What is going on?
According to his own words and media reports, former US President Donald Trump has been charged again by the US judiciary. The trial is apparently related to the investigation into the affair of classified government documents, as Trump wrote on Thursday (local time) on his co-founder “Truth Social”. The 76-year-old is running for the Republican presidential nomination for the 2024 election and wants to run against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.
It is the first time that a federal charge has been filed against a former US president. According to consistent reports and Trump’s attorney, there are likely seven charges that are still classified. “We haven’t received any charges yet,” attorney Jim Trusty told CNN. A summons with details has been sent. US media reported, based on Justice Department sources, that a jury had voted to indict Trump. Trump had already been charged at the state level in New York in connection with hush money payments to a porn star and was due to appear in court in early April. He is also being investigated in other cases.
How did it all start?
The background to the case is a search by the FBI of the Federal Police in August of Trump’s private residence Mar-a-Lago in Florida: various classified information was seized there, some of the highest classification. The fact that the Republican kept the documents in his private home long after he left office could have prosecuted him. For months, the National Archives tried to obtain papers from the Trump administration. Trump’s lawyers eventually turned over documents — but not all of them, as the FBI search of the Mar-a-Lago property revealed.
Who actually does research?
The US Justice Department appointed independent special counsel Jack Smith in November to outsource the politically sensitive investigation into Trump. On the one hand, Smith is responsible for investigating government documents. Second, it examines Trump’s role in storming the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and his efforts to influence the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. A commission of inquiry had recommended criminal investigations to the Ministry of Justice. He accuses Trump of rioting, obstructing a public trial and conspiracy against the US government, among other things. However, the committee’s advice is not binding.
What does Trump say?
“The corrupt Biden administration has informed my lawyers that charges have been filed against me, apparently for fraud (of supposedly classified documents) in boxes (…),” Trump wrote on “Truth Social,” without clearly attributing who exactly had contacted his team. He was subpoenaed and is due to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday at 3 p.m. (local time).
“I never thought it possible that something like this could happen to a former president of the United States (…)”, he continued. He added, “I’M AN INNOCENT MAN!” It is “a dark day” for the United States. In an additional video, Trump described the US judiciary’s actions as “election interference at the highest level.” He again accused US President Joe Biden and his Democrats of conducting a politically motivated witch hunt against him. “They are trying to destroy our reputation so they can win elections,” he told his supporters.
Trump is especially angry that government documents from his time as vice president under Barack Obama have also been found on US President Biden, which were also classified as classified. An independent special investigator is also active here. In the case of Biden, however, there are significantly fewer documents. According to the White House, Biden has not refused to hand over documents.
Trump has long railed that his opponents are merely trying to prevent him from returning to the White House in 2024. He officially announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in November. So far he is ahead in party polls – but a lot can still happen before the final decision is made.
How are the Republicans reacting?
Trump’s closest competitor for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, accused President Biden of “weaponizing state law enforcement agencies.” “For years we have seen unequal application of the law based on political affiliation,” DeSantis wrote. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said: “I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice.
And Biden?
President Biden did not initially comment publicly. However, a few hours before the indictment reports, he clearly denied that Trump was a victim of political persecution. “Never, not once, have I told the Justice Department what they should or shouldn’t do, whether they should press charges or not,” he said at a news conference at the White House in Washington on Thursday. A reporter asked him why people in the United States should trust the independence and fairness of the Justice Department if Trump continues to question them.
In contrast, prominent Democratic member of the House of Representatives Adam Schiff was clear against Trump: “He will try to instrumentalize these allegations for political purposes. Because winning the presidency may be his only hope of escaping prison.” (sda/dpa)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
