Trump Mar-a-Lago case highlights: Unsealed indictment says Trump even hid nuclear documents

According to a document filed by prosecutors with the court, the Justice Department believes that it will take prosecutors about a month in court to present their case to a jury at trial.

Ron DeSantis

“The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society. We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation," he tweeted

Nikki Haley

“This is not how justice should be pursued in our country," Haley said as per CNN.

Chrish Christie

"Let’s see what the facts are when any possible indictment is released. As I have said before, no one is above the law, no matter how much they wish they were. We will have more to say when the facts are revealed," he tweeted.

Vivek Ramaswamy

“This is an affront to every citizen: we cannot devolve into a banana republic where the party in power uses police force to arrest its political opponents,” Ramaswamy said in a statement.

Mike Pence

The former Trump lieutenant did not acknowledge a media question about unsealing of indictments, reported CNN.

Former Trump attorney Tim Parlatore had claimed earlier that a former president could take 'next two years after they leave office to go through all these documents to figure out what's personal and what's presidential'

CNN reported that The National Archives released a statement refuting this claim. 

"Recent media reports have generated a large number of queries about Presidential records and the Presidential Records Act (PRA). The PRA requires that all records created by Presidents (and Vice-Presidents) be turned over to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) at the end of their administrations," said the National Archives.

"There is no history, practice, or provision in law for presidents to take official records with them when they leave office to sort through, such as for a two-year period as described in some reports."

After his indictment was unsealed, Trump lashed out at Special Counsel Jack Smith on his social media platform Truth Social.

"This is the man who caused the Lois Lerner catastrophe with the IRS. He went after Evangelicals and Great Americans of Faith. The United States had to apologize, and pay major damages for what this deranged lunatic did. He had a unanimous loss in the Supreme Court. His wife is a Trump Hater, just as he is a Trump Hater—a deranged “psycho” that shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with “Justice,” other than to look at Biden as a criminal, which he is!" Trump posted.

US Secret Service spokesperson said on Friday that the agency “will not seek any special accommodations outside of what would be required” when Donald Trump appears in court in Miami.

“As with any site visited by a protectee, the Secret Service is in constant coordination with the necessary entities to ensure protective requirements are met,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a written statement as quoted by CNN.

“We have the utmost confidence in the professionalism and commitment to security shared by our law enforcement partners in Florida,” he said.

CNN quoted a member of Mar-a-Lago who said that they had access to the whole property, even to places where the classified documents were stored. 

“Once you are on property, you can really go anywhere. I do,” the member said as per CNN. 

“Being a private club, they really can't stop you from going into the public spaces.”

Some of the documents were stored in White and Gold ballroom. The member told CNN that the ballroom was easily accessible to any guest.

The unsealed indictment has a mention that former US president Donald Trump was personally involved in packing boxes that contained classified documents.

"It's very important for me to note that the defendants in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. To that end, my office will seek a speedy trial in this matter, consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused," said Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The indictment against Trump has been unsealed. Special Counsel Jack Smith will soon make a statement before media.

BBC has reported that indictment mentions Trump hiding documents that even had details about US nuclear weapons programme. The documents also mentioned potential vulnerabilities of the US and its allies, US plans for retaliatory attacks and had material that “could put at risk the national security of the United States”.

The unsealed indictment reportedly has a mention that Trump stored classified documents even in bathroom and shower. 

The unsealed indictment has revealed that FBI seized 27 documents from Trump's office. Out of these, six were 'top secret, eighteen were 'secret' and three were 'confidential' 

FBI seized 75 documents from the storage room at the estate, reveals the indictment. Out of these documents, eleven were 'top secret', thirty six were 'secret' and twenty eight were 'confidential'.

President Joe Biden maintained on Friday (June 9) that he had not spoken to US Attorney General Merrick Garland. During Trump's legal woes, Biden has chosen to keep distance from the development to underline that government is not influencing the probe.

“I have not spoken to him at all, I’m not going to speak to him— I have no comment on what happened,” he told CNN’s DJ Judd at a community college in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Nauta is in the focus when movement of boxes of classified documents is considered. Trump had moved cache of classified documents to his resort in Florida. It is reported that Nauta, with the help of Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker, moved the boxes before FBI executed search warrant at Mar-a-Lago last August.

According to the unsealed indictment, Trump has been accused of showing classified documents to others twice. Both of these incidents took place in Bedminster, New Jersey in the year 2021.

“Trump also said ‘as president I could have declassified it,’ and ‘Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret,’” according to the indictment.  

Trump and his aide Walt Nauta are facing one count of conspiracy of obstruction to justice.

This is the first time a former US president has faced federal charges.

CNN reported that the indictment lists locations at Mar-a-Lago where Trump kept the classified documents including “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.”

A 49-page federal indictment against Trump has been unsealed. According to CNN, Trump and his associate Walt Nauta have been charged in 38-count indictment.

Trump is facing 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information.

Trump and his aide Walt Nauta are facing one count of conspiracy of obstruction to justice.

The most serious accusation against Trunmp is being made under the Espionage Act, which makes it illegal to possess information on national defence without authorisation. Additionally, Trump is accused of numerous instances of obstructing justice, a crime that is committed whenever there is "intent to impede, obstruct, or influence" an investigation. 

Prosecutors will have to demonstrate that Trump's actions were deliberate and that his objective was to obstruct the investigation in order to establish those claims, whether or not those attempts were successful. Trump is accused of misleading to investigators by making false statements.
 

One day after the former president of the United States was charged with federal offences involving obstruction and unlawfully retaining confidential documents, two of his defence attorneys withdrew from the case on Friday.

Walt Nauta, Trump's former military valet, was charged alongside trump as per a report in The Wall Street Journal. After working in the Trump White House, Nauta went on to a position at the Mar-a-Lago resort.