Trump could face charges for keeping classified documents

2023-06-08 08:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Justice Department has informed Donald Trump's legal team that he is a target in a federal investigation into the possible misuse of classified documents.

Sources familiar with the case told CNN that this is an indication that prosecutors may be on the way to indicting the former president.

The decision by prosecutors to inform Trump that he is a target crystallizes that special counsel Jack Smith's investigation is focused on Trump's actions and not just the actions of those around him.

If the charges are filed, it would be the second indictment for Trump, who is currently campaigning to become president of the United States once again.

Prosecutors have been investigating the transfer of confidential files to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida since last year.

This property was searched in August last year, when 11,000 documents were seized, including around 100 labeled as classified documents. Some of them were considered top secret.

In an interview on June 7, Trump denied being told he faces indictment over the documents.

When asked by the New York Times if he had been told he was under federal investigation, Trump said "you have to understand" that he was not in direct contact with prosecutors.

The news comes after prosecutors found an audio recording of Trump admitting to keeping a classified document even after leaving the White House.

Details of the documents that may have been in Trump's possession remain unclear. Classified documents usually contain information that officials believe could harm national security if made public.

It is against US law for federal officials, including presidents, to transfer or keep classified documents in an unauthorized location.

Earlier this week, members of Trump's legal team met with investigators at the Justice Department in Washington.

Trump, who is leading in the polls to be the Republican Party's nominee for US president in the 2024 election, has repeatedly denied the allegations and called the Justice Department's investigation "politically motivated" and a "witch hunt". ".

Any indictment related to the classified documents would come after Trump became the first former president to be charged with a crime in the US after he pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records for a payment to buy his silence. a porn star./ CNA.al