with Trump for the White House, have either defended him or offered muted criticism, instead accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the Justice Department against a campaign foe.

Biden declined to comment on the arraignment.

Many of the allegations in Tuesday’s indictment had been well-documented in media reports and the investigation conducted by a U.S. House of Representatives select committee.

But the indictment featured some details that were not widely known, including several based on grand jury testimony and contemporaneous notes from former Vice President Mike Pence, who is also running for the Republican presidential nomination.

The indictment describes a phone call in which Pence told Trump there was no legal basis for the theory that Pence could block certification of the election.

“You’re too honest,” Trump responded, according to prosecutors.

Although Pence repeatedly told Trump he lacked the authority to reject electoral votes from certain states, Trump kept repeating the claim.

On Jan. 6, as he spoke to his supporters before they attacked the Capitol, Trump said: “If Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election.” Some rioters at the Capitol later chanted, “Hang Mike Pence!”

Far from deterred by the violence, Trump and his associates kept calling Republican members of Congress hours after the riot had ended, still intent on blocking certification, the indictment said.

Pence was one of the few Republicans to criticize Trump on Tuesday, saying that “anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president.”

SOURCE: REUTERS