WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump faces a new legal challenge - this time from the government he used to lead - when he appears next week in federal court in Miami on charges of illegally retaining classified documents, obstruction and other crimes.
The indictment of a former US president on federal charges is unprecedented in American history and emerges at a time when Trump is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination next year.
Trump faces seven criminal counts related to his treatment of sensitive government materials he took with him when he left the White House in January 2021, according to a source familiar with the matter.
He is due to appear in court on Tuesday, a day before his 77th birthday.
ABC News, citing sources, reported that US District Judge Aileen Cannon has been initially assigned to oversee the case. It is unclear whether she will preside over the trial.
Cannon, appointed by Trump in 2019, made decisions that favoured him in legal skirmishes during the documents investigation last year. Her rulings were overturned on appeal.
Investigators seized roughly 13,000 documents from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, nearly a year ago. One hundred were marked as classified, even though one of Trump's lawyers had previously said all records with classified markings had been returned to the government.
Trump has previously said he declassified those documents while president, but his attorneys have declined to make that argument in court filings.
"I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, after he announced that he had been indicted.
Trump lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN the charges include conspiracy, false statements, obstruction of justice, and illegally retaining classified documents under the Espionage Act. He said he expects to see the charging document by Tuesday, when Trump is due in court.
Trump is the first current or former president to face criminal charges.
It is the second criminal case for Trump, who is due to go on trial in New York next March in a state case stemming from a hush-money payment to a porn star.
Trump's legal woes have not dented his popularity with Republican voters, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. His main rivals have so far lined up behind him to criticise the case as politically motivated.
Trump served as president from 2017 to 2021, and he has so far managed to weather controversies that might torpedo other politicians. He describes himself as the victim of a witch hunt and accuses the Justice Department of partisan bias.
Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is heading the investigation, is leading a second criminal probe into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Smith has been given a degree of independence from Justice Department leadership to pursue the politically sensitive cases.
Trump also faces a separate criminal probe in Georgia related to efforts to overturn his loss to Biden in that state. — AFP
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
