Trump, who has already been indicted twice, now faces a second indictment as he attempts to retake the White House.
The former president's social media post aptly describes the scope of his charges of alleged misuse of confidential documents, though he has completely ignored any personal culpability in the case.
But the first indictment of a former president by a grand jury has plunged the country into an unprecedented and dangerous moment in its history, at a time when it is already internally alienated on political issues. Outright claims by Republicans, led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, that the indictments are evidence of the Biden administration's "brazen weapons of power" ahead of the election for which Trump is running show the magnitude of the scrutiny facing the judicial institutions country currently face. . The speaker's loyalty to Trump - who is still hugely popular with major GOP voters - was particularly notable given that the evidence against the former president is not yet publicly available.While Trump has the right to presume his innocence, the rush to reach a verdict suggests some of his supporters believe the former commander in chief, who has already been indicted twice, tried to rig the election, and now is in court next March is basically beyond the control of the law. It's a position that has tremendous implications for American democracy.
Criminal investigations into former presidents and current presidential candidates can be commonplace in fragile developing countries around the world. There are more analogies to an old commander and chef Faisant facing accusations from US states, and even more for inciting a déjà to violence against his politicians and now present to close Maison White represent .
As if that weren't bad enough, these federal charges — related to classified documents Trump brought to his Mar-a-Lago resort — are being dropped as Trump is the favorite for the Republican nomination in 2024 is.
These seven counts bring many political complications, although the Justice Department will claim that it is merely following the evidence and proving that no one, not even former presidents, is above the law.
Put simply, Trump is about to be tried by his successor's Justice Department. In another profound twist, that successor - President Joe Biden - could run against the culprit in the 2024 general election - a scenario that would add further impetus to Trump's claims that he is a victim of a politicized justice system. Trump supporters already thought the invisible "Deep State" establishment wanted to capture their hero. Now it gets even worse.
Trump, who has been laying the groundwork for a possible federal impeachment trial for months and has had great success convincing his supporters that any examination of his life, decisions, or political affairs is tantamount to politicization, wasted no time in investigating this case to bring up.
"I am an innocent man. I have done nothing wrong," the former president said in a video that showed he was ready to set fire to America's democratic electoral system if his name was acquitted.
“That's called election interference. They try to destroy your reputation to win elections. "It's just as bad as doing other things that have been done in recent years," said Trump, who is expected to appear in a Miami court on Tuesday for the arraignment.
Why the new charges could be more serious than the first
Curiously, this wasn't the first time Trump has been indicted. He was the first former president to be charged with a crime when a Manhattan grand jury indicted him. He faces more than 30 counts of corporate fraud as part of a silent payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016. The case is expected to be heard in March next year, in the middle of the primary season. Trump pleaded not guilty.
But the indictment presented by the Special Counsel on the documents is a much more serious and politically sensitive issue since it comes from Biden's Justice Department. Trump faces charges under the Espionage Act, his attorney Jim Trusty told Updetails on Thursday, as well as obstruction of justice, destruction or tampering with documents, conspiracy and perjury.
While not all of the exact allegations against Trump were immediately clear, the possible crimes go to the heart of some of the presidency's darkest duties, including protecting the country's most important secrets. And any allegation of obstruction ties into another important public trust role Trump has enjoyed and aspires to during this campaign: the president's duty to obey the law.
The current scenario will test whether the US remains a rule of law.If there is evidence that Trump did in fact commit the alleged criminal code violations, a decision not to prosecute him would undermine the principle that all are equal before the law. However, some will question whether the indictment is truly in the national interest given the backlash against democratic and judicial institutions the former president is sure to provoke.
Thursday night's news sparked fierce opposition from some Republicans looking to prove their loyalty to Trump.
"Today is truly a dark day for the United States of America," McCarthy tweeted. “I and all Americans who believe in the rule of law stand with President Trump against this gross injustice.He pointed out that even after he left the vice presidential office, Biden found out he had classified documents. The difference here, however, seems to be whether Trump actively obstructed and brazenly exploited the administration's efforts to recover its secrets.
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of the Republican Party leadership in the House of Representatives, echoed Trump's political arguments, tweeting: "The radical far left will stop at nothing to interfere in the 2024 election. disastrous presidency and the desperate campaign of Joe Biden.” And Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri tweeted: “If those in power can imprison their political opponents at will, we don't have a republic.” His comments overlook that the former president has the right to defend yourself in court.
While outsiders may not know the full extent of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation, reports over the past few days indicate that an aggressive investigation is nearing completion. Updetails reported in late May that prosecutors received a tape on which Trump admitted to having a secret Pentagon document about a possible attack on Iran. This undermined his arguments that he had declassified everything he stole from the White House. "He disputes many of the defenses he has made over the past few months," former FBI Assistant Director Andrew McCabe said of the May 31 Updetails taping. he admits, but also that he knew he had inside information.He also admits it and that he knew it was still classified and he had limited options to deal with it or spread it.
In a separate case, Updetails exclusively reported this week that a Mar-a-Lago employee drained the resort's pool last October, flooding a room that housed computer servers with CCTV logs. The incident came about two months after the FBI recovered hundreds of confidential documents from the home and prosecutors investigating the possible obstruction received surveillance video to follow the Camera Blanche documents being brought into the facility. It's not clear if the room was flooded intentionally or accidentally, but the incident happened in a series of events that federal prosecutors found suspicious.
It is now known that the special prosecutor installed two juries, one in Washington and one in Miami, which could mean Smith is considering taking over some or all of the criminal case in federal court in the Florida capital instead.
In another revelation that delved into the mystery surrounding the case, and potentially addressing Trump's potential exposure, The New York Times reported for the first time this week that Mark Meadows, a former White House chief of staff, was in front of a Smith is asking him about his handling of confidential documents as well as attempts to void the 2020 election, activities Smith is also investigating.
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