The Chinese woman who tried to lie her way into Mar-a-Lago appeared in court today to plea ‘not guilty’. However, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman ordered her continued detention and pointed out the obvious: “It does appear to the court that Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious when she unlawfully attempted to gain access to Mar-a-Lago”…

Yujing Zhang, who was carrying multiple electronic devices when arrested, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and detention hearing on Monday in West Palm Beach, Florida.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) – A Chinese woman charged with bluffing her way into U.S. President Donald Trump’s Florida resort last month was denied bail on Monday by a federal judge who said he believed she was “up to something nefarious.”

Zhang, 33, was indicted on Friday on charges of making false statements to a federal officer and entering or remaining in a restricted area at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, an incident that raised concerns about security at the Palm Beach club.

During the hearing, a federal prosecutor said Zhang could face more charges and U.S. Magistrate Judge William Matthewman ordered her continued detention.

Matthewman said he was concerned Zhang told U.S. Secret Service agents she was at Mar-a-Lago to attend a charity event that prosecutors allege she knew was canceled.

He also was troubled she was carrying four cellphones, a laptop computer, an external hard drive and a thumb drive when arrested.

“It does appear to the court that Ms. Zhang was up to something nefarious when she unlawfully attempted to gain access to Mar-a-Lago,” Matthewman said.

Zhang has not been indicted on espionage charges. The FBI is examining whether she has links to Chinese intelligence agencies or political influence operations, U.S. government sources said. (read more)