Donald Trump indicted on 7 criminal counts in classified docs case
Former President Donald Trump announced on Thursday evening that his attorneys had been informed that he had been indicted by the federal government for alleged crimes stemming from his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House in early 2021.
“The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax,” Trump wrote on his social media website, Truth Social, adding, “I have been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM. I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States.”
Reuters, ABC News and the Associated Press confirmed that Trump had been indicted on seven criminal counts in relation to his handling of the documents, his second indictment in as many months.
The National Archives and the FBI sought to retrieve the classified documents before issuing a subpoena last spring for their return.
Possible Espionage Act charge
Among the charges that will be made public Tuesday, Trump will be accused of violating the Espionage Act, according to reporting from the New York Times.
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Donald Trump
The act prohibits the unauthorized possession of national defense-related documents and makes special mention of those that are “willfully retained” despite government efforts to retain them.
If convicted on that charge alone, Donald Trump, 76, could face a sentence of 10 years behind bars.
Justice Department stays mum
The Justice Department did not issue a statement about the latest indictment or the specific charges it would contain, the AP reported.
Two people familiar with the case but who are not authorized to speak publicly about it, confirmed to the outlet that prosecutors had contacted Trump’s lawyers on Thursday to inform them of the indictment.
Investigation’s climax
There were plenty of signs over the past few weeks that special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of the documents was reaching its conclusion.
In the last few days, Trump received a letter by Smith’s office informing him that he was a target of a criminal investigation, a sign that an indictment was all but guaranteed.
On Monday, Trump’s lawyers were spotted in Washington prior to a meeting at the Department of Justice, where they sought to persuade officials not to charge the former president with any crimes stemming from the investigation.
— Yahoo News
