Washington: As US federal prosecutors unsealed a 37-count indictment against Donald Trump, more details have emerged about the charges against the former president.
Trump has been accused of risking some of the country’s most guarded secrets, including information on defence capabilities and nuclear programmes, by storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House in 2021.
Trump left the documents in cardboard boxes, unsecured at the residence where he hosted tens of thousands of guests.
“The unauthorised disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive collection methods,” the indictment said.
This is the first time a former US president has faced federal charges. Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, has denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have also alleged that Trump tried to obstruct FBI enquiry by telling investigators he did not have them, and instructing his staff to ‘hide or destroy them’. Some of the classified documents were stored in the ballroom, in a bathroom, shower and Trump’s bedroom. Charges have also been filed against Walt Nauta, Trump’s personal aide who is accused of moving files to hide them from the FBI.
According to reports, Trump showed the classified documents to unauthorised people, including a writer and two members of his staff.
Trump acknowledged during that meetings that the “document was highly confidential and secret information,” the indictment said. He also said that he could have declassified the document if he was still president.