By Luke Cohen
(Reuters) – Here are five takeaways from Friday’s indictment accusing former U.S. President Donald Trump of unlawfully retaining classified government documents after leaving the White House and then conspiring to obstruct to a federal investigation into the case.
DOCUMENTS KEEPED BY TRUMP ON MILITARY AND NUCLEAR PROGRAMS
According to the accusation.
TRUMP SHARED CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WITH OTHERS
During a July 2021 interview with a writer from his Bedminster Club in New Jersey, Trump reportedly described a “plan of attack” on another country that a military official had hatched. Trump said the information “appeared highly classified” and that he could have declassified it as president, but he couldn’t anymore. The exchange was taped, according to the indictment.
At a meeting later that year in Bedminster, Trump allegedly showed a representative of his political action committee a classified map of another country while discussing an ongoing military operation there.
TRUMP CONSPIRED WITH HELP TO HIDE DOCUMENTS
After receiving a grand jury subpoena in May 2022 requiring him to produce all documents with classified marks in his possession, Trump allegedly ordered his aide Walt Nauta to remove 64 boxes of documents from a storage room in Mar-a-Lago to Trump’s residence.
Before Trump’s lawyer arrived at the club to search the storage room in response to the June 2 subpoena, Nauta spoke with Trump on the phone and then moved 30 of those boxes from the Trump’s residence to the storage room, according to the indictment. .
DOCUMENTS KEEPED BY TRUMP ON THE BALLROOM STAGE, IN THE SHOWER
A photo included in the indictment shows boxes allegedly containing classified documents stored in a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago, where events and gatherings took place. Some documents were stored in a bathroom and shower at the club, according to another photograph.
TRUMP WAS AWARE OF CLASSIFICATION RESPONSIBILITIES
The indictment includes statements made by Trump during his campaign and presidency indicating that he understood the importance of properly handling classified documents.
“In my administration, I will enforce all laws regarding the protection of classified information,” Trump said during his campaign in 2016. “No one is above the law.”
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller)