Former President Donald J. Trump is facing federal criminal charges filed by the Justice Department, marking a significant moment in both legal and political history, according to sources familiar with the matter. The charges stem from an extensive investigation into his handling of classified documents that he took with him upon leaving office and his subsequent obstruction of the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

This indictment, filed in Federal District Court in Miami, represents the first time a former president in the United States has faced federal charges. The nation finds itself in an unprecedented situation, as Trump not only held the highest office but also currently stands as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, potentially facing President Biden. The Biden administration now seeks to convict a potential rival for the presidency.

The specific charges against Mr. Trump have not yet been disclosed, although one person familiar with the matter mentioned that there are seven counts.

Sources close to Trump have revealed that he is expected to surrender himself to authorities in Miami on Tuesday. He announced this information himself through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.

This indictment comes approximately two months after local prosecutors in New York filed more than 30 felony charges against Trump, related to a hush money payment made to a porn star before the 2016 election.

Special counsel Jack Smith is leading an investigation into Trump’s extensive attempts to retain power following his loss in the 2020 election, including the events that led to the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

Public records in the documents case have revealed that Trump repeatedly impeded the efforts of the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as the Justice Department, to recover the extensive collection of sensitive government records he took from the White House. These documents were primarily kept at his private club and residence in Florida, Mar-a-Lago.

While some of the documents found in Trump’s possession have been identified, such as letters from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the contents of other classified materials found at Mar-a-Lago and any potential national security implications remain undisclosed.

Trump has consistently labeled the investigation as a politically motivated witch hunt, with his legal team recently raising concerns of prosecutorial misconduct.

Key Details:

The indictment focuses on the end of Trump’s term in January 2021 when the documents, including items stored in the White House residence, were packed and shipped by the General Services Administration to Mar-a-Lago, along with clothes, gifts, photos, and other belongings.
Throughout much of 2021, the National Archives made extensive efforts to retrieve the material, which falls under government property according to the Presidential Records Act. In January 2022, Trump finally handed over 15 boxes of material, only to be discovered that they contained highly sensitive documents marked as classified, prompting the Justice Department’s investigation.
In August of the same year, federal agents conducted a search at Mar-a-Lago, uncovering additional material that Trump had failed to return despite a previous subpoena demanding the surrender of any remaining classified documents in his possession.
The Justice Department has repeatedly questioned Trump’s level of cooperation in recovering the documents, citing the recovery of over 100 classified documents even after one of Trump’s lawyers claimed that a thorough search by the legal team had yielded no further materials.
Trump still faces multiple ongoing criminal investigations, including the probe led by Jack Smith into his attempts to retain power after the 2020 election and the subsequent assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Additionally, a prosecutor in Georgia is investigating Trump’s endeavors to overturn his election loss in that pivotal swing state. The Manhattan criminal case is scheduled to begin in March next year.

El Departamento de Justicia dio el paso legal y políticamente trascendental de presentar cargos penales federales contra el ex presidente Donald J. Trump, según varias personas familiarizadas con el asunto, el jueves. Esto se produce después de una larga investigación sobre su manejo de documentos clasificados que se llevó consigo al abandonar el cargo y luego obstruir los esfuerzos del gobierno para recuperarlos.

La acusación, presentada en el Tribunal de Distrito Federal de Miami, es la primera vez en la historia de Estados Unidos que un ex presidente enfrenta cargos federales. Esto sitúa al país en una posición extraordinaria, dada la condición de Trump no solo como ex jefe de Estado, sino también como el principal contendiente para la nominación presidencial republicana de 2024 y potencial rival del presidente Biden, cuya administración buscará ahora condenar.

No se sabe de inmediato qué cargos específicos enfrenta Trump. Según una persona informada sobre el asunto, hay siete cargos en su contra.

Se espera que Trump se entregue a las autoridades en Miami el martes, según una persona cercana a él y su propia publicación en Truth Social.

La acusación, presentada por la oficina del fiscal especial Jack Smith, se produce aproximadamente dos meses después de que fiscales locales de Nueva York presentaran más de 30 cargos graves contra Trump en un caso relacionado con un pago de dinero para silenciar a una estrella del cine para adultos antes de las elecciones de 2016.

Smith también está investigando los amplios esfuerzos de Trump por retener el poder después de su derrota electoral en 2020 y cómo esos esfuerzos llevaron al asalto al Capitolio el 6 de enero de 2021 por una turba de seguidores de Trump.

Los registros públicos en el caso de los documentos han descrito cómo Trump obstaculizó repetidamente los esfuerzos tanto de la Administración Nacional de Archivos y Registros como del Departamento de Justicia para recuperar la gran cantidad de documentos gubernamentales sensibles que el ex presidente se llevó de la Casa Blanca y que guardó principalmente en su club privado y residencia en Florida, Mar-a-Lago.

Si bien se conoce la naturaleza de algunos de los documentos encontrados en posesión de Trump, como las cartas del dictador norcoreano Kim Jong-un, aún no está claro qué otros materiales clasificados se encontraron en Mar-a-Lago y qué daño a la seguridad nacional pudo haber causado su posesión.

Trump ha caracterizado repetidamente la investigación como una caza de brujas políticamente motivada y, en las últimas semanas, sus abogados han tratado de plantear lo que dicen son problemas de mala conducta por parte de los fiscales.

Esto es lo que hay que saber:

La acusación se remonta al final del mandato de Trump en enero de 2021, cuando los documentos, muchos de los cuales se decía que estaban en la residencia de la Casa Blanca, fueron empacados en cajas junto con ropa, regalos, fotos y otros materiales, y enviados por la Administración de Servicios Generales a Mar-a-Lago.

Después de extensos esfuerzos de los Archivos Nacionales a lo largo de 2021 para que Trump entregara el material que se llevó, considerado propiedad del gobierno según