Trump pleads not guilty in federal documents case

FILE PHOTO: Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the North Carolina Republican Party convention in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. June 10, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Drake/File Photo

MIAMI (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal criminal charges that he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office and lied to officials who sought to recover them.

Trump's plea, entered before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman in a federal court in Miami, sets up a legal battle likely to play out over coming months as he campaigns to win back the presidency in a November 2024 election. Experts say it could be a year or more before a trial takes place.