Global Courant
Former President Donald Trump has been sued on seven federal criminal charges related to hundreds of secret government documents he kept after leaving the White House.
Trump himself disclosed the charges in a series of posts about him Truth Social social media site on thursday night. He also said he has been subpoenaed to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday.
NBC News soon after confirmed the charges, marking Trump’s second criminal prosecution in recent months. He remains under criminal investigation by the Justice Department and a Georgia prosecutor for his efforts to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.
The nature of the latest charges against Trump is not public, as the charges have been sealed for now.
Follow our live coverage of Donald Trump’s indictment in the classified documents case.
Trump was first indicted by a New York state grand jury in March on charges of falsifying company records in connection with a 2016 hush money payment to a porn star.
Trump, who is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only US president, former or not, to ever face criminal charges. A Trump political action committee immediately began fundraising based on news of the latest indictment.
In a video statement, Trump called the new allegations “election interference at the highest level” on Thursday.
Former US President Donald Trump talks on his phone between takes as he competes in the Pro-Am tournament ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, US on May 25, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
About truth social, Trump wrote, “I never imagined such a thing could happen to a former president of the United States.”
“I AM AN INNOCENT MAN! This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America,” he wrote.
Trump has been at the center of a federal criminal investigation since last year into his refusal of requests to return government data, including classified documents, following the end of his term as president. By law, such documents must be returned when a president leaves office.
Last August, FBI agents raided Trump’s home at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, looking for data they believed might be there.
Agents found hundreds of documents marked as classified.
A spokesman for Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the investigation for the Justice Department, declined to comment to NBC News.
Trump wrote in his social media posts: “The corrupt Biden administration has informed my lawyers that I have been charged, apparently because of the Boxes Hoax, even though Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C. , with even more Dozen at the University of Pennsylvania, and documents scattered across his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is “secured” only by a garage door that is paper thin and open most of the time.
“I have been subpoenaed to appear before the Federal Courthouse in Miami at 3 p.m. Tuesday,” Trump wrote. “We are a country in serious and rapid decline, but together we will make America great again!”
A White House spokesman declined to comment to NBC News, referring that request to the Justice Department, “which conducts its criminal investigations independently.”
This is the latest news. Check back later for updates.
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