What is classified documents case that Trump is indicted in
The United States (US) Justice Department on Thursday reportedly lodged federal criminal charges against former President Donald Trump after a lengthy investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified documents, which he took with him after leaving the White House. The case will result in his trial for his alleged obstruction of government efforts to reclaim the classified documents.
Why does this story matter?
The indictment has made Trump the first former president in the US's history to face federal charges. It comes as a blow to his presidential campaign for 2024, less than three months after he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. Meanwhile, legal inquiries over election interference and the defamation of a writer after an alleged rape continues to loom over him.
What are the charges against Trump?
The indictment was filed in the US District Court in Florida's Miami and Trump is expected to surrender himself to authorities on Tuesday. Although the charges haven't been made public yet, he has reportedly been charged with seven counts, including wilfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements, and obstruction of justice conspiracy.
What is the case about?
After Trump's presidential term ended in January 2021, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) officials realized that important documents from his tenure were missing. The Presidential Records Act states that White House documents are the property of the US government and must be preserved. Following this, the officials contacted the representatives of Trump in the spring of 2021.
How were the documents discovered?
One of Trump's representatives informed the NARA officials in December 2021 that presidential records were found at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private club and residence in Florida. In January 2022, the NARA recovered 15 boxes of documents from his residence and told the Justice Department later that the documents contained "a lot" of classified material, including letters from North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un.
Trump's lawyer falsely stated that all documents had been returned
In May 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department issued a summons to retrieve the remaining documents in Trump's possession. When investigators visited his residence weeks later to collect the records, they were handed three dozen documents along with a sworn statement from Trump's lawyer stating that the requested information had been returned. It was later found to be false.
Around 300 classified documents recovered from Trump's residence
In August 2022, officials returned to Mar-a-Lago with a search warrant and seized over 33 boxes and containers with a total of 11,000 documents, including 100 classified documents. In all, nearly 300 documents marked as "classified" were seized from Trump's possession.
