On Thursday, Donald Trump revealed that he has been charged in a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House, an adverse legal development that poses a challenge to his goal of seeking a second term in 2024. On his social networking platform, Truth Social, Trump claimed that the “corrupt Biden administration” informed his lawyers of the charges against him, apparently related to the box controversy. This historic first marks the first time a former or sitting US president has faced federal charges.
Although the Justice Department did not immediately confirm Trump’s announcement, his attorney, Jim Trusty, stated that his client faces seven charges, including willful withholding of classified documents, which violates the Espionage Act, as well as false testimony, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy. Although the exact details of the charges have not been disclosed, sources close to the case indicated that the conspiracy charge is related to obstruction of justice.
In his statement, Trump, who is seeking to win the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2024 presidential election, said he was subpoenaed to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday. He expressed disbelief that such a thing could happen to a former US president and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Notably, Trump was already facing a criminal case, prosecuted by the Manhattan district attorney, for a payment made to a porn star before the election to keep a secret relationship with him. In response to the announcement of the new charges, the Trump campaign called the situation an “unprecedented abuse of power” and called for the charges to be dismissed, arguing that Trump has been a prime political target of the Democratic Party.
This new legal development adds to Trump’s existing legal troubles, including the investigation into his role in the 2021 assault on Capitol Hill and inquiries by Georgia state prosecutors into possible attempts to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment against Trump has generated a range of reactions, from Democratic lawmakers who see it as an example of the rule of law to Republican allies expressing support for the former president and criticizing the indictment as an attempt to interfere in the election.