The indictment against Donald Trump in the document affair is explosive. The Republican responds with his usual stance: attack is the best defense. How long will the party stand by him?
After the publication of the indictment against Donald Trump in the affair of secret government documents, the former US President is combative. During a campaign appearance in Columbus, Georgia, Trump described the charges as “ridiculous”, unfounded and one of the most horrific abuses of power in US history. “This is a political contract assassination,” the Republican presidential candidate ranted. US President Joe Biden is trying to “jail his leading political competitor,” Trump claimed, announcing: “We will fight it like no one has fought before.”
He will never give in, be swayed or stop fighting, the ex-president exclaimed to the cheers of his supporters at the first public appearance after the indictment was announced. The 76-year-old wants to run again in the 2024 election and is currently leading the field of Republican candidates in polls.
The affair
In the affair surrounding Trump’s handling of secret government documents from his tenure, the US judiciary has brought charges against him. The 49-page indictment was released on Friday. It lists seven categories of offenses, and Trump is charged with more than 35 crimes in total. He is accused of, among other things, conspiracy to obstruct investigations and unlawful retention of highly sensitive information, including details of US and foreign nuclear capabilities and US military contingency plans.
The background is Trump’s handling of secret government documents after he left the White House. In August, the FBI searched his private home Mar-a-Lago in Florida and confiscated numerous classified documents from his tenure, some with the highest classification level. Trump’s residence is not a private house but a club with rooms for paying guests and many events such as weddings.
The indictment
The indictment states that Trump kept boxes of classified information in his bedroom, a bathroom, a shower, a ballroom and a storage room, among other places. Some boxes would have stood temporarily in a room where public events were taking place. A storage room for documents was easily accessible via a public pool area.
Trump is accused, among other things, of deliberately storing national defense information. This point falls under the US espionage law and alone can be punished with up to ten years in prison. According to the indictment, documents that investigators found on Trump’s premises dealt with the defense capabilities of the USA and other countries, including nuclear weapons, as well as military weaknesses in the defense of the USA and its partners. Potential military options from unnamed states were also discussed. Other documents dealt with foreign support for terrorist attacks on the United States.
The investigators detail how Trump spoke to other people about the information, some of which was top secret, or showed it to third parties. According to the indictment, Trump actively tried to obstruct the investigation against him. To this end, he conspired with his assistant Walt Nauta, against whom charges were also brought. Among other things, Trump instructed the employee to take boxes elsewhere. He is said to have suggested to a lawyer to hide or destroy documents.
The accused
Trump again assessed the charges as electoral interference and once again accused Biden and his Democrats of trying to prevent him from returning to the White House in this way. “They cheat, they are corrupt,” Trump said. With a view to the – now second – charge against him, he said: “The only good thing about it is that it drove my poll numbers up.” The fundraisers for his election campaign also went “through the roof”.
It is the first time a federal indictment has been filed against a former US President. Trump had already been charged at the state level in New York in connection with hush money payments to a porn star. Trump is also under investigation in other cases, including in Georgia. His efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election are being examined there. So far, the allegations in connection with the documents have weighed the most heavily from a legal point of view.
Trump insulted the special counsel Jack Smith, who had led the investigation into the government documents and is also investigating Trump for his campaign against the outcome of the 2020 election. Smith was “mentally deranged,” a “coward” and a proven “Trump hater,” the Republican scolded.
The party colleagues
His former deputy Mike Pence, who is also running for the presidency and thus challenging the ex-boss, refrained from an open broadside against Trump on Saturday. Speaking in North Carolina, Pence said he would be considered innocent until proven guilty. The people must now hear from Attorney General Merrick Garland and Trump’s defense. “Then each of us can make our own judgment as to whether or not this is the latest example of an unfair Department of Justice.”
Two rivals within the party, who are also running as Republican presidential candidates, sharply attacked Trump. Former Trump confidant and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie told CNN: “These facts are devastating.” The party and voters must ask themselves whether someone like that is the right person for the highest office in the state. Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson has called on Trump to withdraw his presidential bid in light of the charges. So far, however, prominent party figures among the Republicans have stood by Trump.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
