In his post on his social media site, TruthSocial, Trump announced that an indictment was prepared regarding “confidential documents”.
“The corrupt (Joe) Biden administration has informed my lawyers that an indictment has been filed against me.” Trump said, reminding the “secret documents” that were found in President Biden’s home, office and garage at a university.
Stating that he was summoned to the federal courthouse in Miami at 15.00 local time next Tuesday, Trump used the following statements:
“I never thought that something like this could happen to a former US President who received more votes than any incumbent president in our country’s history and is now far ahead of any other candidate, both Democratic and in the polls for the 2024 presidential election. I am an innocent man. !”
The announcement that former president Donald Trump has been impeached by the US Department of Justice and is due to appear in federal court has raised more questions.
CNN International’s Zachary B. Wolf answered some of these questions.
Has this ever happened before?
No way. No former president or leader of a major political party has ever been charged with a federal crime.
Hasn’t Trump already been charged?
Yes, Trump was charged in March with state charges related to paying a former adult movie star. This new indictment includes entirely different federal charges regarding his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.
Can he still run for president?
Yes, nothing will prevent Trump from running while impeached or even convicted. It may be more difficult for an accused candidate to get votes, but he is not prohibited from running or being elected.
What if Trump wins before the trial ends?
If Trump wins the election, he could control the Justice Department as president and drop the case if it’s still pending.
Can Trump go to jail?
He was not prosecuted, let alone convicted. People are routinely jailed for concealing, conspiring, and blocking confidential documents, but high-ranking officials accused of wrongdoing have also historically found a way out of jail.
Secret documents from Trump’s mansion
Trump’s home in Florida was raided by FBI agents on the morning of August 8, 2022, to investigate “confidential documents”.
Describing the raid and the ongoing investigations as “political”, Trump specifically requested the documents taken from Mar-a-Lago to be reviewed by “an independent arbitrator or a special judge”.
The “secret documents” and “January 6th Congressional raid” investigations against Trump are chaired by former attorney general Jack Smith, who was appointed as a special commissioned expert.
Donald Trump appeared before a judge in Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4 on criminal charges brought against him that he paid a “shutdown” to a woman during the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the accusations against him.