International
oi-Deepika S
Former US President Donald Trump’s indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate has renewed attention to one of the most notable cases in Justice Department history.
The federal charges pose the biggest legal jeopardy so far for Trump, just three months after he was charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
It is also the first time a sitting or former commander-in-chief has ever faced federal charges.
Trump, who is running for president again has been summoned to a federal courthouse in Miami next Tuesday, the day before his 77th birthday. Now, special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutors must prove their case in court against Trump’s legal team as they challenge the charges and evidence against the former president.
The legal process could stretch out for months or years before a Florida jury may get to render a verdict or a plea deal is reached.
What are the charges against Donald Trump?
On Thursday, Donald Trump said Truth Social that Justice Department lawyers had informed his legal team that he had been indicted. Though the indictment remains sealed, media reports suggest the former president has been indicted on seven counts.
According to DW news, the first law cited prevents unauthorized possession of national defense information and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The other two laws, which prohibit concealing or destroying official US documents, are punishable by up to three and 20 years in prison, respectively.
According to Trump’s lawyer Jim Trusty, the former president faces serious charges that includes conspiracy, false statements, obstruction of justice, and illegally retaining classified documents under the Espionage Act.
Donald Trump Indicted In Classified Documents Case
How did Trump react?
“I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!”, said Trump.
“They come after me, because now we are leading in the polls by a lot…leading against Biden by a lot. We can’t let this happen, we can’t let this happen. The whole thing is a hoax,” Trump added.
How did the classified documents case begin?
The classified documents case came to light shortly after Trump lost the 2020 election race and had to move out of the White House. In the spring of 2021, National Archives and Records Administration officials realised important documents from Trump’s tenure were missing from their collection.
The Presidential Records Act deems all White House documents the property of the US government, meaning they must be preserved.
Archives officials reached out to Trump representatives, one of whom told them in December of the same year that presidential records had been found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
Why did the FBI raid Mar-o-Lago?
In August 2022, federal officials aided a storage room and an office in Mar-o-Lago, seizing over 33 boxes that contained thousands of documents. The boxes included 100 classified documents.
Since he left office in January 2021, some 300 classified documents have been recovered from Trump, including some at the top secret level.
However, Donald Trump defended his actions, saying he had them declassified back when he was in office, yet without providing evidence to support this claim.
According to US law, incumbent presidents can declassify information, but that authority lapses once they leave office.
What is an indictment?
An indictment is a written statement of criminal charges against a person approved by a grand jury, which is made up of members of the community – votes and enough members agree there’s sufficient evidence to charge someone with a crime. The indictment against Trump remains sealed. But once the document is made public, it will lay out the crime or crimes that Trump is accused of committing.
Sometimes indictments include a lengthy narrative with lots of details about the allegations, while others are more basic and just outline the charges a defendant is facing.
Can Donald Trump run for Presidential polls?
Yes, neither the indictment itself nor a conviction would prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024. And as the New York case showed, criminal charges have historically been a boon to his fundraising.
However, experts also believe Trump’s indictment may add to his legal woes and complicate his 2024 presidential bid.
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