Former President Donald J. Trump (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Donald Trump has been indicted in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, according to reports.
He faces seven counts, including, in part, willful retention of national defense information, corruptly concealing docs, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements, ABC reporter Katherine Faulders tweeted, citing sources. Trump said has to report to federal court in Miami at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said his lawyers have been informed he has been indicted over what he said was the “Boxes Hoax.”
“The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is ‘secured’ by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time.”
The case stems from the FBI finding dozens of empty folders with “Classified” banners while searching for Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago.
Federal prosecutors say FBI agents seized these materials from Mar-a-Lago. The contents of the documents were redacted with white squares. (Image via an Aug. 31, 2022 federal court filing.)
A receipt describing the documents in broad strokes added a layer of mystery about what happened to the more than 100 classified documents that authorities seized from Trump’s primary residence in August.
Earlier, Trump’s attorneys received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith informing the former president that he is a “target” of a criminal investigation, reportedly the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
When Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel, he empowered him to investigate “whether any person or entity violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021, as well as any matters that arose or might arise directly from this investigation or that are within the scope of 28 C.F.R. § 600.4(a).”
The appointment order also authorized Smith to investigate the Florida-based Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Trump’s lawyers met with Smith at DOJ on Monday and that a target letter regarded the Mar-a-Lago case.
As recently as May 23, Trump posted a letter on Truth Social from his lawyers to Merrick Garland. In that letter, they requested a “meeting” to “discuss the ongoing injustice that is being perpetrated by your special counsel and his prosecutors.”
Law&Crimes Matt Naham and Adam Klasfeld contributed to this report.
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