Donald Trump says he has been indicted on federal charges in documents probe

Donald Trump said on Thursday evening that he had been indicted on federal charges in connection with documents found at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the latest legal crisis to hit the former US president as he accused another White House. House run was scored.

“The Corrupt Biden Administration Has Notified My Lawyers That I Have Been Charged With The Box Hoax,” Trump said on his Truth social media platform. He said he was “summoned to appear” in federal court in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday.

“This is truly a Dark Day for the United States of America,” he wrote.

The Justice Department declined to comment. Trump’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The indictment put more legal pressure on Trump, and marks the first time a former US president has been hit with federal criminal charges. He is charged in a separate criminal case in New York state court, where he was indicted earlier this year by the Manhattan district attorney.

A criminal conviction would not disqualify Trump from running for the White House. But the court proceedings could become a hindrance to his campaign as the 2024 election schedule begins to take shape. The first Republican presidential debate has been set for August, although it is unclear whether Trump will participate.

The federal case appears to involve documents seized by agents from Mar-a-Lago in August. The former president had already handed over 15 boxes of classified documents, some of which were marked “top secret,” to the government after months of haggling with DOJ officials. Trump kept the material in a non-secure room at his Florida home for a little over a year.

Trump told CNN in May that he “took the documents” because he was “allowed” under the Presidential Records Act, a law that determines who controls documents and other records from the presidency. The act states that official presidential records are owned by the US, not the president, and must be placed in the Federal Depository after they officially leave the White House.

Trump is not the only politician facing scrutiny of his presidential record. The DoJ has appointed a second special counsel to investigate possible mishandling of documents found in President Joe Biden’s residential garage in Delaware and his former private office in Washington. That investigation is underway.

Classified documents were also found at the home of Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, who is challenging his former boss for the Republican nomination in 2024. According to media reports, the DOJ recently closed the investigation without filing any charges.

Jack Smith, the US special counsel leading the Trump probe, was appointed by Attorney-General Merrick Garland in November to oversee inquiries related to the former president.

Trump could face more legal trouble stemming from separate investigations led by Smith in the DOJ and Fannie Willis, Fulton County district attorney in the state of Georgia related to the 2020 presidential election. Legal experts said any charges resulting from those investigations could pose a more serious threat to him.

Earlier this year, Willis said his decision on whether or not to bring charges was “imminent” based on a special grand jury investigation. Upon his appointment, Smith stated that he would “proceed the investigation expeditiously and thoroughly”. Trump has said he has done nothing wrong.

New York Attorney-General Letitia James has also filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and his three adult children, alleging widespread fraud regarding the Trump Organization. In another case, Trump was recently ordered to pay $5 million to journalist E Jean Carroll after she was found liable in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault and defamation.

The legal actions have not appeared to have much effect on Trump’s popularity with Republican voters — most polls show him with a commanding lead over his party’s other presidential candidates.