10-6-2023 (WASHINGTON) Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on 37 federal counts, including willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and false statements, according to an unsealed copy of the indictment obtained by Fox News. Special Counsel Jack Smith unsealed the indictment against the former president on Friday.
Trump’s valet and aide, Waltine Nauta, was also indicted on six federal counts, as detailed in the indictment. Trump revealed the news of his indictment on Thursday night and stated that he would plead not guilty in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The indictment alleges that Trump, during his presidency, had access to highly sensitive classified documents and national defense information owned by the United States government. It further states that Trump stored hundreds of classified documents in cardboard boxes within the White House, which included information on defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries, nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities to military attack, and plans for possible retaliation.
The special counsel claims that Trump showed classified documents to unauthorized individuals on two occasions in 2021. One instance occurred in July 2021 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he displayed and described a confidential “plan of attack.” In another instance in August or September 2021, Trump allegedly showed a classified map related to a military operation to a representative of his political action committee.
The indictment reveals that the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the unlawful retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago in March 2022, leading to a federal grand jury investigation. The grand jury issued a subpoena for Trump to submit all documents with classification markings.
Furthermore, the indictment accuses Trump of endeavoring to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations by instructing his attorney to falsely represent to the authorities that he did not possess the documents requested by the grand jury subpoena. Trump also allegedly directed his aide, Waltine Nauta, to move the boxes of documents called for by the subpoena, while claiming full cooperation.
Nauta, identified as Trump’s “co-conspirator,” served as a White House valet and personal aide. The indictment states that Trump retained classified information from various agencies, including the CIA, Pentagon, National Security Agency, and more.
During an unprecedented raid of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, the FBI seized 102 documents with classification markings from Trump’s office and storage room. In total, 27 classified documents were found in Trump’s office, with 6 marked as top secret, 18 as secret, and 3 as confidential. In the storage room, 75 classified documents were discovered, including 11 marked as top secret, 36 as secret, and 28 as confidential.
Trump faces 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, covering a range of documents related to foreign countries’ intelligence, military capabilities, nuclear weaponry, and attack plans. Additionally, he is charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, as the indictment alleges his purpose was to hide and conceal the classified documents from the grand jury.
Both Trump and Nauta are charged with withholding documents, concealing a document in a federal investigation, and participating in a scheme to conceal. Trump is also accused of making a false statement in June 2022, regarding the thoroughness of the search conducted at Mar-a-Lago in response to the subpoena.
The indictment asserts that Trump knew the statements he made were false, as he had directed the removal of boxes from the storage room before the search, and more than 100 documents with classification markings remained at Mar-a-Lago until the FBI’s August 2022 search.
Nauta, during a voluntary interview with the FBI in May 2022, allegedly made a false statement about moving boxes. The charges against Trump and Nauta mark a significant development in the legal challenges faced by the former president.
