WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury has indicted Donald Trump on seven criminal charges in connection with his mishandling of more than 100 classified documents that were discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, making the twice-impeached former commander-in-chief the first former president to face federal criminal charges.
Trump said Thursday night that his attorneys were informed that he has been indicted in the special counsel’s investigation into his handling of classified documents. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed the indictment, one adding that Trump had received a summons to appear in U.S. District Court on Tuesday.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said: “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax.”
The charges mark the second time Trump has been indicted since he left office, but the news still reverberated through the country, with supporters and critics weighing in on the magnitude of the development. While the first round of charges dealt with Trump's conduct when he was trying to get elected in 2016, the new charges touch on his actions as he was leaving the White House and focus on how he handled some of the country's most sensitive secrets.
Two sources briefed on the seven charges said the charges include false statements and conspiracy to obstruct. All charges are related to retaining documents and obstructing justice. One source noted that seven charges don’t necessarily mean seven counts — multiple counts can be associated with each charge.
The nature of the charges was first reported by The New York Times.
Trump lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN a summons his legal team received from the feds included at least one charge related to the Espionage Act, "several obstruction-based type charges, and then false statement charges." Asked whether there was a conspiracy charge, as well, he said, "I believe so." NBC News confirmed that one of the charges was related to the Espionage Act.
A spokesperson for the special counsel declined to comment.
A separate source said the indictment is under seal, which is why the government can't yet comment.
The government had provided hints about possible charges. A search warrant for Trump's Mar-a-Lago property in August said investigators were searching for evidence of three crimes involving the mishandling of sensitive government records, including whether the documents were shared with "unauthorized" people. Justice Department attorneys had since raised the prospect of an obstruction-related crime in court filings.
Trump and his Republican allies focused their response on trying to blame President Joe Biden for the indictment, even though the investigation had been handed to a separate special counsel.
The White House declined to comment on the indictment. An administration official said the White House wasn't given notice of the indictment and learned about it from media reports.
Asked Thursday about why the American public should trust the Justice Department in the face of Trump's criticism, Biden insisted he has not put his thumb on the scale.
"I have never once, not one single time, suggested to the Justice Department what they should do or not do ... any charges or not bring any charges. I am honest,” Biden said.
Fundraising email and monthslong investigation
Trump appeared prepared when he was the first to make the existence of the indictment public.
Minutes after he announced he'd been indicted on Truth Social, he sent out a fundraising appeal citing the charges.
“The Biden-appointed Special Counsel has INDICTED me in yet another witch hunt regarding documents that I had the RIGHT to declassify as President of the United States,” the fundraising email said, asking supporters to “make a contribution to peacefully stand” with him.
