Trump kept classified documents from seven agencies including CIA, DoD, and NSA
Former president kept classified documents from agency ‘responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating space-based surveillance,’ indictment says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump kept classified documents from seven agencies after leaving the White House, the 49-page and 37-count unsealed indictment against the former president has revealed.
The agencies include the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Energy, and the Department of State and its Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
The indictment outlined the responsibilities of each agency with the CIA being in charge of “providing intelligence on foreign countries and global issues to the president”, the DoD being responsible for “providing the military forces needed to deter war and ensure national security”, the NSA working on “foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity”, the Geospatial Intelligence Agency leading “the exploitation and analysis of imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial information in support of the national security objectives”.
A number of the agencies are under the umbrella of the Defense Department, including the Reconnaissance Office which is “responsible for developing, acquiring, launching, and operating space-based surveillance”, while the Department of Energy is in charge of “maintaining a safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent to protect national security”.
“The Department of State was responsible for protecting and promoting United States security, prosperity, and democratic values. Within the Department of State, the Bureau of Intelligence and Research was a member of the USIC and responsible for providing intelligence to inform diplomacy and support United States diplomats,” the indictment states.
The indictment, unsealed on Friday afternoon, stems from Mr Trump’s allegedly unlawful retention of hundreds of documents at his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago.
Trump aide Walt Nauta has also been charged after he was apparently spotted on surveillance footage moving boxes at the property. The ex-president stands accused of having moved classified documents from the White House at the end of his presidency despite not having the right to do so.
In a short statement on Friday, the man in charge of DoJ’s investigations into Mr Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith, said: “Today, an indictment was unsealed, charging Donald J. Trump of felony violations of our national security laws, as well participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the southern district of Florida.”
“It is very important for me to note that the defendant in this case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. To that end, my office will seek a speedy trial in this matter,” he added.
Fox News commentator Jonathan Turley said: “It is an extremely damning indictment ...This is not an indictment you can dismiss.”
Mr Trump took to Truth Social to slam the Special Counsel, calling him a “Trump Hater” and a “deranged ‘psycho’”.
The ex-president said Mr Smith “shouldn’t be involved in any case having to do with ‘Justice,’ other than to look at Biden as a criminal, which he is!”
“Under the Presidential Records Act, I’m allowed to do all this,” Mr Trump claimed in a subsequent statement.
“There was no crime, except for what the DOJ and FBI have been doing against me for years,” he added.
“Nobody said I wasn’t allowed to look at the personal records that I brought with me from the White House,” Mr Trump said.