6/11/23

By Aditi Jha

Trump has been indicted on 37 charges, including keeping dozens of classified governments at Mar-a-Lago (his resort in Florida) declining to give them back to the FBI and the National Archives, conspiring to obstruct justice, and false statements and representations. The false statements were from Trump’s attorney, who said that “A diligent search was conducted of the boxes that were moved from the White House to Florida”, “This search was conducted after receipt of the subpoena, in order to locate any and all documents that are responsive to the subpoena”, and “Any and all responsive documents accompany this certification”, all of which are untrue. Many boxes were not searched and several important documents were not found because Trump directed one of his aides to move the boxes before the search on June 2nd. Each of the charges has a maximum fine of $250,000, and prison sentences of 5-20 years. He can still run for president on trial, however. NPR reports that there’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution that says that he can’t hold office, even if he gets convicted. In fact, Politico’s legal scholars say a judge can rule that an elected president’s duties override a criminal conviction. Trump would also be able to pardon himself as president. According to the special counsel, Trump stored documents in a ballroom, a bathroom, a shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room. The indictment says that Trump had personal involvement in packing boxes with the documents when leaving the White House. Trump will arrive in court for arraignment on Tuesday. An arraignment is essentially when the court formally reads the charges and the defendant can enter a plea. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith said that "Our laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced." On Truth Social, Trump called Jack Smith a "Trump Hater" and a "deranged psycho that shouldn't be involved in any case having to do with 'justice' other than to look at Biden as a criminal, which he is!" The FBI found 102 classified documents in Mar-a-Lago last August. There are three categories of national security information. Top secret refers to the most classified material that needs the most protection possible. Documents are classified as top secret when “its unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security” (Cornell University). Secret refers to material that needs substantial protection. If secret material was disclosed, it would “cause serious damage to the national security.” Lastly, the disclosure of confidential material would “cause damage to the national security”, requiring protection as well, though not to the degree of the aforementioned. Six documents in the Mar-a-Lago storage room were labeled top secret, eighteen were secret and three were confidential. In Trump’s office, eleven documents were top secret, thirty-six were secret and twenty-eight were confidential. On Friday, Trump's lawyers, Jim Trusty, and John Rowley, who have represented Trump for over a year, both resigned. They told NPR, "We will no longer represent him on either the indicted case or the January 6 investigation. It has been an honor to have spent the last year defending him and we know he will be vindicated in his battle against the Biden Administration's partisan weaponization of the American justice system." According to CNN, last month a member of their legal team, Timothy Parlatore, left as well because of infighting. Prosecutors say that Trump showed classified documents to people without security clearance, including a writer, a publisher, and members of his staff. 

That’s the news for today! Stay safe!