#donaldtrump Indictment | Dark Days Ahead | By Brett Keane


# Donald Trump Indicted: What You Need to Know

Former President Donald Trump is facing serious legal trouble after being indicted on 38 counts in a classified documents case. The indictment was unsealed on Friday, June 9, 2023, revealing new details about the criminal charges against Trump and his associate Walt Nauta. Here is what you need to know about this unprecedented development.

## What are the charges?

The indictment alleges that Trump and Nauta unlawfully retained and concealed classified documents that were found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida last summer. The documents included sensitive information about national security, foreign policy and intelligence operations. The indictment also accuses Trump and Nauta of obstructing the FBI and grand jury investigations into the matter by lying, deleting evidence and tampering with witnesses.

The charges include:

- Conspiracy to obstruct justice
- Obstruction of justice
- Obstruction of an official proceeding
- False statements to the FBI
- False statements to a grand jury
- Destruction of evidence
- Witness tampering
- Unauthorized retention of classified documents
- Unauthorized disclosure of classified documents

Each count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, except for the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

## How did this case start?

The case began when FBI agents raided Trump's Mar-a-Lago home on July 15, 2022, as part of a separate investigation into a hush money payment scheme involving adult film star Stormy Daniels. During the raid, agents discovered several classified documents in a safe belonging to Nauta, who worked as a White House valet for Trump. Nauta told the agents that he had received the documents from Trump and that he had permission to keep them.

However, further investigation revealed that Nauta had no security clearance or authorization to handle classified information. Moreover, some of the documents were marked as \"top secret\" or \"secret\", meaning that they could cause serious damage to national security if disclosed. The FBI also found evidence that Trump and Nauta had tried to hide the documents from the authorities by moving them to different locations, shredding some of them and deleting electronic copies.

The FBI then launched a probe into how Trump and Nauta obtained and handled the classified documents, and whether they had shared them with anyone else. The probe was led by special counsel Jack Smith, a former federal prosecutor who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in August 2022.

## What is Trump's defense?

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has called the case a \"witch hunt\" and a \"hoax\" orchestrated by his political enemies. He has claimed that he had the right to keep and share any documents he wanted as the former president, and that he did not know that some of them were classified. He has also accused Smith of being biased and corrupt, and has demanded his removal.

Trump's lawyers have argued that the indictment is unconstitutional and invalid because it violates Trump's presidential immunity and executive privilege. They have also challenged the legality of the search warrant that led to the discovery of the documents, and have filed motions to dismiss the charges or suppress the evidence.

## What happens next?

Trump was arrested on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at his golf club in New Jersey, where he was preparing to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. He was taken to New York City, where he appeared before a federal judge and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was released on a $10 million bond and ordered to surrender his passport and travel only within Florida and New York.

Trump's trial is scheduled to begin on September 11, 2023, in Manhattan federal court. The trial is expected to last several weeks and involve dozens of witnesses and thousands of pages of evidence. If convicted, Trump could face up to 195 years in prison.

The indictment of Trump is a historic event that has shaken the political landscape and raised serious questions about national security, presidential power and accountability. It is also a test for the American justice system and democracy. How will this case unfold? Will Trump be found guilty or innocent? Will he run for president again? Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.




Source: Conversation with Bing, 6/9/2023
(1) Read Full Donald Trump Indictment in Classified Documents Case. https://www.newsweek.com/full-donald-trump-indictment-classified-documents-1805675 .
(2) Former President Donald Trump indicted on 38 counts in classified documents case. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/06/09/donald-trump-indictment-unsealed-lawyers-resign-judge-appointed/4331686333869/ .
(4) Donald Trump has been indicted. Here's what we know - CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/31/politics/trump-indictment-what-to-know/index.html .
(5) Indictment against Trump in documents case unsealed. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/charges-against-donald-trump-indictment-documents/ .
(6) Indictment of Donald Trump - Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indictment_of_Donald_Trump .