Donald Trump said on Thursday he was indicted on mishandling charges secret file at his Florida mansion, sparking a federal prosecution that is arguably the deadliest legal threat to the former president as he seeks to regain the White House.
The Justice Department did not immediately publicly confirm the indictment.
Trump is currently in Bedminster, New Jersey. A person familiar with the situation who is not authorized to discuss it publicly said Trump’s lawyers were contacted by prosecutors shortly before he announced on his Truth Social platform that he had been indicted.
Within 20 minutes of the announcement, Trump had begun fundraising for his 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump said he will appear in court Tuesday afternoon in Miami.
The case adds legal danger to Trump, who has been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta that could also lead to criminal charges. As the prosecution progresses, it will pit Trump’s claims of wiping out executive power against Attorney General Merrick Garland’s often-claimed spell that no one, not even a former commander in chief , is considered above the law.
The indictment arose from a months-long investigation by Special Advisor Jack Smith about whether Trump broke the law by holding hundreds of documents marked as classified at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach and whether Trump took steps to thwart Trump’s efforts. government in recovering the records or not.
Prosecutors have said that Trump brought about 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including about 100 that were seized by the FBI last August during a search of the home underlined the gravity of the Justice Department’s investigation.
Trump and his team have long considered the special counsel’s investigation far more dangerous than the one in New York — both politically and legally. Campaign aides have braced for the consequences since Trump’s lawyers were told he was the target of the investigation, arguing that the issue was not whether he was charged but rather the issue. When.
But the immediate and long-term political consequences for Trump remain unclear. His first indictment prompted millions of dollars in donations from angry supporters and did no damage to Trump in the polls. Either way, the indictment — and the legal battle that ensues — will bring Trump back into the spotlight, drawing attention away from other candidates who are trying to build momentum. in the 2024 presidential race.
