Former President Trump is now under indictment by a federal grand jury, accused of improperly handling classified material during his tenure in the White House, Your Content has learned.
The charges stem from the discovery of hundreds of sensitive documents stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. This marks Trump’s second indictment since leaving office, with his first being in relation to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.
The investigation by the Justice Department began in February of last year, when over 100 classified documents were found in 15 boxes returned from Trump’s Palm Beach residence to the National Archives and Records Administration.
Subsequently, an additional 38 documents were handed over to authorities following a grand jury subpoena. Trump’s legal team claimed to have conducted a thorough search and returned all sensitive government documents, but an FBI raid in August 2022 uncovered over 100 more items with classified markings at Mar-a-Lago.
In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed former war crimes prosecutor Jack Smith as a special counsel overseeing the probe into the classified documents, as well as the investigation into Trump’s alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol Building riot.
Testimonies from Mar-a-Lago staff, Trump aides, and members of his legal team were presented before federal grand juries in both Washington and South Florida.
Investigators examined various evidence, including surveillance footage of box movements and an audio recording in which Trump admitted to retaining a classified document related to a potential military strike against Iran.
Trump has contended that he declassified all the material he took from the White House, asserting that a president possesses the authority to declassify information simply through thought, according to New York Post.
—
Your Content for the latest updates. Have a story or news tip? Contact our 24/7 newsroom at 833.336.8013 or e-mail our tip line: [email protected]