Former United States President Donald Trump alleged on Friday that he committed no crime by taking classified documents to his Florida mansion after the end of his term, and that he was authorized under a presidential records law.
“It’s a witch hunt,” he exclaimed in a message posted on his Truth Social social network, where he attacked special counsel Jack Smith and the president of the United States, Joe Biden, as well as the Department of Justice and the FBI.
The former president (2017-2021) published his messages shortly after the indictment was released, which contains 37 federal charges against him, 31 of them for deliberate retention of classified documents (with information that concerns the National Defense).
The charges against Trump also include conspiracy to obstruct justice, retention of a document or record, concealment of a document or record, and false statements, among others, which, as reported by US media, could mean years in jail if be found guilty.
According to The Washington Post, the obstruction charge carries a maximum of 20 years and the willful retention charge up to ten years each.
“The political instrumentalization of the Department of Justice is a disgrace,” said his campaign office today, which asked that the accusation be dismissed in view of the fact that Trump “did not violate any law.”
As the former president himself has done on his social network, his campaign office recalled today that Biden himself has also been found in possession of official documents, although in the case of the current president it was his own advisers who notified the authorities and collaborated with them.
“We are confident that no matter how crooked the executive branch has become, the American justice system is resilient and will throw out this case entirely,” his campaign office added in a statement.
Shortly after the 49-page court brief was released, special counsel Smith said the law applies to everyone and he will seek a speedy trial.
Smith, appointed last November by the United States Attorney General, Merrick Garland, claimed the importance of complying with laws related to national security and warned that violating them puts the country “at risk.”
“We have a set of laws in the United States that apply to the entire world. Enforcing these laws and collecting evidence is what determines the outcome of an investigation. No more, no less,” stressed the special prosecutor in a public statement on video.
Trump has announced that he will attend a first hearing on this case next Tuesday afternoon that will be held in a federal court in Miami, where the charges are expected to be read.
2023-06-10 04:52:13
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