A protester wearing a prison costume tried blocking former President Donald Trump’s motorcade following his arraignment in a Miami federal court where he pleaded not guilty Tuesday in connection with the alleged mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Video of the incident shows the man holding a sign jumping in front of an SUV before being grabbed by what appeared to be Secret Service agents running alongside the vehicle. 

Video captured by Fox News’ Griff Jenkins from earlier in the day shows the same anti-Trump protester holding up a bright orange sign that read ‘Lock Him Up.’ 

It’s unclear if the man will face any charges for rushing Trump’s motorcade. 

Trump appeared in court with his arms folded most of the time and occasionally spoke with his lawyers. 

He was indicted Friday on 37 federal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. 

The indictment accuses Trump of failing to comply with demands to return classified documents — including plans for a retaliatory attack on an unnamed foreign power — he had gathered in Mar-a-Lago.

Other documents include defense and weapon capabilities of the U.S. and details of the U.S. nuclear program.

‘The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,’ the indictment says. 

It also accuses him of storing the documents in a bathroom and other places at the residence, and of even bragging and showing off the documents to visitors. In one instance, he is said to have told individuals of a document, ‘as president, I could have declassified it,’ and, ‘Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.’

He is also said to have directed an aide to move boxes of documents demanded by a grand jury subpoena while claiming to have fully cooperated. The FBI opened a criminal investigation into the matter in March 2022.

After appearing in court, Trump stopped at a Miami cafe where he was greeted by religious leaders and supporters.

‘Food for everyone,’ he said. 

The crowd then sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. The former president’s birthday is June 14.

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Jake Gibson contributed to this report. 

Republican politicians across the country reacted with outrage Tuesday as former President Donald Trump was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to 37 federal felony charges in a classified records case.

GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, called the arraignment a ‘dark day for our country’ as ‘Joe Biden continues to fully weaponize the federal government against President Trump, his leading opponent for the White House in 2024.

‘America was founded on the principle of equal justice under law,’ the New York Republican continued. ‘The American people see the glaring double standard: one set of rules if your last name is Biden or Clinton and another set of rules for everyone else. It’s never been more important that we unite behind President Trump’s historic campaign to win the White House, to restore the rule of law, and save our Republic. God bless America, President Trump, and all those targeted by Biden’s regime as we continue our efforts to end this corrupt political weaponization and stop the deep state.’

‘Make no mistake: at today’s arraignment you are watching a sitting President use his DOJ to put his top political rival in jail,’ Stefanik’s Republican colleague from South Carolina, Rep. Nancy Mace, said in a statement. ‘Both sides of the aisle should be able to set aside their emotions and see how dangerous of a precedent this sets.’

Mace’s fellow South Carolina Republican, Gov. Harry McMaster, also posted a statement calling Tuesday a ‘troubling day’ and said Trump opposition has gone ‘too far.’

‘I STAND WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP!’ Florida GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz tweeted. 

‘The Swamp fears President Trump, and that’s exactly why they’re doing everything possible to stop him,’ Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan tweeted.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 federal charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into his alleged improper retention of classified records at Mar-a-Lago in federal court in Miami, Florida on Tuesday.

The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements.

This is the first time in United States history that a former president has faced federal criminal charges.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report. 
 

The legislative affairs director for the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism is taking over as director of its Heritage Division.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Monday announced she was naming Marty Ryall to replace outgoing Arkansas Division of Heritage Director Jimmy Bryant. Bryant is retiring at the end of June.

‘I have a deep love and respect for our state, its unique history, her natural beauty, and our rich heritage,’ Ryall said in a statement. ‘It is a great responsibility and challenge that I am humbly honored to accept.’

Ryall has served as the department’s legislative affairs director since January and before that he was director of governmental affairs for Arkansas PBS. He’s also a former executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas.

‘I appreciate Jimmy Bryant’s service to our state and know that Marty is the perfect candidate to take up Jimmy’s role,’ Sanders said in a statement. ‘Together, we will take Arkansas Heritage to the top.’

Ryall’s annual salary as Division of Heritage director will be $120,000, effective July 1 after Bryant retires, Sanders’ office said.

Arkansas Heritage oversees several facilities and offices, including the state archives, the Arkansas Arts Council and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

Ryall’s appointment follows the departure of three of the department’s top three officials. Secretary Mike Mills resigned his position earlier this month after less than six months. State Parks Director Shea Lewis is serving as interim secretary.

Travis Napper, the director of Arkansas Tourism, also recently announced he will step away from his position later this month to take a job in tourism consulting.

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U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain has ordered attorneys to examine a potential receivership structure in a move that would seize control of Rikers Island from New York City.The city has also been ordered to monitor and report deaths and serious injuries in custody — both of which lend the facility some of its notoriety.Swain claims to have been pushed to reevaluate a potential takeover after being ‘shaken by the incidents of the past few weeks.’

A federal judge is once again weighing a takeover of New York City’s troubled Rikers Island jail complex, describing her faith in its leadership as ‘shaken’ following recent reports of violence, gruesome injuries and a lack of cooperation that has thwarted court oversight.

The emergency court hearing on Tuesday came after a federal monitor overseeing the jails system outlined a pattern of disturbing incidents — including detainee deaths and grave injuries — that jail officials failed to report as required last month.

The monitor, Steve Martin, said the city’s jails commissioner also personally lobbied him not to publicly release a report on those findings, claiming it would ‘fuel the flames of those who believe we cannot govern ourselves.’

In response, U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain ordered attorneys for both detainees and the city to formally discuss a potential receivership structure, an extraordinary intervention that would end New York City’s control over one of the nation’s largest and most famous jails. Swain said she would consider the proposal in August.

She also ordered the city to notify the monitor immediately anytime someone dies or suffers a serious injury in custody, rebuking jail officials for flouting reporting requirements put in place following a 2015 federal consent decree.

‘I find that it is unfortunately necessary to clarify and underscore the responsibilities that have been imposed by orders that have been in place for years,’ she said during the three-hour video hearing.

Advocates for detainees say a federal receivership is necessary to stem the violence on Rikers Island, where 19 people died last year, the highest number in a quarter of a century. In November, the judge rejected calls for a receiver, allowing the city more time to undertake promised reforms.

Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly touted the success of those efforts, pointing to a reduction in slashings and staff absenteeism since he took office and appointed Department of Correction Louis Molina in January 2022.

But on Wednesday, Judge Swain indicated her position on a federal takeover may be shifting, saying the court’s confidence in the city had been ‘shaken by the incidents of the past few weeks.’

She pointed to a report issued by the federal monitor detailing violent incidents that jail officials allegedly neglected to report to the monitor, including the death of a detainee who was originally said to have suffered a heart attack, but was later discovered to have died from a skull fracture.

Another man who attempted to flee from correction officers was tackled and paralyzed from the neck down, an injury the monitor said also wasn’t properly reported.

‘The Department’s approach to reform has recently become characterized by inaccuracies and a lack of transparency,’ the monitor wrote.

In addition to her concerns about reporting, the judge also called out efforts by city leaders ‘to shape public opinion and public perception on these very serious issues.’

In recent weeks, Adams and Molina have allowed select reporters to view footage of Rikers Island that they claim would undermine the monitor’s narrative. The Department of Correction has also said it will cease alerting the public about detainee deaths.

Asked about his agency’s media strategy on Wednesday, Molina said he was trying to protect against bad-faith criticism, arguing the monitor’s findings of chronic violence could undercut efforts to stabilize the jail system.

‘What I was trying to get the monitor to appreciate is that we have a number of groups that just want to see the department fail because it advances their position that Rikers Island or the city’s jail system should not exist,’ Molina said.

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Members of the House Armed Services Committee are demanding several updates from the Pentagon on whether it is effectively using artificial intelligence to defend against growing threats from China and other adversaries.

The committee on Monday released its annual proposal for the defense policy bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, which will be considered by various subcommittees starting Tuesday. The section of the bill that deals with cyber and information technology was accompanied by several demands for updates on the Defense Department’s efforts to incorporate AI into its national security posture.

One of these demands relates directly to China, which the committee said has an increasing presence in disputed waters around the world that threatens U.S. national security.

‘The committee is increasingly concerned about the ability of the United States to counter this threat due to the vastness of the maritime environment,’ the text said. ‘Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), driven by artificial intelligence (AI), would enhance the Navy’s ability to monitor the maritime environment, increase strategic planning activities, and expose emerging threats through lead generation.’

The committee asked the Defense Department to brief its members on this issue by next February on its current use of ‘AI-driven MDA systems’ and how else AI might help the Navy quickly assess maritime traffic and determine possible threats.

Lawmakers on the committee said the Pentagon should also be using AI to help warfighters detect and analyze signals in the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) that can indicate cyber and electronic warfare tactics.

‘The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has exposed the threat that adversarial electronic warfare systems pose,’ the committee said. ‘Accordingly, the committee believes that the Department of Defense should pursue capabilities that give the warfighter the ability to maintain awareness of the EMS environment and rapidly develop insights at the tactical edge.’

The committee said special operations forces have already used AI-driven systems to detect EMS signals and that the Pentagon should ‘increase the adoption of such technologies.’ It asked the Defense Department to brief members of the committee on this issue by Dec. 1.

Lawmakers noted a broad plan by DOD to create a Joint All-Domain Command and Control system that uses AI to assess data from a broad range of military sensors and make it easier for military commanders to make real-time decisions. They also said the Air Force could benefit from a similar system and asked the secretary of the Air Force to report to the committee by next January.

The committee pushed the Pentagon to report back on several other AI initiatives, including the creation of an ‘AI education strategy’ aimed at educating service members on how to use AI. Members want DOD to brief them on that subject by next March.

By December, the committee wants DOD to brief lawmakers on the infrastructure needed to build up AI capacity and what the Pentagon is doing to create more ‘red teams’ that road-test AI systems before they are deployed.

Committee members also want officials to study how to develop autonomy software and to ensure the Army uses AI to support the next generation of military helicopters developed under the Future Vertical Lift program.

In April, U.S. Central Command’s top AI adviser told Fox News Digital that the military is hoping it can use AI to quickly absorb data and help military leaders make faster decisions, but the adviser, Dr. Andrew Moore, said the goal is to keep people in charge of these decisions, not AI systems.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, announced Monday she will introduce a measure to remove funding for special counsel Jack Smith’s office and his investigation into former President Donald Trump.

‘Today, I’d like to announce that I’m writing an appropriations rider to defund Jack Smith, special counsel, his office and the investigation,’ Greene said Monday on the House Floor. ‘This is a weaponized government attempt to take down the top political enemy and leading presidential candidate of the United States, Donald J. Trump.’

Smith was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November to investigate Trump’s handling of classified documents that he removed from the White House and transported to Mar-a-Lago when his term ended. 

Greene’s announcement comes as Trump is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Miami, Florida, on 37 charges connected to the classified documents and alleged obstruction of justice. 

Greene argued that Smith’s investigation into Trump is politically motivated and claimed there was a double standard between Trump and Democrats who also were found to have removed classified material.

‘We cannot allow the government to be weaponized for political purposes,’ she said. ‘I’d also like to ask all of my colleagues to join me in this effort. We have to use the power of appropriations to stop the weaponization of government, especially in light that we know that there are others who are guilty of true crimes.’

She also made comparisons between how the Justice Department was handling Trump’s case and how it investigated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

‘There should have been an investigation done into that,’ she said.

Greene also referenced classified documents belonging to President Joe Biden, which were removed during his time as vice president and later found in the Penn Biden Center in Washington, D.C. Additional documents were found at his home in Delaware. 

Special counsel Robert Hur is investigating Biden’s handling of classified documents.

‘Don’t forget Joe Biden’s documents that are sitting in his garage next to his Corvette where the door opens and closes,’ Greene said. ‘America sees this for exactly what it is and we will not allow it to stand.’

Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz expressed support for Greene’s proposal. 

‘This is an Article I flex! I’m so here for it,’ he wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said Sunday that the House should act in accordance with its constitutional duty to conduct oversight.

‘Congress can and should hold the Biden DOJ accountable by defunding their efforts during the appropriations process, executing the Holman Rule to remove and defund corrupt officials, and conducting oversight on its baseless investigations,’ Biggs said in a tweet.  

In a 49-page indictment, Smith argued Trump intentionally took secret documents with him as he left the White House in January 2021.

These documents included ‘information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign counties; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to foreign attack,’ Smith said.

Smith’s office also said the former president spoke to other people about the classified material. He also precariously stored them inside a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom and a storage room at his club and residence at Mar-a-Lago, the special counsel alleged.

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