President Trump Indicted for Willful Retention of National Defense Information, Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice, and More
On Friday afternoon, the federal indictment against President Donald Trump was released, showing 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information and additional counts charging him with conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and false statements and representations.
According to the indictment, Trump is accused of showing classified military documents—a proposed attack plan and a map—to unauthorized persons on two separate occasions. The document also details the movement of boxes in Mar-a-Lago.
Trump aide Waltine Nauta is charged along with Trump in counts 32, 33, 43, 35, and 36. Trump is charged alone in count 37 while Nauta is charged alone in count 38 for false statements and misrepresentations.
The indictment mentions that “on or about July 31, 2022,” Trump “retained and disclosed national defense information pertaining to a foreign country to an individual not authorized to receive such information.” It also alleges that “on or about August 23, 2022,” Trump “retained and disclosed national defense information pertaining to a foreign country to an individual not authorized to receive such information.”
The indictment goes into great detail about the movement of boxes in Mar-a-Lago. On August 1, 2022, the documents state that Trump “caused to be removed and transported boxes of records and documents” from Mar-a-Lago, knowing that they contained classified information.
The indictment also alleges that “Nauta facilitated the transportation of a box labeled ‘maps’ from one of the storage rooms to the trunk of a golf cart, which was later driven by an employee to a waiting vehicle.”
Nauta is also accused of conspiring with Trump to obstruct justice by taking steps to cover up evidence of Trump’s crimes. The indictment alleges that Nauta lied to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and instructed others to do the same, claiming that the boxes contained only hydroxychloroquine medication and tax returns.
During the course of the investigation, the FBI conducted a raid on Mar-a-Lago, during which they discovered classified documents. The indictment states that “during the search, FBI agents found, among other things, several classified documents, including a proposed attack plan and a map, which were located inside a folder labeled ‘Mara-Lago’ in one of the boxes.”
The indictment charges Trump and Nauta with five counts related to this incident, including the willful retention of national defense information.
The DOJ also released staged photos of the FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago, some of which featured Trump’s desk and the documents that were seized.
The potential consequences of the charges against Trump are significant. If convicted, he could face up to twenty years in prison for each count of willful retention of national defense information.
The indictment is a significant development in the ongoing legal battles between Trump and various investigating bodies. This is the first time a sitting president has been indicted for willfully retaining classified information.
As of now, Trump has not issued a statement on the matter, and it is unclear what his next steps will be. Nauta, for her part, has denied any wrongdoing.
The DOJ has stated that it will continue to investigate any possible crimes related to this matter and that it will pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law.
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