The Republican billionaire is the first former American president to be criminally charged by federal justice.
Donald Trump has taken the lead. The Republican billionaire, candidate for a new presidential term, announced himself, Thursday, June 8, to have been charged by the American federal justice, a historic first for a former president of the United States. The former tenant of the White House is being prosecuted for having kept presidential archives, in violation of American laws. The indictment, released on Friday, has 37 counts, including “unlawful withholding of national security information”, “obstructing justice” and “false testimony”. The unprecedented scandal raises several questions.
What does the indictment reveal about the content of the confidential documents kept?
Donald Trump is accused of keeping documents confidential, including some containing military and nuclear secrets, after he left the White House. The indictment against the former president is 44 pages long. We learn that the classified papers kept by the ex-president concerned very sensitive information. They contain, among other things, information on the nuclear programs of the United States, the defense and armament capability of the United States and other countries, the potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies in the face of a military attack, and the plans possible reprisals in response to a foreign attack.
Where were these documents kept by Donald Trump?
The former president stored boxes of classified documents in various rooms of his luxurious residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. Documents were found in his office, his bedroom, a storage room overlooking his swimming pool, a bathroom, a ballroom and… his shower, the indictment reveals.
They were kept illegally and, moreover, in total disregard of the security measures necessary for such sensitive documents. A photo reproduced in the indictment shows stacks of boxes behind a toilet in a large bathroom.
During a brief televised address, the special prosecutor in charge of the investigation, Jack Smith, recalled that “the laws are the same for everyone” and that those who “protect information related to national defense is essential”. flout these laws “puts our country in danger” he asserted, asking for a “quick trial” for the former president.
What are the repercussions of this indictment on the presidential campaign?
Donald Trump left no doubt. The Republican billionaire immediately dismissed the idea that he could throw in the towel in the face of the charges against him. The former president intends to return to his old position in 2024. Prosecutors hope that he will be tried before American voters go to the polls. In the event of another electoral victory, the tempestuous billionaire would have the possibility of pardoning himself, which could trigger an unprecedented constitutional crisis.
As for his competitors for the nomination of the Republican Party, none dared to rush into the breach. Hesitant to alienate the fervent supporters of the ex-president, his former vice-president, Mike Pence, and the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, therefore contented themselves with crying foul at his side.
Where are the other cases in which Donald Trump is involved?
Donald Trump is also under federal investigation for his role in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Some American media, like the New York Timesargue that the ex-president could also be charged with extortion in Georgia, due to possible attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in this southern state of the country.
In April 2023, the justice of the State of New York had already indicted the billionaire, for accounting fraud, as part of a payment in 2016 to an actress of X films, Stormy Daniels, so that she conceals a possible affair.