Seven years ago, when Donald Trump ran for president, he said he was concerned about information security. At that time, his opponent Hillary Clinton was exposed for using a personal email instead of a government email. Trump did not miss the opportunity to declare that the scandal "disqualified her from being president". Clinton eventually lost the election.
Now, Mr. Trump is facing criminal charges for endangering national security, for taking hundreds of classified documents out of the White House and refusing to return them all even when requested by authorities.
7 charges
On June 8 (local time), US media reported that Mr. Trump, the US president for the 2017-2021 term, was indicted in an investigation related to his storage of classified documents at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida (USA). According to The New York Times, the indictment was decided by a grand jury in Miami (Florida), after months of investigation under the leadership of special prosecutor Jack Smith.
Former President Trump in Scotland in early May
The US Department of Justice has not announced the indictment of Mr. Trump and has not commented on the information published by the press on June 8. However, the former president himself confirmed the incident on the social network Truth Social. "The corrupt Biden administration has informed my lawyers that I have been indicted," Mr. Trump wrote in a post at 7 p.m. the same day. In a video posted later, he declared "I am innocent." The former president also revealed that he was required to appear in federal court in Miami on June 13 to hear the indictment.
The exact content of the indictment is still unclear, but CNN quoted former President Trump's lawyer, Jim Trusty, as confirming that his client was indicted on seven charges, including: willful retention of national defense information - a crime under the Espionage Act, as well as obstruction of justice, conspiracy to commit a crime and making false statements.
Increasing challenges
This is the first time in history that a former US president has faced federal criminal charges. But it is the second time Mr. Trump, 76, has been criminally prosecuted this year.
In early April, state prosecutors in New York indicted the former president on 34 charges following an investigation into his role in paying a porn star hush money before the 2016 election. Trump has denied all charges and his next court appearance in the case is scheduled for December 4, according to the AP.
Former Vice President Pence challenges Mr. Trump: Putting yourself above the constitution cannot make you the US president
Trump is considered the Republican frontrunner for the 2024 White House, but the latest developments have increased the legal challenges he faces. Smith is leading a separate federal investigation into whether Trump and his allies sought to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election. In addition, prosecutors in Georgia are investigating whether Trump illegally interfered in the 2020 election in that state.
The decision by Smith's office to prosecute also puts the United States in a unique situation, with Trump, a presidential candidate, facing criminal charges. The White House did not immediately comment, but President Joe Biden has previously denied interfering in the Justice Department's operations. "I have never, not once, made any recommendations to the Justice Department about what they should or should not do in terms of whether to prosecute or not to prosecute. I'm telling the truth," he told reporters.
Mixed reactions within the Republican Party
Republicans have had mixed reactions. Criticizing the decision to prosecute, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Senator Tim Scott, who has joined the 2024 race, accused the US Justice Department of "manipulating" federal law enforcement, according to Reuters. US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said June 8 was a "dark day" for the US and that he would stand with Mr. Trump against this "terrible injustice."
But some of the party's other presidential candidates have pointed the finger at Mr. Trump. "That's the burden that Donald Trump will have to carry into the November election (2024), if he wins the nomination, and why would we want to take that risk?", former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on Fox News on June 8. Meanwhile, on Twitter, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called on Mr. Trump to "put the country ahead of the election" and abandon his bid for the White House.
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