Trump: I’ve Been Indicted in Classified Documents Case

President Trump said Thursday he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.The Justice Department did not immediately publicly confirm the indictment. But two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly said Mr. Trump’s team had been informed that he had been indicted on seven counts and that prosecutors had contacted lawyers to advise them of the indictment shortly before Mr. Trump announced it himself on his Truth Social platform.“This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America,” Mr. Trump posted. “We are a Country in serious and rapid Decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!”Within 20 minutes of his announcement, Mr. Trump, who said he was due in court Tuesday afternoon at Miami, had begun fundraising off it for his 2024 presidential campaign.The case adds to deepening legal jeopardy for Mr. Trump, who has already been indicted at New York and faces additional investigations at Washington and Atlanta that also could lead to criminal charges. As the prosecution moves forward, it will pit Mr. Trump’s claims of sweeping executive power against Attorney General Garland’s oft-stated mantra that no person, including a former commander in chief, should be regarded as above the law.The indictment arises from a monthslong investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Mr. Trump broke the law by holding onto hundreds of documents marked classified at his Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago, and whether he took steps to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the records.Prosecutors have said that Mr. Trump took roughly 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including some 100 that were seized by the FBI last August in a search of the home that underscored the gravity of the Justice Department’s investigation.Mr. Trump and his team have long seen the special counsel investigation as far more perilous than the New York matter — both politically and legally. Campaign aides had been bracing for the fallout since Mr. Trump’s attorneys were notified that he was the target of the investigation, assuming it was not a matter of if charges would be brought, but when.It remains unclear, however, what the immediate and long-term political consequences will be for Mr. Trump. His first indictment spurred millions of dollars in contributions from angry supporters and didn’t damage Mr. Trump in the polls. No matter what, the indictment — and the legal fight that follows — will throw Mr. Trump back into the spotlight, sucking attention away from the other candidates who are trying to build momentum in the 2024 presidential race.Mr. Trump has insisted he was entitled to keep the classified documents when he left the White House, and has also claimed without evidence that he had declassified them.The former president has long sought to use mounting legal troubles to his political advantage, complaining on social media and at public events that the cases are being driven by Democratic prosecutors out to hurt his 2024 election campaign. He is likely to rely on that playbook again, reviving his longstanding claims that the Justice Department — which, during his presidency, investigated whether his 2016 campaign had colluded with Russia — is weaponized against him.The case is a milestone for a Justice Department that had investigated Mr. Trump for years — as president and private citizen — but had never before charged him with a crime. Mr. Garland was nominated by President Biden, who is seeking reelection in 2024.

Trump: I’ve Been Indicted in Classified Documents Case

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