Trump indicted in Mar-a-Lago classified documents case 

Former President Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges that he mishandled classified material by keeping hundreds of sensitive documents from his time in the White House at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The indictment is Trump’s second since leaving office, and his first on federal charges. In April, the 76-year-old pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg related to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 election. 

The former president has vehemently denied any wrongdoing in either case. 

The Justice Department’s investigation into Trump over the official material was triggered in February of last year, after more than 100 classified documents were discovered in 15 boxes returned to the National Archives and Records Administration from the 45th president’s Palm Beach, Fla., residence and private club. 

That June, 38 more documents were handed over to authorities by Trump’s lawyers following a grand jury subpoena demanding the return of all documents in the former president’s possession bearing classified markings. 

A letter to the Justice Department drafted by Trump lawyer Evan Corcoran and signed by attorney Christina Bobb attested that a “diligent search” related to the subpoena had been completed and that all sensitive government documents stored at the property had been returned. 

However, an Aug. 8, 2022 FBI raid of Mar-Lago turned up more than 100 additional items with classified markings. 

In November, after Trump announced that he would embark on his third bid for the White House, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith as special counsel overseeing the classified document probe as well as the government’s investigation into Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol Building. 

Smith’s team reportedly called in dozens of Mar-a-Lago staffers – from restaurant servers to maintenance workers – and several Trump aides and members of his legal team to testify before a federal grand jury in Washington. A second grand jury was impaneled in South Florida and heard testimony from Trump associates including his post-presidential spokesman, Taylor Budowich. 

Investigators working for Smith reportedly examined evidence that included surveillance footage of boxes being moved the day before a federal prosecutor visited Mar-a-Lago, and an audio recording of Trump admitting to having held on to a classified document about a potential military strike against Iran. 

Trump has argued that he declassified everything he took from the White House, claiming a president has the authority to declassify material “even by thinking about it.” 

In a Truth Social post on Monday, Trump maintained that he “did nothing wrong” and referenced the government’s investigation into President Biden’s own classified documents scandal as reasons for why he shouldn’t face charges. 

“HOW CAN DOJ POSSIBLY CHARGE ME, WHO DID NOTHING WRONG, WHEN NO OTHER PRESIDENT’S WERE CHARGED, WHEN JOE BIDEN WON’T BE CHARGED FOR ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HE HAS 1,850 BOXES, MUCH OF IT CLASSIFIED, AND SOME DATING BACK TO HIS SENATE DAY WHEN EVEN DEMOCRAT SENATORS ARE SHOCKED. ALSO, PRESIDENT CLINTON HAD DOCUMENTS, AND WON IN COURT. CROOKED HILLARY DELETED 33,000 EMAILS, MANY CLASSIFIED, AND WASN’T EVEN CLOSE TO BEING CHARGED! ONLY TRUMP – THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!” Trump wrote in the all-caps post. 

On Wednesday Trump alleged that a “WEAPONIZED DOJ & FBI” is the reason he is under federal scrutiny. 

“No one has told me I’m being indicted, and I shouldn’t be because I’ve done NOTHING wrong, but I have assumed for years that I am a Target of the WEAPONIZED DOJ & FBI, starting with the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX, the ‘No Collusion’ Mueller Report, Impeachment HOAX #1, Impeachment HOAX #2, the PERFECT Ukraine phone call, and various other SCAMS & WITCH HUNTS. A TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE & ELECTION INTERFERENCE AT A LEVEL NEVER SEEN BEFORE. REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS MUST MAKE THIS THEIR # 1 ISSUE!!!” he wrote.