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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche added a personal touch to his client's plea during the arraignment on Tuesday afternoon in Miami.
Trump, who was indicted last Thursday, is facing 37 counts, ranging from willful retention of classified documents to obstruction charges, in connection with the Department of Justice's (DOJ) investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving office. He is the first president to face federal charges.
The indictment, which was brought by DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, accuses the former president of mishandling sensitive presidential records and obstructing government efforts to retrieve them. Trump has maintained his innocence, accusing federal prosecutors of investigating him for political reasons.
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At Trump's arraignment in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, Blanche added a spin to the traditional "not guilty" plea entered on behalf of his client.
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"We most certainly enter a plea of not guilty," Blanche said, according to multiple news reports from reporters in the room during the arraignment.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign by email for comment.
Blanche joined Trump's team in early April. The former federal prosecutor is well experienced in white-collar defense cases and had ties to other Trump-related cases. Blanche previously represented Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman who was sentenced to prison for various financial crimes. Blanche also represented Igor Fruman, an associate of former Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Fruman pleaded guilty in a campaign finance case.
Blanche formerly worked at the Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft law firm in New York.
The not-guilty plea was expected, considering Trump has long accused federal government organizations such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of conducting a "witch hunt" against him.
Trump's attorneys also reportedly asked for a jury trial during the arraignment, CNN reporter Jeremy Herb tweeted.
Blanche and Chris Kise, another of Trump's existing lawyers, represented Trump during the arraignment after Trump's legal team failed to secure a lawyer qualified for his Miami arraignment, according to a report by the Guardian.
The report said that several attorneys declined to take him on as a client.
Shortly after Trump was indicted last week, Jim Trusty and John Rowley—two of his attorneys involved in the documents case—issued their resignation. Trump commended the men in a Truth Social post after their resignation and announced that Blanche would be taking over.
"I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work," Trump said on Truth Social, "but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and 'sick' group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before."
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