Donald Trump’s appearance in a Miami court on Tuesday for illegally keeping about 100 secret documents at his private Mar-a-Lago residence and refusing to return them to the state risks jeopardizing intentions of the billionaire to return to the White House in 2024, estimates his former national security adviser.
On Monday, John Bolton, a former national security adviser under Trump, called the charges that federal justice is preparing to bring against the former president of the United States “devastating”. “It’s really a free shot [contre Donald Trump], he said on CNN. I speak as an ex-Minister of Justice. The indictment is not only strong. She is sharp. [Les procureurs fédéraux] didn’t throw everything against the wall to see what would stick. And I think that should end Donald Trump’s political career. »
Monday afternoon, Donald Trump left New Jersey to go to Florida, where, for the second time in two months, he will have to appear before the justice of his country, and this, while he aspires to become the Republican Party candidate for the next presidential election. He is currently leading a race in which more than a dozen candidates have entered.
After a months-long investigation, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith decided to indict the presidential hopeful, who faces 37 counts, 31 of which are that he deliberately kept classified documents in his possession after leaving the White House. The indictment unveiled last week says the documents contained information about the country’s nuclear programs, defense and weapons capabilities of the US government and foreign governments, and a ‘plan of attack’ from the Pentagon targeting another country. The material thus preserved, in contravention of several laws, including that on espionage, would have ended up in a bathroom, a ballroom, a bedroom and a toilet of the residence of the ex-president, according to the prosecutors federal.
“Sufficiently strong” evidence
Speaking to Fox News on Monday, legal analyst Jonathan Turley said the evidence against the former reality TV star was “pretty solid” and that Donald Trump could end his days in prison if he were to be convicted of only one of 37 counts. “All the government has to do is zero in on one charge, and he could get a custodial sentence. We are talking here about crimes which are accompanied by sentences that can range from 10 to 20 years, ”he said, referring to the age of the ex-president: 76 years old.
However, “some of the evidence comes from his former lawyer” Evan Corcoran, whose notes obtained by American justice and the testimony could be crucial in the legal proceedings which are beginning, continued Mr. Turley. “It’s going to be hard to put off. The indictment also alleges that Donald Trump violated the Espionage Act, but also that he put “the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the security of the United States military and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence gathering methods” at risk.
Since last week, Donald Trump has been shouting political campaign and witch hunts, while attacking the credibility of special counsel, Jack Smith, whom he called “mentally ill” a few days ago. On Monday, he added to this by promising his followers to use American justice against Joe Biden and his family if he is elected president in 2024. history of the United States, Joe Biden, the entire Biden crime family and everyone else involved in the destruction of our elections, our borders and the country itself! he wrote in capital letters on his Truth Social network, just hours before being brought before a Florida judge on Tuesday.
“Our country must protest”
On Monday, Florida authorities and the Miami police department warned the population against “disturbances” that the appearance of the former president of the United States could cause in a courthouse in the city. On Sunday, the Republican called on his troops to bend their chests. “We need strength in our country now,” he said on Saturday on WABC Radio, alongside his friend and adviser Roger Stone, who holds one of the microphones there. “And they have to come out and they have to protest peacefully. They must get out, ”added the ex-president, calling out to people outraged by this new incriminating case. “Listen, our country must protest. […] We are losing everything. »
On Monday evening, supporters gathered in front of Trump National Doral, his west Miami golf club, where he was to spend the night, to show their support.
” We hope that [mardi] will be a peaceful day,” said Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami. Chance of the calendars, the politician could announce this week his intention to also embark on the race for the Republican nomination, in which he would then find himself facing Donald Trump. “We should encourage people to be peaceful and we are going to have the right forces to ensure that peace. »
Last April, Donald Trump’s appearance in a New York court on charges of bribing to silence a witness in a sex scandal stoked fears of violent protests. They ultimately did not materialize.