Donald Trump has been charged with handling the White House archives

This is a new predicament for the Republican billionaire, who dreams of regaining the US presidency in 2024. Donald Trump announced, Thursday, June 8, that the federal judiciary has indicted him for his management of the White House archives. “The corrupt Biden administration has informed my attorneys that I have been charged, most likely in the dummy funds case.”He wrote on his Truth Social network.

The former president said he was arraigned in federal court in Miami on Tuesday, June 13. This is the first time in US history that a former president has faced federal indictment. In March, she was already indicted by a New York state judge in the X-Movies actress’ silence-buying case in 2016.

This time, he was accused of keeping boxes full of documents, including some classified documents “extremely confidential”After leaving Washington in early 2021 and refusing to return them, in violation of federal law. According to many US media outlets, he will face seven charges, which have not yet been announced.

Donald Trump, who is currently ahead of other candidates for the Republican nomination, has always defended himself against any embezzlement and presents himself as a victim. “political persecution”. “I never imagined something like this would be possible for a former president of the United States.”criticized Thursday, denouncing “dark day” for home.

11,000 documents were confiscated

How can the Department of Justice convict me when I did nothing? »He wrote back on Monday in Truth Social, when his lawyers were greeted by officials in this ministry. This meeting was seen as a sign that an indictment was imminent after months of investigation, culminating in the stunning search of his Florida home in August 2022.

In the United States, a 1978 law requires all American presidents to send all their emails, letters, and other business documents to the National Archives. Another espionage law prohibits anyone from keeping confidential documents in unauthorized and unsecured places.

After leaving the presidency to settle into his luxurious residence in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump took away boxes full of files. In January 2022, after several reminders, he agreed to return 15 boxes containing more than 200 confidential documents. His lawyers confirmed in a letter afterwards that there were no others.

After examination, the Federal Police estimated that not everything was returned and that he still kept a lot in his club in Palm Beach. FBI agents went there on August 8, 2022 and seized about 30 more boxes, containing 11,000 documents, some highly sensitive, about Iran or China.

His attorneys vigorously denounced a media operation, and his attorneys sharply criticized the FBI for publishing, in their view, a photograph showing seized documents sealed with words. “extremely confidential”scattered on a floral pattern rug.

Attempts to minimize his behavior

To silence the conspiracy charges, in November 2022 Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special prosecutor, Jack Smith, to independently oversee this investigation, as well as Donald Trump’s role in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Another special prosecutor is investigating parallel classified documents his lawyers found earlier this year in the former office and home of Democratic President Joe Biden. These embarrassing revelations, along with others from former Vice President Mike Pence, have allowed Donald Trump to lessen his conduct, even though Joe Biden has always cooperated with justice, returning documents voluntarily, in much smaller numbers.

The Republican platform also used the revelations in his rival to rally his supporters, who, every time justice struck him, drew closer around him. This was particularly the case in April, shortly after he was found guilty by a New York state judge. It was the first time in American history that a former president faced criminal charges.

The Georgia attorney general, who has been investigating Donald Trump’s pressure to try to change the 2020 presidential election for months, is set to announce the results of her investigation by September.