Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges connected to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of the classified documents case. and faces at least seven counts relating to document handling and obstruction of justice. Trump is due to appear in federal court in Miami by 3:00 PM next Tuesday. This is the second indictment this year for Trump, who pled not guilty in April to 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The investigations started after a 2022 FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence discovered 15 boxes of presidential records, some containing classified national security information. Among the 184 unique documents confiscated were a letter from former President Obama, a letter from Kim Jong Un, a birthday dinner menu, and a cocktail napkin. Some boxes were marked as “Various classified/TS/SCI documents,” a term indicating the highest level of classification, potentially related to human intelligence and information.
Other seized items included four sets of “top secret” documents, three sets of “secret” documents, and three sets of “confidential” documents. Trump faces charges of violating federal laws, including those under the Espionage Act, for these discoveries. These charges follow the discovery of classified records in President Biden’s office at the Penn Biden Center, though there has been little in the way of holding Biden accountable to date.
Classified records were also found at former Vice President Mike Pence’s home, but the Justice Department has completed its investigation and decided not to charge Pence. The status of Biden’s special counsel investigation remains unknown.
Trump continues to maintain his innocence, claiming on his social media platform, Truth Social, that the charges are part of a “Boxes Hoax.” He stated, “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!”
