Federal and local authorities are working to boost security in South Florida ahead of former president Donald Trump’s planned first appearance at a Miami federal court on Tuesday.
Trump is facing 37 counts as part of an investigation into his handling of classified documents, including willful retention of national-defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and making false statements and representations.
Trump allies have alluded to potential protests and violence ahead of the arraignment, calling the indictment politically-motivated and worthy of retribution.
The former president has called the case “THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME.” He called for protests on Sunday afternoon during a radio interview with his longtime ally Roger Stone. Stone encouraged protesters to remain peaceful, civil and legal.
Republican Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana tweeted out a more ominous instruction: “President Trump said he has ‘been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM.’ This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.”
Radicalization expert and author Jeff Sharlet warned Higgins’s post “isn’t a metaphor” but a “congressman calling for the real thing.”
Higgins’s post includes references to the “real president of the United States,” as well as military-scale maps and guerilla warfare tactics.
Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake told a conference of Georgia Republicans on Saturday that Trump’s prosecution could spark violence and pointed out that she and other supporters of the former president are members of the National Rifle Association.
“If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me, and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” said Lake, who has planned a rally to support Trump at a hotel in Palm Beach on Monday. The comment was met with cheers and a standing ovation, according to the Washington Post.
Lake also suggested the indictment was “illegitimate” and said, “we’re at war, people — we’re at war.”
Republican Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona posted on Twitter on Friday saying, “We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye.”
Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., posted a picture of the former president on Instagram that said, “RETRIBUTION IS COMING.”
Conservative radio host Pete Santilli said that if he were the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps he would order “every single Marine” to grab President Biden, “throw him in freakin’ zip ties in the back of a freakin’ pickup truck,” and “get him out of the White House.” A guest on Santilli’s show, Lance Migliaccio, said if it were legal, he would “probably walk in and shoot” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley.
A Miami-Dade police Homeland Security Bureau advisory to other agencies, which was first obtained by the Washington Post, mentions a tweet from Laura Loomer about a “peaceful rally” outside of the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday at noon.
Authorities have also warned about plans for a pro-Trump rally outside the federal courthouse on Tuesday that has allegedly been planned by a local chapter of the Proud Boys. Some leaders of the far-right extremist group were found guilty of seditious conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot.
Police in Miami will not be allowed to take Tuesday off and plainclothes detectives have been asked to wear their uniforms in case they need to be deployed, according to the Washington Post.
An internal email from a high-ranking official at the Miami-Dade Police Department said local and state law enforcement are on high alert for protests and violence on Tuesday, The Messenger reported.
The email mentioned a tweet from an account with about 8,000 followers that called for an “ALL HANDS ON DECK! Trump Document Hoax Rally” outside the courthouse on Tuesday.
“The promoter is claiming to have been banned from several theme parks located throughout the nation. He is currently trying to gain nationwide support,” the internal police email read.
Regional police and homeland security officials “will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they become available,” the internal communication added.
Meanwhile, FBI field officers are reporting threats made against their personnel or facilities to the Washington headquarters as the bureau works to manage the number of threats against the agency around the country.