Federal, state, and local law enforcement officials are boosting security in Miami ahead of a Tuesday appearance in a federal courtroom there by former President Donald Trump following his indictment last week by the Biden Justice Department.
The ramp-up in security comes as authorities anticipate protests and perhaps even violence. Demonstrations sprang up in New York City when Trump made a court appearance there to answer a 34-count indictment by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Miami-Dade police have expressed their readiness to provide assistance in any necessary security measures, while local media outlets have already reported the installation of fencing and barricades around the courthouse in preparation for Trump’s anticipated appearance, Fox News noted.
“The City of Miami Police Department will work cohesively with our local, state, and federal partners to provide any assistance needed in the form of personnel, resources, detours, and/or road closures,” the department said in a statement. “We’re committed to protecting everyone’s First Amendment right.”
Authorities are monitoring social media and other sources for signs that protests may spring up at the courthouse or at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
Fox News added:
The situation mirrors that of Trump’s indictment in New York City, which saw days of protests surrounding his appearance in court on unrelated charges. Those protests remained largely peaceful, though there were some scuffles between supporters and critics of the former president.
Trump’s Florida indictment, revealed Friday, charges him with 37 counts of various crimes, including 31 counts of willfully withholding national defense information, three counts of withholding or concealing documents in a federal investigation, two counts of making false statements, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Former Secret Service agent Dan Bongino is voicing legitimate concerns about Trump’s safety in the wake of the Justice Department indictment.
“Hard to talk about, but I’m growing concerned about President Trump’s safety,” Bongino noted in a tweet containing a link to an episode of his weekday talk radio show.
To begin, Bongino said he was motivated to discuss the sensitive subject by reports that indicate “there’s an expectation that Trump may not be here for the election.”
“Having protected both Democrats and Republicans, protectees and presidents, right? I’m telling you, this guy’s in real danger,” said Bongino, who served as a Secret Service agent from 1999, the end of Bill Clinton’s tenure, to 2011, into Barack Obama’s first term.
“You’ve got the Iranian threat out there from his actions against the Iranians,” he said. “The Chinese Communist Party doesn’t like him. They don’t want to see him back in power.”
In addition, there are plenty of Democrats, including the current administration, who appear willing to destroy mores and break rules to tie him up in legal knots or worse.
“There’s a unique witches’ brew of threats for this guy,” Bongino said.
Bongino emphasized that his comments went beyond the juvenile rhetoric of people like comedian Kathy Griffin, who staged a mock decapitation of Trump in 2017, or actor Robert DeNiro, who used phony tough guy talk during the Trump presidency. He also referred to numerous other self-absorbed figures from Hollywood and the left, who made false claims about their readiness to take risks in opposing Trump.
Rather, he is talking about legitimate real-world threats that could include Trump not receiving adequate protection from the current Secret Service, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
“My real concern here is, due to the partisan hatred of Donald Trump, that they may be pressured to not give him the security detail he needs … because they don’t want to make him look presidential, or different than the other candidates,” Bongino noted.
He also remarked that the constant and unprecedented trashing and demeaning of the former president since his first run in 2015 could inspire a foreign or domestic threat — or a combination of both — to move against him.