Former President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, has been charged with mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House. US media reports that Trump, 76, is facing seven charges, including unauthorized storage of classified files. However, these charges have not been made public yet.
This is the second indictment against Trump and the first federal indictment against a former president. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he is not guilty and has been summoned to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, June 6, 2023, in the afternoon. “I never imagined such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States,” he wrote. “This is indeed a dark day for America. We are a nation experiencing serious and rapid decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!” he continued.
An indictment is a document that outlines the charges against an individual, ensuring they are notified of the alleged crimes. The grand jury in Miami reportedly heard evidence in the case on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. The Department of Justice has declined to comment, and the indictment has not been released to the public.
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith has been reviewing evidence in the document case since being appointed to oversee it by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November of last year. It is known that last year, Trump’s Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, was searched, and 11,000 documents were seized, including around 100 marked as classified, with some labeled as highly classified.
There were reports last week that prosecutors had obtained audio recordings of Trump admitting to storing classified documents after leaving the White House. This clearly violates US law for federal officials, including the president, to transfer or store classified documents in unauthorized locations.
Read More : Charged with Keeping Classified Documents, Will Trump Be Imprisoned?
Legal experts say that these charges will not restrict Trump’s ability to run for president again. “He can be charged multiple times, and it won’t stop his ability to run,” said David Super, a professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Super noted that Trump can continue to run even if found guilty in the document case, but it remains to be seen if the Republican Party will support him.
A separate investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, which Trump lost, is also being overseen by Jack Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor known for his tenacious investigations.
Trump became the first former president to be indicted for a crime in April this year when he pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of business record forgery related to hush money payments to a porn star. He will face trial in that case in New York next year.
