As the Smoke Clears, DC Wakes Up to Trump Under Federal Indictment on 37 Charges

WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury in Miami handed down a 37-count indictment against former President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the first time in U.S. history that a former president has faced federal charges.

A charging document filed along with the indictment itself accuses Trump of mishandling classified documents he took with him to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida upon leaving office, and then obstructing the government’s efforts to reclaim them.

“The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack,” the filing states.

“The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,” it says.

The specific charges against him include willfully retaining national defense secrets in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

It was Trump himself who initially spread word of the indictment via his social media platform, Truth Social, shortly after 7 p.m. Thursday night.

“The corrupt Biden administration has informed my attorneys that I have been indicted,” Trump wrote in his initial post at 7:21 p.m.

Later, he released a video on the platform in which he declared, “I’m an innocent man. I’m an innocent person.”

Trump, who is also the current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was reportedly huddled with his political advisor in his office at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, when one of his attorneys called to give him the news.

The decision by the grand jury in Florida is the second time the former president has been indicted in less than three months.

In April, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., announced Trump had been charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with 34 counts of falsifying New York business records in order to conceal the fact he paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to hide the fact they’d had a sexual encounter. 

Trump has also denied those allegations.

He is expected to surrender to authorities and be arraigned on the latest charges in federal court in Miami on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

The former president also faces a number of other potential charges as special counsel Jack Smith continues to investigate Trump’s efforts to hold on to power after his loss in the 2020 election, and how those efforts culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the Capitol by extreme Trump supporters.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said she believes a grand jury there will make a decision on charging Trump with election malfeasance some time in August.

News of the federal indictments lodged against Trump has roiled his supporters here in Washington.

“Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America,” said House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a tweet posted shortly after word of the indictments began to spread. 

“It is unconscionable for a president to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades,” McCarthy continued, ignoring the fact it was a grand jury, not the president, who handed down the indictment. 

“I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice,” he said before voting to “hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also took to Twitter to claim the indictment was timed to coincide with the increased pressure the House Oversight Committee is placing on administration officials.

Specifically, she referred to its having “forced” FBI Director Christopher Wray to hand over “form FD-1023,” which she claimed “directly implicates Joe Biden in a foreign bribery pay-to-play scheme.”

In response, she said, “President Trump is indicted for the boxes hoax by the Department of Justice.”

By comparison, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a well-known firebrand when it comes to former President Trump, took a more low-key approach in his response via Twitter, saying only, “Sad day for America. God Bless President Trump.”

Hours earlier, at the conclusion of a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Biden was asked how he would convince Americans of the “independence and fairness” of the Justice Department when it came to Trump.

“Because you’ll notice I have never, not once, not one single time suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do relative to bringing charges against him,” Biden said in response. 

“I am honest,” he added as he turned to leave the East Room, reporters yelling follow up questions as he and Sunak disappeared behind the large wooden doors leading out of the room.

In his first public statement on the case, Special Counsel Jack Smith said Friday that “Adherence to the rule of law is a bedrock principle of the Department of Justice. And our nation’s commitment to the rule of law sets an example for the world.

“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone. Applying those laws. Collecting facts. That’s what determines the outcome of an investigation. Nothing more. Nothing less,” he continued.

“The prosecutors in my office are among the most talented and experienced in the Department of Justice. They have investigated this case hewing to the highest ethical standards. And they will continue to do so as this case proceeds.

“It’s very important for me to note that the defendants in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” he said, adding, “To that end, my office will seek a speedy trial in this matter. Consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused.

“We very much look forward to presenting our case to a jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida,” he concluded.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and at https://twitter.com/DanMcCue