MIAMI (AP) — Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. Trump faces the possibility of prison if convicted.
MIAMI Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The indictment marks the first time in U.S. history that a former president faces criminal charges by the federal government he once oversaw. Trump faces the possibility of prison if convicted.
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What to know:
— A timeline of events leading to Trump’s indictment in the classified documents case
— Indictment accuses Trump of scheming and lying to keep secret papers
— A look at the charges, the special counsel’s investigation and what’s next
— Trump faces a string of inquiries in various states and venues as he campaigns for a return to the White House
— Does the indictment stand to damage Trump’s standing with voters?
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STANDING OVATION FOR TRUMP AT NORTH CAROLINA GOP DINNER
An indictment by the Department of Justice is an attempt to “thwart the will of the American people,” former President Donald Trump said at a state GOP convention dinner in North Carolina.
“I promise you this: If you put me back in the White House, their reign will be over and American will be a free nation once again, » he said to a standing ovation.
The indictment is an attempt to damage his chances for a second term, he alleged.
Trump is accused of willfully defying Justice Department demands to return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his residence.
In appearances at Republican state conventions in Georgia and North Carolina on Saturday, Trump sought to frame the 37 criminal charges he’s facing as an attack on not just him but also his supporters.
“In the end they’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you, and I’m just standing in the way,” he said in North Carolina.
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TRUMP VOWS TO CONTINUE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN EVEN IF CONVICTED
Former President Donald Trump vowed Saturday to continue his bid for a second term even if he is convicted in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
“I’ll never leave,” he told Politico in an interview aboard his plane after speaking at a Republican state convention in Georgia. He further predicted that he will not be convicted and sidestepped questions about whether he would pardon himself if elected.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have to,” Trump said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
The indictment unsealed Friday accuses Trump of willfully defying Justice Department demands to return classified documents, enlisting aides in his efforts to hide the records and even telling his lawyers that he wanted to defy a subpoena for the materials stored at his residence.
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MIKE PENCE DECLINES TO SHARE REACTION TO TRUMP INDICTMENT
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Saturday that he has read the indictment outlining federal charges against former President Donald Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents case.
But he declined to share his personal reaction to the content of the indictment, which included photographs of boxes with classified information stacked in a bathroom and on a ballroom stage, or to criticize Trump, whom he is challenging for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
“I’ve read the indictment,” Pence said in an interview with The Associated Press in North Carolina, where he addressed state Republicans.
“I also know that every American’s entitled to the presumption of innocence. And as I said today, we now know the Department of Justice’s view of these matters. But the former president is entitled to present his defense. And we don’t know what the facts of that are.”
“That’s why I said today I’m going to urge patience, encourage people to be prayerful for the former president, but also for all those in authority and for the country going forward,” said Pence, who formally launched his 2024 campaign this week.
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TRUMP SIGNS AUTOGRAPHS AND POSES FOR PHOTOS AT LOCAL WAFFLE HOUSE
After speaking at the Georgia Republican Convention, Trump stopped by a local Waffle House, where he signed autographs, posed for photos and chatted with supporters.
“We did absolutely nothing wrong,” Trump said of federal authorities unsealing a lengthy indictment accusing him of mishandling national security secrets and then covering up his actions.
He is scheduled to speak to another Republican audience in North Carolina later Saturday.
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TRUMP CALLS INDICTMENT AN ATTACK ON HIS CAMPAIGN
Speaking Saturday at the Georgia Republican Convention, Trump cast his federal indictment as an attempt to hurt his chances of returning to the White House as he campaigns for a second term in office.
In his first public appearance since the 37 felony counts against him were unsealed, Trump blasted the indictment as “ridiculous” and “baseless. »
“They’ve launched one witch hunt after another to try and stop our movement, to thwart the will of the American people,” Trump said, later adding, “In the end, they’re not coming after me. They’re coming after you.
