Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents. Donald Trump indictment stems from the federal investigation into his handling of sensitive government documents after he left the White House, according to media reports. It is the second Donald Trump indictment, and if convicted, it could result into a prison sentence.
What Are The Charges Against Trump?
Trump, 76, reportedly faces seven charges, including unauthorized retention of classified files, according to the media reports. The charges have not yet been made public. It is the first time a former president has faced federal charges.
Speaking to CNN, Trump’s attorney Jim Trusty said that Trump received details of the charges in a summons document. The charges include obstruction of justice, illegally retaining classified documents, false statements and conspiracy.
In 2021, Trump’s Florida resort Mar-a-Lago was searched and about 11,000 documents were detained, including around 100 labeled as classified and some labeled top secret.
Also, there were reports last week that prosecutors got hold of Trump’s audio recording, where he admitted keeping a classified document after leaving the White House last year.
Trump’s federal indictment is the second time when he has been charged criminally this year. In April, the Manhattan district attorney charged the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business.
The charges against the former president come just months after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as a special counsel with the objective of keeping investigation independent from the Biden Justice Department. Smith is also probing Trump’s role in the storming of the US Capitol.
On Friday, U.S. Secret Service officials will reportedly meet Trump’s staff, security officers and Secret Service, in order, to come up with a plan for Trump’s travel and appearance in federal court.
What Trump Is Saying?
Trump, in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, said that he was informed of the indictment by the Justice Department, and that he was “summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM.”
“The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax,” Trump said.
Trump, on Thursday, also released a video repeating his past claims that the Justice Department is being weaponized and that the investigations are just “election interference.”
“I am an innocent man. I did nothing wrong,” Trump is seen saying in the video.
Donald Trump Indictment: Will It End His 2024 Campaign?
Trump, who is campaigning to return to the White House in 2024, has long been opposing the special counsel investigation and other probes into his conduct, arguing that the objective of these probes is to stop him politically. The former president insists that any criminal charges won’t stop his 2024 campaign.
Legal experts are of the opinion that Donald Trump indictment won’t limit his ability to run for the presidency again. The opinion polls see Trump as the frontrunner among Republican candidates for the White House.
Meanwhile, several leading Republicans have come out in support of Trump.
Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, noted that it was “unconscionable for a president to indict the leading candidate opposing him.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is also Trump’s rival for the 2024 nomination, said: “The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias and end weaponisation once and for all.”
Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also in the race for president, said he would “commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025, and to restore the rule of law in our country.”
One Republican, however, believes that Donald Trump indictment is a good enough reason why Trump should leave the presidential race.
“While Donald Trump is entitled to the presumption of innocence, the ongoing criminal proceedings will be a major distraction. This reaffirms the need for Donald Trump to respect the office and end his campaign,” Asa Hutchinson said.
Several Democrats, on the other hand, noted that Donald Trump indictment shows that no one is above the rule of law.
