Full federal indictment against Donald Trump unsealed
The full federal indictment against former President Donald Trump was unsealed Friday, charging the former president with 37 felony counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents.
The indictment is a scathing accusation of national security breaches and lapses in the handling of classified information. It alleges that Trump brought a massive collection of boxes containing classified information to his private Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, upon leaving the White House on Jan. 20, 2021.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Nevertheless, Trump stored his boxes containing classified documents in various locations at the Mar-a-Lago Club — including in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room," the indictment alleges. The indictment also includes photographic evidence, including a picture of a bathroom where boxes can be seen stacked halfway to the ceiling.
The indictment adds that "Trump showed classified documents to others" on at least two separate occasions, and the included transcript of an audio-recorded conversation suggests he showed a secret attack plan to members of his staff and others who didn't have security clearances. "As president I could have declassified it," Trump reportedly says of the document. "Now I can't, you know, but this is still a secret."
The majority of the indictment, counts one through 31, charges the former president with "willful retention of national defense information," which carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. Other counts include conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements.
Trump has said he is innocent and claims the indictment is politically motivated. He says he will plead not guilty at his arraignment on Tuesday.
-
Touring the vineyards of southern BoliviaThe Week Recommends Strongly reminiscent of Andalusia, these vineyards cut deep into the country’s southwest
-
American empire: a history of US imperial expansionDonald Trump’s 21st century take on the Monroe Doctrine harks back to an earlier era of US interference in Latin America
-
Elon Musk’s starry mega-mergerTalking Point SpaceX founder is promising investors a rocket trip to the future – and a sprawling conglomerate to boot
-
Trump links funding to name on Penn StationSpeed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
-
Trump reclassifies 50,000 federal jobs to ease firingsSpeed Read The rule strips longstanding job protections from federal workers
-
Is the Gaza peace plan destined to fail?Today’s Big Question Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the situation in Gaza is still ‘precarious’, with the path to peace facing ‘many obstacles’
-
Vietnam’s ‘balancing act’ with the US, China and EuropeIn the Spotlight Despite decades of ‘steadily improving relations’, Hanoi is still ‘deeply suspicious’ of the US as it tries to ‘diversify’ its options
-
Trump demands $1B from Harvard, deepening feudSpeed Read Trump has continually gone after the university during his second term
-
Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
-
Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
-
Gabbard faces questions on vote raid, secret complaintSpeed Read This comes as Trump has pushed Republicans to ‘take over’ voting
