The former president of the United States, Donald Trump, will have to answer to federal justice for 37 criminal charges related to classified documents found in his Florida home in 2022. All this comes amid the Republican primary campaign for a return to the White House.
Trump is charged with unlawful retention of government secrets, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy, among other crimes, according to court documents officially released Friday, a day after Trump reported that “the biggest witch hunt in history” had moved to Florida.
What’s Going on with Donald Trump?
Special prosecutor Jack Smith, who is in charge of the investigation, said Friday that the law applies to everyone and that he will seek a speedy trial “consistent with the public interest and the rights of the accused.” The prosecution alleges that Trump “endeavored to obstruct FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal the withholding of classified documents.”
According to the 49-page document, the most serious crimes charged, such as obstruction of justice and conspiracy, are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, and the less serious crimes, such as conspiracy to conceal, by 5 years in prison and the same financial penalty. In addition, Trump is charged with Waltine Nauta, a military aide who worked for him during his term as president (2017-2021) and was seen moving boxes with official documents at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
For the investigation, two grand juries were formed, one in Washington and one in Miami, which from May 19 until Wednesday has heard testimony from people related to the handling of official documents that Trump had in his house without authorization, something that is illegal in the United States.
Trump Will Have to Appear in a Federal Court
Next Tuesday, June 13, the former president is due to appear in federal court in Miami for arraignment. “There are going to be a lot of supporters there. Florida is Trump’s land,” said Republican political analyst Alfonso Aguilar, one of those who believes that “in the long run, as in the case of New York” (the case of payments to Stormy Daniels), this prosecution will benefit the former president in his campaign.
According to several media, the federal judge who will oversee the case, at least initially, is Aileen Cannon, appointed by Donald Trump. Cannon was the one who, at the beginning of the case, accepted a request from Trump’s lawyers for a special expert to review the material seized at Mar-a-Lago, which included a hundred classified documents, and appointed veteran New York judge Raymond Dearie to handle the task. However, in December 2022, he had to backtrack and overturn the decision because of a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, which ruled in favor of the Justice Department.
Donald Trump and the 2024 Election
Two of Trump’s lawyers, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, resigned Friday and he will now be represented by Todd Blanche, who was already part of his legal team, and other lawyers who will join “in the coming days,” he said Friday. The former president, who is campaigning intending to return to the White House, claims to be “innocent” and says that the objective of this accusation in federal justice is to “damage his reputation” to prevent him from winning the 2024 elections.
“Collusion,” “election interference,” and “cheating” are the words Trump repeated throughout a video released last night, in which he accused the president, Joe Biden, who is seeking re-election, of being behind it all.
This new prosecution, the first federal felony prosecution of a former president in the United States, follows Donald Trump’s indictment in a non-federal court in New York last March for irregular payments to silence porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
He is now back on the campaign trail and has rallies scheduled in North Carolina and Georgia this weekend. Several of his primary rivals, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the rest of the GOP’s leading figures have closed ranks in Trump’s defense after news of the new court case against him.
Can Donald Trump Be President in 2024 After Being Impeached?
The answer is yes. Even though Donald Trump has been impeached, the former president could still run in the 2024 elections. The laws in the United States only establish three requirements to aspire to the office: to be born in the United States, to be older than 35 years, and to be a resident in the country for at least 14 years. Although the lawsuit against him may be a very important factor among voters, it does not prevent him from seeking the presidency for a second time.
Story written by Miguel Fernández in Cultura Colectiva News
