Donald Trump has stated that he has been charged with mishandling classified materials at his Florida residence, a historic development that makes him the first former US president ever to be charged with a crime by the federal government he formerly presided over.
He could go to jail if found guilty, which is one of the very serious legal repercussions of the charge.
However, it also has significant political ramifications. It may upset a Republican primary that Trump had been leading and put GOP supporters and party leaders to the test once more by asking them to support a man who has already been indicted twice and may be hit with additional accusations. And it prepares the ground for a spectacular trial that will revolve on allegations that a man who was previously trusted with protecting the country's most carefully guarded secrets knowingly and illegally hoarded critical national security material.
The indictment was not immediately made public by the Justice Department. However, seven criminal counts were listed in the indictment, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who were not permitted to speak publicly about it. One of them claimed that just before Trump revealed on his Truth Social platform, prosecutors contacted his attorneys.
Twenty minutes after making the announcement, Trump started raising money for his 2024 presidential bid. In a video, he proclaimed his innocence and reiterated his usual claim that the probe is a "witch hunt."
Trump is now in even more legal danger as a result of the case. He has already been charged in New York and is already the subject of other investigations in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
He could go to jail if found guilty, which is one of the very serious legal repercussions of the charge.
However, it also has significant political ramifications. It may upset a Republican primary that Trump had been leading and put GOP supporters and party leaders to the test once more by asking them to support a man who has already been indicted twice and may be hit with additional accusations. And it prepares the ground for a spectacular trial that will revolve on allegations that a man who was previously trusted with protecting the country's most carefully guarded secrets knowingly and illegally hoarded critical national security material.
The indictment was not immediately made public by the Justice Department. However, seven criminal counts were listed in the indictment, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who were not permitted to speak publicly about it. One of them claimed that just before Trump revealed on his Truth Social platform, prosecutors contacted his attorneys.
Twenty minutes after making the announcement, Trump started raising money for his 2024 presidential bid. In a video, he proclaimed his innocence and reiterated his usual claim that the probe is a "witch hunt."
Trump is now in even more legal danger as a result of the case. He has already been charged in New York and is already the subject of other investigations in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
