A day after becoming the first president in American history to be federally indicted, former President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that the acts attributed to him — most notably the possession of classified documents on his private assets in Florida (Mar-a-Lago) and New Jersey (Bedminster) even after he ceased to serve on Jan. 21, 2021 — Trump continues his presidential campaign and attacks on law enforcement.
After continuing to plead his innocence over the weekend, Trump was expected to address Republican state conventions in North Carolina and Georgia.
SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS FOUND AT FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP'S ESTATE IN FLORIDA, ACCORDING TO THE INDICTMENT, PHOTO: AFP PHOTO / US COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA
In a post by Trump on his social media platform, Truth Social, he attacked the indictment and the Justice Department special prosecutor investigating the case, Jack Smith, saying there were no grounds to file against him and his personal assistant Walt Nauta.
"I gave them [investigators] a security video from his Mar-a-Lago estate. I had nothing to hide, and not now," Trump wrote, apparently referring to the portion of the indictment that mentions a video showing how Aizer moves dozens of boxes of documents back and forth from Mar-a-Lago storage areas, ostensibly to mislead investigators. In addition, apparently in response to the allegation in the indictment that he showed the documents he held even to people who were not allowed to see it because they did not have the appropriate classification, it says:
"No one said I shouldn't look at the personal records I brought with me from the White House. There's nothing wrong with that," although, as noted, personal records are also considered classified.
Trump also reiterated that by law, "I'm allowed to do all this," even though the law explicitly states that the president must deposit all official documents with the National Archives.
Either way, the disclosure of the indictment and Trump's expected arrest Tuesday in a heavily guarded federal court in Miami where the indictment will be read is likely to help him market himself as the leader of the Republican camp at a time when the presidential race is gaining momentum and the battle for the party's nomination is intensifying. measure
Over the weekend, Trump appeared to have rallied even his toughest critics in his party's establishment, including former Vice President Mike Pence, who just a few days ago unusually challenged him when he entered the primary and warned of Trump's return to power. Pence said he "hoped the Justice Department would find a way to resolve this issue without an indictment, and I'm very concerned to see this indictment. I believe this will only further divide our nation as American families face real hardship at home and real danger abroad."
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the only candidate in the primary who could beat him, according to polls, also rallied behind him:
"A political side of a state must not weaponize the institutions of government against another political side; That's what's happening here." He added: "Hillary Clinton had [classified] emails. Is there a different standard for a Democratic secretary of state than a former Republican president?"
Trump is scheduled to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday at 10 a.m. local time, where he will be formally arrested and charged with the charges. In addition, his fingerprints will be sampled, as they did in the second case in which he was tried (in the state court of New York) two months ago. Sometimes detainees are also asked to pose for "Magshot," but it is possible that, like his second sentence, they will skip this step because he is familiar.
At the end of the hearing, Trump is expected to be released — assuming he pleads guilty — and the judge or judge releases the rest of the rulings. It is estimated that it will take many months for the trial to begin, since a complex process of selecting a jury whose members are not influenced by their views on the president is needed.
Politically, there is nothing preventing Trump from continuing to run in the primary or becoming the party's official nominee at the ballot box, and if he wins and becomes president again in January 2025, there is nothing preventing him from serving as president during his trial. Also, unlike the New York trial, this is a federal indictment, so if Trump wins, he will probably consider pardoning himself, since the Constitution officially allows it.
The 49-page indictment lists 37 counts of serious felony charges against the former president for his dealings with classified documents, including 31 counts of collecting for violating the U.S. Espionage Act. These are counts accusing the president of keeping classified documents from the CIA, the Pentagon, the National Security Agency and other security agencies. The indictment states that Trump showed the classified documents on two separate occasions at his New Jersey golf club with "a writer and publisher plus two people on his staff — all of whom did not have permissions to see them." If that were not enough, he shared with them plans for a U.S. military attack against a country or any entities, which were submitted to him at his request by the Pentagon. The indictment states that "the documents Trump stored in boxes include information about defense and nuclear capabilities of the United States and other countries, U.S. nuclear programs, vulnerabilities of the U.S. and its allies during a military attack, and plans to respond to an external attack." According to a CNN report from a few days ago, Trump was recorded talking to people about a secret document related to the attack on Iran, so it is likely that the indictment relates to the recording, although in the recording he is not heard sharing the details of the documents with the people.
In total, about 60 boxes were scattered in various Mar-a-Lago rooms, and some of the documents also reached New Jersey. Photos released by the Justice Department also show the boxes in the Florida mansion's restrooms at a warehouse there, open and accessible to all.
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