Donald Trump announced on Thursday June 8, 2023 that he had been indicted by the federal judiciary for his handling of the White House archives, a new pitfall for the Republican who dreams of reclaiming the US presidency in 2024.
“The corrupt Biden administration has informed my lawyers that I have been indicted, presumably in the fake box case,” Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, referring to the boxes of documents he took with him when he left Washington.
Seven charges against Donald Trump
The billionaire, whose Florida home was searched last summer by FBI agents looking for the files, said he had been summoned to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday.
His lawyer, Jim Trusty, told CNN that his client would be appearing in court, and that he was facing seven charges, including under an espionage law that prohibits keeping classified documents in unauthorized, unsecured locations.
Donald Trump, who is now the first former president in US history to be indicted by the federal judiciary, is also being prosecuted for obstruction of justice and perjury, he added.
In March, he had already been indicted for several accounting frauds by the New York State judiciary in connection with a payment made before the 2016 presidential election to silence an X-rated actress, who claims to have been his mistress.
The former real estate tycoon, who is currently well ahead of the other contenders for the Republican nomination, has always denied any wrongdoing and describes himself as a victim of “political persecution”.