Donald Trump unlawfully kept a whole bunch of secret government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving the presidency – including documents detailing US conventional and nuclear weapons programs, potential US defense vulnerabilities and plans to answer a foreign attack, federal prosecutors charged Friday .
In accordance with a 49-page indictment filed in federal court in Miami, 45.
In accordance with prosecutors, Trump was also not shy about showing the footage, citing a taped meeting from July 2021, where the former president reportedly presented a “plan of attack” on Iran prepared by Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The 37-point indictment against Trump was unsealed hours after the 76-year-old announced he had been indicted by Jack Smith.
The primary-ever federal case brought against a sitting president or former president includes 31 counts of willful withholding of national defense information, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of concealment of a document or record, one count of corruptly concealing a document or record, one count of concealment in a federal investigation, one count of conspiring to hide a document or record, and one count of constructing a false statement.
Trump’s personal aide, Walt Nauta, was charged with one count each of conspiracy, concealment, corrupt cover-up, cover-up, conspiracy to hide, and making false statements to federal investigators.
PACKING
In accordance with the indictment, Trump and Nauta worked together when the president left the White House in January 2021 to load a whole bunch of classified documents into boxes before moving to Mar-a-Lago. The indictment document states that Trump was “personally involved on this process” but doesn’t go into details.
The classified documents got here from the U.S. intelligence community and executive branch agencies, including the CIA, the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Energy, and the Department of State.
MAR-A-LAGO MES
Lots of the boxes were initially stored within the resort’s white and gold ballroom, but were moved to the business center in March 2021.
In April and May 2021, the boxes were moved to the lavatory and shower on the Lake Room in Mar-a-Lago.
In June of that yr, they were moved to a basement storage room with outside entrances, including one on a patio with an out of doors pool “which was often open”, based on prosecutors.
On December 7, 2021, Nauta discovered that several of the greater than 80 boxes within the room had fallen – one in all which was marked “secret” and contained information that might only be disseminated to members of the so-called “Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance” . referring to US, Canadian, Latest Zealand, Australian and UK officials.
“I opened the door and located this,” Nauta wrote to a different Trump worker at the power in regards to the leaked documents. This employee replied, “Oh no, oh no.”
“THIS IS SECRET INFORMATION”
Trump also authorized an undisclosed variety of other boxes to be taken to his golf club in Bedminster, Latest Jersey in May 2021, where he was recorded two months later discussing one in all the classified documents with the author, publisher, and two aides.
Throughout the meeting, the former president referred to a senior military official, reportedly Milley, who was concerned that Trump might order a military strike against one other country, reportedly Iran, following his defeat by Joe Biden within the 2020 election.
“He said I desired to attack [Country A]Trump said in a transcript of the exchange included in his indictment, while questioning that he authored the plans. “It was him. It was the Department of Defense and him.”
“Just found it, is not it amazing? You understand, this totally wins my case,” Trump continued within the transcript. “Except that it is extremely confidential. … secret. That is secret information.”
“It was made by the military and given to me. Uh, I believe we probably can, right,” he added.
“I do not know, we’ll, we’ll must see. Yes, we’ll must try…” replied the helper.
“Declassify it,” Trump said. “You see, as president, I used to be capable of declassify it. … I can not, , but it surely’s still a secret.”
Prosecutors say neither the author, publisher nor Trump associates had security clearances on the time.
In August or September 2021, Trump showed a secret map of one other country to a member of his political committee who also didn’t have a security clearance – and immediately admitted to that person who he mustn’t do it.
“WE HAVE NOTHING”
The National Archives and Records Administration began asking for missing presidential files this spring, saying the case could be referred to the Department of Justice if Trump didn’t comply.
However the former president only began searching through the boxes in November, when Nauta brought them to his residence for inspection.
Finally, on January 17, 2022, Nauta handed over to the Archives 15 boxes containing 197 classified documents, of which 98 are “secret”, 30 are “top secret”, and the remainder are marked “confidential”.
The FBI launched an investigation into the former commander-in-chief’s withholding of classified documents on March 30, 2022, and a grand jury was appointed on April 26, 2022.
Prosecutors said Nauta made false and misleading statements to the FBI in May 2022 in regards to the handover of the documents, claiming he didn’t know the boxes were delivered to Trump’s private residence and didn’t know the way they got there or where they were previously stored .
On May 23, 2022, Trump met together with his lawyers to debate how you can reply to the May 11 grand jury subpoena.
“I don’t desire anyone looking, I don’t desire anyone rummaging through my boxes, I actually don’t desire, I don’t desire you guys searching through my boxes,” one in all the lawyers said.
Here’s what it is advisable to know in regards to the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to mishandling of classified White House documents that were recovered at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Trump unlawfully stored a whole bunch of documents since leaving office – including documents detailing US conventional and nuclear weapons programs, potential US defense vulnerabilities and plans to answer a foreign attack – federal prosecutors indicted on Friday.
In accordance with a 49-page indictment filed Thursday in federal court in Miami, 45.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the federal indictment of former President Trump
The indictment against Trump was unsealed hours after the 76-year-old announced he had been charged by Jack Smith.
The indictment is the second commander-in-chief since leaving office and is the primary federal charge against a former president in U.S. history.
In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg related to silent money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
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Trump also hinted that he won’t “play ball” with the grand jury’s request, and said it might be “higher if we just told them we do not have anything” or “if there are not any papers,” the attorney recalled.
At the identical meeting, the attorney also said Trump praised Hillary Clinton’s lawyer, who he said “deleted all her emails, 30,000 emails,” adding that he “had no trouble because he said he was the one who removed them.”
OBSTACLE
Prosecutors say that sooner or later after the May 23 meeting, Trump directed Nauta to maneuver 64 boxes from the warehouse to his private residence. On June 1, one in all Trump’s attorneys reminded him that they’d come the following day to go over the boxes and make sure that the former president complied with the May 11 subpoena.
The following day, even before the lawyer arrived, Trump called Nauta. About three hours later, an aide and one other Mar-a-Lago worker moved about 30 boxes from the Trump residence back to the warehouse. Prosecutors said the FBI later watched the box move in surveillance video.
That afternoon when Trump’s attorney arrived to review the footage. Nauta only took them to the warehouse for secret documents, to not the mansion.
On June 3, Trump’s legal team certified to the Department of Justice and the FBI that a “thorough search” had been conducted and turned over one other 38 classified documents, with the former president telling officials he was an “open book,” based on prosecutors.
On the identical day, Nauta transferred the boxes to Trump Force One for a flight north, which was also recorded by surveillance cameras.
The FBI returned on August 8, 2022 to execute the search warrant, seizing 102 more classified documents from Mar-a-Lago.
Trump faces a maximum of 100 years in prison if convicted on all counts. Nauta faces a maximum of 90 years in prison if convicted.