Trump indicted in classified documents case
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on charges related to mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, marking a significant moment in U.S. history as he becomes the first ex-president to face criminal charges from the federal government he once led.
According to a report on Friday, the Department of Justice is expected to publicly announce a seven-count indictment, setting the stage for a court appearance amid the ongoing 2024 presidential campaign, which has been marked by criminal investigations in multiple states.
“They indictment carries serious legal consequences, potentially including imprisonment if Trump is convicted,” the report says.
It also has significant political implications that could disrupt the Republican presidential primary, where Trump had been a dominant figure. It also tests the loyalty of GOP voters and party leaders, who now face the decision of whether to support a candidate who has been indicted twice and may face further charges.
The upcoming trial will focus on allegations that Trump, who was entrusted with safeguarding the nation’s most sensitive secrets, intentionally and illegally retained sensitive national security information.
While the Justice Department has not yet confirmed the indictment publicly, two anonymous sources familiar with the matter have stated that the indictment consists of seven criminal counts.
Trump’s lawyers were reportedly contacted by prosecutors shortly before the former president announced on his Truth Social platform that he had been indicted.
Within minutes of the announcement, Trump began using the indictment for fundraising purposes for his presidential campaign, proclaiming his innocence in a video and once again calling the investigation a “witch hunt.”
This indictment adds to Trump’s growing legal jeopardy, as he has already been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta, which could result in further criminal charges.
Legal experts and Trump’s own aides have long considered the Mar-a-Lago investigation as the most dangerous threat and the one most likely to lead to prosecution. Trump’s campaign aides have been anticipating the fallout since his attorneys were informed that he was the target of the investigation.
In a CNN interview, Trump’s attorney James Trusty stated that the indictment includes charges such as willful retention of national defense information (a crime under the Espionage Act), obstruction, false statements, and conspiracy.
The investigation gained significant momentum last November when Attorney General Merrick Garland, who firmly believes that no one should be above the law, appointed Jack Smith, a prosecutor with a reputation for pursuing war crimes, to lead the probe into the classified documents and a separate investigation into attempts to undermine the 2020 election.
This case is a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which had investigated Trump throughout his presidency and beyond but had never before filed criminal charges against him. The most notable investigation was the earlier special counsel probe into possible links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, but due to Justice Department policy, the special counsel did not indict a sitting president. However, once Trump left office, that protection was no longer applicable.
The indictment stems from a lengthy investigation into whether Trump violated the law by retaining hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago. Prosecutors are also examining whether Trump took actions to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the records.
According to prosecutors, Trump took approximately 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, “with the FBI seizing about 100 of them in August of the previous year during a search of the property. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he had the right to keep the classified documents when he left the White House and has baselessly asserted that he had declassified them.”
Court records unsealed last year revealed that federal investigators believed they had sufficient evidence to establish probable cause for multiple crimes, including retaining national defense information, destroying government records, and obstruction.
Since then, the Justice Department has gathered additional evidence and obtained grand jury testimony from individuals close to Trump, including his own lawyers. Retaining national defense information and obstruction are felony offenses that carry the potential.
Source: AP/PT
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