The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump revealed that he stored information about the country’s nuclear secrets and even planned to retaliate against a foreign attack.
Trump kept “hundreds” of classified documents in boxes at Mar-a-Lago, federal prosecutors said in the charging document that federal authorities unsealed on Friday, in a historic move the former president s is raised as a “witch hunt”.
The charging document sets out for the first time detailed information about information federal agents uncovered after a raid on Mar-a-Lago last summer, following negotiations with Trump’s team seeking the return government documents.
It lists 31 counts of willfully withholding national defense information – including those dealing with some of the nation’s best-kept secrets.
Former President Donald Trump has spoken out against the indictment on seven counts. He said he will be in federal court in Miami on Tuesday
“Unauthorized disclosure of the material ‘could jeopardize U.S. national security, foreign relations, the safety of U.S. military and human sources, and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence-gathering methods,'” the statement said. ‘indictment.
The feds said Trump “caused” dozens of boxes, including those containing classified information, to be transported to his home in Mar-a-Lago, a private club in West Palm Beach.
The documents note in dry language that Mar-a-Lago – an “active social club” – was “not an authorized location for the storage, possession, review, display” or discussion of classified documents .
The charging document contains black and white images of boxes of documents stored at Mar-a-Lago
Mar-a-Lago’s architectural details are revealed in grainy images of boxes of government equipment found in its white and gold ballroom
The documents were moved from the building’s business center to a bathroom and shower in the MAL’s lake room, employees told the federal government
On June 24, 2021, boxes were moved from the lake room to the infamous storage room, where DOJ officials would eventually ask Trump to put a new lock.
December 7, 2021 – Pearl Harbor Day – Nauta “found several of Trump’s boxes dropped and their contents strewn across the storage room floor, including a document marked ‘SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY’ This meant it could only be streamed in Intel Five Eyes Alliance countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
The indictment refers to a previously reported July 2021 event at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he described and showed a “plan of attack” document that he says had been prepared by the Pentagon. It appeared to be a reported document about the ready-made US attack plan on Iran that Trump used to try to disparage Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, who he says had written it.
It also says that in September 2021, Trump showed a representative of his PAC, also in Bedminster, a classified map relating to an unidentified “military operation”. He told the rep he shouldn’t show it — a suggested language prosecutors could use to try to establish awareness of guilt.
The indictment was released shortly after news broke that former “bodyman” and aide Walt Nauta was also charged, and both men’s names are on the charging document.
The document mentions the grand jury subpoena for information from March 2022 demanding the return of the documents, and states that Trump “has worked to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and to conceal his continued retention. of classified documents”.
It provides new information about a months-long dispute with National Archives officials as they sought to return government records.
The indictment reveals that Trump went through several boxes of documents before they were returned to the National Archives – and he did so with the help of Nauta.
Between November 2021 and January 2022, Nauta and another employee brought boxes of documents to Trump’s residence in the social club and sent the former president a photo to confirm they were there, the deed revealed. of accusation.
Nauta told the employee that Trump was “working” on the boxes. There are reports that the former president went through the documents before they were sent to the National Archives.
The indictment includes multiple text messages between Nauta and another employee regarding moving various boxes to Trump’s residence.
On January 17, 2022, Nauta returned 15 boxes to the archives.
The indictment accuses Nauta of making false statements to investigators, where he denied moving the boxes.
He says Trump ordered Nauta to move boxes of documents “to conceal them from Trump’s attorney, the FBI, and the grand jury,” and that Trump suggested his attorney “misrepresent” to the FBI that Trump did not have any documents to respect. the assignment.
It comes after attorneys for Special Counsel Jack Smith persuaded a judge to compel Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran, to testify under the criminal fraud exception.
He also provided the FBI with “only some of the documents” and said he had caused a false attestation representing that all the documents had been produced.
The indictment names Nauta as a co-conspirator, noting that he served as Trump’s Navy valet as president and then became his aide when he left the White House.
The grainy black-and-white images, which appear to be from security cameras, trace the long journey from room to room the documents traveled.
One shows architectural details of the white and gold ballroom, along with boxes of banker’s equipment. The documents were moved from the building’s business center to a bathroom and shower in the MAL’s lake room, employees told federal authorities.
December 7, 2021 – Pearl Harbor Day – Nauta “found several of Trump’s boxes dropped and their contents strewn across the storage room floor, including a document marked ‘SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY’ , according to the indictment.
This meant it could only be streamed in Intel Five Eyes Alliance countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Even if Nauta holds his ground and never becomes a cooperating witness, the DOJ has already obtained language from him in digital format.
“I opened the door and found this…” he texted “Trump Employee 2”, sending an image with documents spit on the floor with “visible classified information redacted”.
“Trump’s unlawful retention of this document is charged in Count 8 of this indictment.”
A photo of the documents seized during the August 8 search at Mar-a-Lago has been released by the Ministry of Justice
These designations provide a detailed counterpoint to some of the first clues to what the FBI uncovered at Mar-a-Lago, with descriptions to a special handler revealing personal items, clothing, and even personal medical records. An image that prosecutors released amid the legal grind even revealed a box full of Trump’s Time Magazine covers.
The indictments detail conversations between Trump and his attorneys about the subpoena. He also reveals that Nauta moved over 100 boxes from storage to the former president’s private rooms.
After the grand jury issued his May 11 subpoena, Trump met with his attorneys and told them “I really don’t want anyone looking in my boxes.”
He also asked “what happens if we don’t respond or play ball with them?”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we just told them we don’t have anything here,” Trump asked his lawyers, according to the indictment.
After this meeting with his attorneys, Nauta, under Trump’s direction, moved 63 boxes from the storage area to Trump’s residence at his Palm Beach social club. A few days later, he moved 50 more.
On June 2, the day that attorney Trump 1 was due to examine the boxes in the storage room, Trump and Nauta spoke on the phone. Nauta moved about 30 boxes to the residence.
Later, after Trump’s attorney 1 went through the boxes and removed 38 documents with classified marks. The attorney contacted the FBI to turn them over – as per the subpoena.
Lawyers told the FBI that a “diligent search” had been made and all documents had been turned over. The indictment charges “it was false”.
