FILE - Former President Donald Trump announces he is running for president for the third time as he smiles while speaking at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
According to reports, Trump is facing thirty-seven counts that include false statements, conspiracy to obstruct, and willfully retaining documents in violation of the Espionage Act.
In an unprecedented move by the U.S. Department of Justice, former President Donald Trump says he is being indicted over the handling of classified documents.
Trump announced the indictment on the social media platform Truth Social Thursday evening. He said he is to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday, June 13th. Trump posted:
The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.
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, who received far more votes than any sitting President in the History of our Country, and is currently leading, by far, all Candidates, both Democrat and Republican, in Polls of the 2024 Presidential Election. I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!
This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America. We are a Country in serious and rapid Decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!
According to reports, Trump is facing thirty-seven counts that include false statements, conspiracy to obstruct, and willfully retaining documents in violation of the Espionage Act. The former President had been storing the documents at his Florida home prior to the FBI raiding the property last August.
This is the second time Trump, the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 Presidential field, has been indicted, but the first at the federal level. He was previously indicted in New York for falsifying business records. Trump pled not guilty to those charges.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed with Trump in calling the news “a dark day for the United States of America.”
“It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades,” McCarthy wrote on social media. “I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”
Trump’s main Republican opponent seeking the party’s nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accused the Biden Justice Department of political bias.
“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” Governor DeSantis tweeted. “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?”
DeSantis said if he’s elected as president, his administration will bring accountability to the Department of Justice, excise political bias and end weaponization once and for all.
The Justice Department has yet to confirm the indictment and has not publicly released the documentation related to the charges.
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UPDATE – Friday, June 9th – 1:00pm:
The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump has been unsealed and can be found online here.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated following the release of the indictment showing thirty-seven counts, not seven as previously reported by media outlets.
Frank Corder
