Former President Donald Trump has been indicted by the Justice Department over his handling of classified documents at his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, according to court documents unsealed Friday.
Trump, who is facing felony charges related to retaining classified information, making false statements and obstructing justice, will appear in court in Miami on Tuesday.
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Read live updates on the indictment below:
Trump Aide Walt Nauta Indicted In Classified Documents Case: Report
An aide to former President Donald Trump who was seen on surveillance video moving boxes believed to contain sensitive government documents has been indicted, The Wall Street Journal first reported Friday.
Walt Nauta, a former military valet, worked at Mar-a-Lago following Trump’s presidency. Nauta had previously been eyed by investigators in the documents probe after he was seen on Mar-a-Lago surveillance video moving boxes from a storage room before and after a subpoena was issued.
Nauta later told investigators he moved the boxes at Trump’s request.
It's not yet clear what the charges against Nauta are.
Walt Nauta, a former military valet, worked at Mar-a-Lago following Trump’s presidency. Nauta had previously been eyed by investigators in the documents probe after he was seen on Mar-a-Lago surveillance video moving boxes from a storage room before and after a subpoena was issued.
Nauta later told investigators he moved the boxes at Trump’s request.
It's not yet clear what the charges against Nauta are.
Trump Attorneys Resign
Two top Trump attorneys, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, have resigned from his legal team.
In a statement, Trusty and Rowley said they resigned Friday morning.
"Now that the case has been filed in Miami, this is a logical moment for us to step aside and let others carry the cases through to completion," the statement reads.
Trusty appeared on CNN Thursday evening to defend Trump and criticize the DOJ.
Trump addressed the changes to his legal team Friday morning.
“For purposes of fighting the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time, now moving to the Florida Courts, I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work, but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and 'sick' group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before.”
Blanche, a criminal defense lawyer, was previously hired by Trump to fight the criminal charges he’s facing in Manhattan over alleged hush money payments.
In a statement, Trusty and Rowley said they resigned Friday morning.
"Now that the case has been filed in Miami, this is a logical moment for us to step aside and let others carry the cases through to completion," the statement reads.
Trusty appeared on CNN Thursday evening to defend Trump and criticize the DOJ.
Trump addressed the changes to his legal team Friday morning.
“For purposes of fighting the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time, now moving to the Florida Courts, I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work, but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and 'sick' group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before.”
Blanche, a criminal defense lawyer, was previously hired by Trump to fight the criminal charges he’s facing in Manhattan over alleged hush money payments.
Pence Reacts
After canceling his scheduled appearance on Fox News on Thursday evening, former Vice President Mike Pence sat down Friday morning with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt to react to Trump’s indictment. During the interview, Pence compared Trump’s actions with his own handling of classified documents, which were found at his Indiana home in January. Last week, the Justice Department told the former vice president it would not be pursuing criminal charges against him.
“We fully cooperated with the Justice Department. I took full responsibility, and I’m pleased the Justice Department concluded that investigation last week, found that it was an innocent mistake,” said Pence, who is running against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. “But it was a mistake. We have to protect our nation’s secrets.”
Pence continued: “And my only hope is as we learn about the facts of this indictment next week, that the American people will see in this case that it would meet a high standard necessary to justify the unprecedented federal indictment of a former president of the United States by the current president of the United States’ Justice Department, and by a potential rival.”
Pence previously warned the Justice Department against charging Trump in the documents case, arguing that doing so would be “terribly divisive.”
He stood by that argument during his interview with Hewitt, saying the indictment “sends a divisive message across the country and a terrible message across the wider world.” He also vowed to “clean house” at the Justice Department if elected president.
“We fully cooperated with the Justice Department. I took full responsibility, and I’m pleased the Justice Department concluded that investigation last week, found that it was an innocent mistake,” said Pence, who is running against Trump for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. “But it was a mistake. We have to protect our nation’s secrets.”
Pence continued: “And my only hope is as we learn about the facts of this indictment next week, that the American people will see in this case that it would meet a high standard necessary to justify the unprecedented federal indictment of a former president of the United States by the current president of the United States’ Justice Department, and by a potential rival.”
Pence previously warned the Justice Department against charging Trump in the documents case, arguing that doing so would be “terribly divisive.”
He stood by that argument during his interview with Hewitt, saying the indictment “sends a divisive message across the country and a terrible message across the wider world.” He also vowed to “clean house” at the Justice Department if elected president.
Biden Ignores Shouted Questions About Trump’s Latest Indictment
President Joe Biden ignored reporters’ shouted questions about Trump’s indictment as he boarded Air Force One on Friday morning, per a White House pool report.
Pool reporters tried to get Biden to weigh in on the news as he walked from his motorcade to his presidential plane bound for North Carolina, where he is scheduled to give remarks about workforce training programs.
Biden simply kept walking to his plane.
Pool reporters tried to get Biden to weigh in on the news as he walked from his motorcade to his presidential plane bound for North Carolina, where he is scheduled to give remarks about workforce training programs.
Biden simply kept walking to his plane.
Mitt Romney: Trump 'Brought These Charges Upon Himself'
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) didn’t mince words in a statement Friday blaming former President Donald Trump for the charges he now faces for keeping classified documents.
“Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so,” Romney said.
“Mr. Trump brought these charges upon himself by not only taking classified documents, but by refusing to simply return them when given numerous opportunities to do so,” Romney said.
Nixon Historian: Trump Understood Power But Not Obligations
Presidential historian Timothy Naftali, who is the former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, told CNN that former President Donald Trump failed to understand a key responsibility of the White House, HuffPost's Lee Morán writes.
“We live in a constitutional democracy. Everybody, including the president, is bound by the Constitution and there are limits to their power,” Naftali said.
“Trump not only had a hard time with limits, he didn’t respect them,” Naftali added. “And this is a case where he was told repeatedly that there were limits on his ability to keep materials and he said, ‘I don’t care.’”
“We live in a constitutional democracy. Everybody, including the president, is bound by the Constitution and there are limits to their power,” Naftali said.
“Trump not only had a hard time with limits, he didn’t respect them,” Naftali added. “And this is a case where he was told repeatedly that there were limits on his ability to keep materials and he said, ‘I don’t care.’”
Trump Appointee Judge Aileen Cannon May Initially Oversee Case: ABC
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whom former President Donald Trump appointed to the federal bench in 2019, will be assigned to the case, ABC News reported, citing sources briefed on the matter.
Cannon has come into contact with Trump cases before. She faced criticism last year for granting Trump's request for an independent arbiter to review records taken during the Aug. 8, 2022, search of the former president's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart's name also appeared on summons sent to Trump, the sources said. He signed off on the initial search warrant of Mar-a-Lago in 2022 and ruled to unseal the search affidavit.
Cannon has come into contact with Trump cases before. She faced criticism last year for granting Trump's request for an independent arbiter to review records taken during the Aug. 8, 2022, search of the former president's Mar-a-Lago residence.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart's name also appeared on summons sent to Trump, the sources said. He signed off on the initial search warrant of Mar-a-Lago in 2022 and ruled to unseal the search affidavit.
Trump Admits On Tape He Retained 'Secret' Information: CNN
Former President Donald Trump acknowledged in a 2021 meeting that he retained "secret" military information that he no longer had the power to declassify, CNN reported.
The network previously reported the existence of the meeting and on Friday said it obtained a transcript of the audio. The transcript suggests Trump is showing a document he's discussing to others in the room.
“All sorts of stuff — pages long, look. Wait a minute, let’s see here. I just found, isn’t that amazing? This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this," Trump said.
It's unknown whether the indictment involves this meeting. But the transcript suggests Trump had an understanding that documents in his possession were classified.
The network previously reported the existence of the meeting and on Friday said it obtained a transcript of the audio. The transcript suggests Trump is showing a document he's discussing to others in the room.
“All sorts of stuff — pages long, look. Wait a minute, let’s see here. I just found, isn’t that amazing? This totally wins my case, you know. Except it is like, highly confidential. Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this," Trump said.
It's unknown whether the indictment involves this meeting. But the transcript suggests Trump had an understanding that documents in his possession were classified.
