During the investigation, Special Counsel Jack Smith focused on whether Trump took state secrets with him after he left the White House and whether he obstructed the subsequent investigation.
The documents were everywhere: even in the ballroom and the shower
The indictment, which also includes Trump aide Walt Nauta, lays out criminal charges related to more than 100 classified documents federal agents found at Trump’s Florida resort last August, according to NBC. News. They include documents from all major national security and law enforcement agencies of the US government, including the CIA, Department of Defense, NSA, National Geospatial Reconnaissance Agency, National Reconnaissance Agency, Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and others.
The report also says the 45th president kept boxes of documents everywhere, including “the bathroom and shower, offices, his bedroom, and his pantry.” Some of the boxes of documents were on the ballroom stage of the Mar-o-Lago club, where events and informal meetings were taking place. Later, a Trump aide moved them to a back room. Walt Nauta, who is also charged, was the man Trump relied on to help hide the boxes.
Trump Calls Special Counsel Smith ‘Crazy Crazy’
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges against Trump and Nauta, said in brief comments on the indictment: “We have a set of laws in this country and they apply to everyone. “. He accuses Trump of breaking seven different laws. Some counts, including conspiracy and concealment charges, carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Based on the charges, he faces 400 years in prison. On Friday, two of Trump’s top lawyers said they were leaving his legal team. The former president has already said he will hire new ones, according to the Washington Post.
Trump said he and Nauta were ordered to appear in federal court in Miami on June 13. Ironically, the meeting will be chaired by a federal judge appointed by Trump when he was president. He pleaded not guilty in a Thursday night post on his Truth Social platform, writing, “I never thought this could happen to a former President of the United States.” His presidential campaign called the indictment “an act of open legal ‘war’.” Smith, calling him a “psycho abnormal” who shouldn’t be involved in any justice-related business.
John L. “Jack” Smith, former Division Chief at the Department of Justice, has handled cases of official corruption, police brutality and violent crime for more than thirty years. Smith has also led the prosecution of genocide and war crimes cases at the International Criminal Court, Bloomberg notes.
Showed secret materials
Trump also wasn’t shy about showing classified documents to others, prosecutors said, citing a recording of a July 2021 meeting in which the ex-president allegedly laid out a “plan of attack.” against Iran prepared by General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Staff. .
Weeks later, according to the indictment, Trump showed a representative of his Political Action Committee a ‘secret map related to a military operation in Country B’, warning the person not to approach. too close and admitting he shouldn’t brag about it. .
The deed also mentions an incident that occurred in December 2021 when Nauta found documents strewn across the floor of a warehouse in Mar-a-Lago. The documents were marked as “secret” and could only be released to members of the Five Eyes (“Five Eyes”) intelligence alliance in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand, says The Hill.
What other cases threaten Trump?
In a case brought by former New York newspaper reporter E. Jean Carroll, 79, who alleges Trump raped her in the dressing room of a department store in the 1990s, a jury convicted Trump May 9 for assault. The jury awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump demanded a new trial or a significant reduction in damages.
The civil lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump and his three children is perhaps the biggest threat to the former president’s wealth, as well as his image as a successful businessman, writes Bloomberg. James accuses the former president’s family members and their real estate company of fraudulently manipulating asset values for years in order to defraud banks and insurers. James is seeking a $250 million seizure and permanent ban on four Trump family members from doing business in New York. She has already secured a court order appointing an independent monitor to oversee the Trump organization, which could lead to an unprecedented scrutiny of the former president’s finances.
Trump was sued by 12 Democratic congressmen, accusing him of inciting riots on Jan. 6, 2021. Several Capitol cops also sued Trump for bodily harm and racial slurs that day. Through calls, Trump tries to close cases. Mary Trump, the former president’s niece, is suing her uncle, late brother and older sister for allegedly defrauding her of a share of the family fortune. Donald Trump was dismissed on November 14. Now Mary Trump is seeking her restoration. Finally, a group of Michigan voters are suing Trump and members of his 2020 re-election campaign for “massive suppression of electoral freedoms,” particularly among black people. The ex-president’s attempt to close the case was partially satisfied. The Michigan group asked for more time to file a second lawsuit.
Can Trump run for president?
In US opinion polls, which remain remarkably stable, about 53% of Americans say they have an unfavorable view of Trump, compared to 43% who view him favorably. He still leads by a giant margin among Republican voters’ preference for the 2024 nomination. The US Constitution, which sets out the requirements for a presidential candidate, says nothing to prevent Trump from running or even taking office then. that he is facing charges or serving time for the crimes with which he is charged.
Of course, analysts say, active prosecution or imprisonment will come with all sorts of practical and political difficulties. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, passed after the 19th century Civil War, includes a provision that no one may hold a seat in Congress or “any office, civil or military” if he “is taking part in an insurrection or insurrection “. Two human rights groups have said they will take legal action to try to enforce Trump’s ban on the amendment. However, all these numerous accusations are a good reason for the former US president to declare that he is being hunted by the “deep state”.
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