Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(MIAMI) — Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday after he was indicted in an investigation into his handling of classified documents.
Trump has been charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
Trump has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 13, 8:25 AM EDT
Chris Christie calls Trump’s conduct ‘inexcusable,’ ‘self-centered’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took aim at former President Donald Trump during a CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall Monday night, calling Trump’s conduct “inexcusable” for someone who wants to occupy the Oval Office.
“He has shown himself, and I think most particularly in his post-presidency, to be completely self-centered, completely self-consumed, and doesn’t give a damn about the American people, in my view, if what the American people want is in conflict with what Donald Trump thinks is best for him,” Christie said.
“I mean, put aside taking the documents in the first place,” Christie said. “But then when you start getting asked … nicely with a letter from the archivist saying, ‘Could you please give it back,’ and you ignore it, ignore it, ignore it. Then they come with a grand jury subpoena, and then, according to the indictment, you tell your lawyers to tell them we don’t have anything even though you have dozens and dozens of boxes of material. That’s obstruction of justice, if it’s true.”
Jun 13, 8:11 AM EDT
Lawyers Todd Blanche, Chris Kise expected to attend court appearance
Former President Donald Trump is expected to be joined by his lawyers Todd Blanche and Chris Kise at Tuesday’s court appearance in Miami, sources told ABC News. Meetings with additional local attorneys are ongoing.
Blanche is representing Trump in the Manhattan criminal case while Kise represents Trump and the Trump Organization in other matters.
Jun 13, 5:12 AM EDT
Trump to appear in court at 3 p.m.
Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in federal court at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
He’s accused of willfully retaining documents containing the nation’s most sensitive secrets, including nuclear programs, after he left office, prosecutors said. He allegedly showed some of the documents to people on at least two occasions and then tried to obstruct the investigation into their whereabouts, prosecutors claim.
Trump denied any wrongdoing over the weekend, saying: “We did absolutely nothing wrong. Take a look at the Presidential Records Act. We did it by the book. Perfect.”
Trump is expected to arrive at and depart from the Miami courthouse via secure private access points that would make it impossible for the public or journalists to see him.
Trump aide Walt Nauta, who was also charged in connection with his handling of government documents, is also due in court at 3 p.m.
(NEW YORK) — For Haley Reyes, there were two questions looming over her senior year in high school at the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School in Manhattan.
First, was whether she’d get into her dream school of Syracuse University.
Second, was how she’d pay for it without going into crushing debt.
The sticker price at the private university tops $85,000 a year for tuition and housing, even as Syracuse says most students receive some type of aid.
Reyes, whose father died when she was 12 and whose mom earns a middle-class wage to support three kids, qualified for just $5,000 in federal grant money.
Her best option would be to snag merit-based grants and scholarships, which seemed out of reach for a student whose family could afford the basics. The other option is debt — tens of thousands of interest-bearing loans from the government in the hopes that one day her income will be high enough to pay it back.
“You start to wonder, is my family going to help me? Are the loans going to be enough?” said Reyes.
This month, the Supreme Court is set to weigh in on President Joe Biden’s plan to forgive some student loans for 44 million Americans, which he says will offer young Americans “breathing room” after the pandemic. But even if the high court greenlights the program, it won’t benefit the Class of 2023, which faces record-high tuition costs.
The answer for most of them will still be debt, adding to the already eye-popping $1.6 trillion owed to the Education Department — a number that is triple what it was 15 years ago, according to the government, and has turned the federal agency into a major U.S. bank.
In interviews throughout their senior year, Reyes and other graduating students told ABC News they were no longer convinced a college degree was a kind of golden ticket that could help them achieve their dreams. Several students cited online posts by strangers lamenting their debt and the lack of high-paying jobs.
Still, the high school seniors said they saw few other options to find a high-paying job. The question of affordability can be a tough calculation, particularly for young people footing the bill on their own.
“Since most people don’t pay the sticker price, it’s a very weird thing to have one of the biggest expenses in your life have a price tag on it that’s completely unknown,” said Phillip Levine, a professor of economics at Wellesley College who wrote a book on the complexities of college pricing.
“That doesn’t happen really in anything else that you buy: a house, a car, nothing else, you always have at least some idea. A college education? For the most part, you really just don’t know,” he said.
It’s a system even Education Secretary Miguel Cardona agrees is broken.
In an interview with ABC News, Cardona said he believes higher education remains a great “equalizer.” Graduates of four-year universities still outearn their peers with only a high school degree and are less likely to face unemployment. And in addition to the student loan forgiveness plan, the Biden administration has expanded programs that erase debt for teachers and public servants, while lowering monthly loan repayments based on income.
But avoiding burdensome debt often still depends upon family money, not merit — something Cardona says the country should pull together to fix.
“Think about the wasted talent and potential in this country because we’re not making it more affordable. It works for some, but not enough,” Cardona told ABC News.
The reason for soaring college costs is complex. Republicans argue dumping government money into the education system through loans has mostly encouraged colleges to spike prices. They want to pull back on the federal loan program or eliminate it entirely, steering kids like Reyes toward trade schools or affordable community colleges instead.
Democrats, on the other hand, point to years of disinvestment in higher education during the Reagan administration and by state governments that pushed costs back onto students.
“I think we’re all to blame,” said Javaid Siddiqi, president and CEO of The Hunt Institute, a North Carolina-based nonprofit organization that focuses on education research and policy.
One problem, he said, is that communities encourage kids to dream of college to better their lives, but there’s little infrastructure supporting lower-income or middle-class kids to navigate the system. One example is the form to apply for financial aid. The form, known as the “FAFSA,” is so cumbersome to fill out that some $3.6 billion in Pell Grant money was left on the table last year.
“We need more disruptors who are willing to think differently and think about it from a consumer standpoint,” said Siddiqi.
Reyes’ close friend, Trinity Jennings-Pagan, whose dream school is Harvard, says it’s not fair for politicians to push lower-income high school students toward trade schools or community college that might be less expensive but not be a good fit.
“It’s almost like telling someone they’re not worth school when there’s a price tag that is out of their reach … I believe education is a right,” said Jennings-Pagan.
Sara Harberson, a former college admissions officer who now runs her own consulting business called Application Nation, said their ability to pay full price definitely makes a difference. Colleges will typically favor enrolling students who can pay more than those who require financial aid, she said. That’s in part because wealthy alumni prefer to donate to a football stadium or a building named in their honor than to donate to financial aid programs.
“I felt very strongly that the most important thing that a college can invest in is going to be that financial aid budget so that you can get the strongest student body possible,” she said of her time as an admissions counselor. “But, you know, sometimes, the football stadium is going to win out.”
In the end, both Reyes and Jennings-Pagan aren’t going to their dream schools. Reyes decided against applying, believing it would be a “useless application” since she couldn’t afford it.
Jennings-Pagan, whose grades were exceptional despite her own family hardship, was offered a free ride at Syracuse and agreed to attend there in fall. She said she has embraced Syracuse and has let go of Harvard as the “perfect” school.
For Reyes, she is worried that her academic struggles in her early teen years — when she was still grieving the loss of her dad only to be hit with a global pandemic and isolated from her peers — will make her ineligible for financial help, even though they don’t reflect the student she is now.
This spring, she was accepted at the University at Albany, an in-state public research university whose sticker price is about a third of Syracuse. But she says she still needs scholarships to cover about $10,000 a year — an unfathomable sum for someone just entering adulthood. One scholarship program has already rejected her.
She wonders, will there be a job after college to pay it all back?
“College is like a gamble,” she said. “It is never guaranteed to ever (get you) where you want to be. Like there is always something in the way.”
(NEW YORK) — Policymakers and consumers on Tuesday will closely watch the release of fresh data on consumer prices, which will show whether inflation has continued its monthslong slowdown.
The inflation data for May arrives a day before the Federal Reserve will announce its latest rate decision as it determines whether to extend an aggressive series of rate increases last seen in the 1980s.
Consumer prices rose 4.9% in April compared to a year ago, extending a steady decline from a peak last summer and bolstering hopes that inflation would continue its return back to normal levels.
Inflation is expected to have slowed in May to 4.2% compared to a year ago, according to a consensus forecast from FactSet reported by Morningstar. While a significant cooling of price increases, such a measure would still stand at more than double the Federal Reserve’s target of 2%.
A slowdown of inflation in May would suggest that the Federal Reserve has gained further traction in its effort to decelerate economic growth and slash prices while averting a recession.
Economic growth slowed at the outset of this year amid a decline in business investment and residential fixed investment, which includes money spent on home buying and construction, data showed.
U.S. gross domestic product grew by a 1.1% annualized rate over the three months ending in March, according to government data.
Meanwhile, three of the nation’s 30-largest banks failed over a weeks-long stretch beginning in March.
While high interest rates contributed to the collapses, each of the banks also retained a sizable portion of uninsured depositors, who tend to panic without a government backstop for their funds.
However, recent economic indicators suggest resilient economic performance.
A jobs report earlier this month showed that the labor market grew robustly in May, adding 339,000 jobs compared to Wall Street estimates of just 195,000.
The inflation data on Tuesday will mark the final contribution of evidence to Federal Reserve deliberations that will culminate with a rate decision on Wednesday.
Economists expect the central bank will pause its longstanding series of rate hikes as it awaits further effects from its previous escalation of the benchmark interest rate.
Upon the announcement of a rate hike last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted the removal of a sentence that appeared in the Fed’s previous rate hike announcement that said “some additional policy increases might be appropriate.”
Powell described the omission in the announcement as “meaningful,” saying a decision about any additional rate hikes would be “data dependent.”
(MIAMI) — Miami officials said Monday that they are “ready” for the historic arraignment of former President Donald Trump, after he was charged with 37 counts related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office.
“We are prepared for a variety of crowd sizes,” Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters. “We have the ability to increase our capacity if necessary.”
Trump, who has said he is innocent and will plead not guilty, appeared to encourage supporters to come to Miami for his court hearing, writing on social media last week: “SEE YOU IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY!!!”
It wasn’t immediately clear how many pro-Trump people might come to Florida, though organizers claimed to be busing in hundreds. Trump made a similar call after he was indicted in New York City, though few heeded that. (He pleaded not guilty in that case.)
The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a nonpartisan think tank that tracks and analyzes online hate speech, disinformation and extremism, said an analysis of digital behavior found “some Trump supporters expressed intentions or shared plans to protest in Miami and New York City, but at this time, there is no indication that large scale mobilization is likely to occur.”
The group reiterated that view on Monday while noting a possible gathering in Miami seemed to be gaining momentum — “without violent rhetoric attached.”
Some of Trump’s supporters have been more pointed in their comments about him needing literal defenders.
“If you want to get to President Trump, you’re going to have to go through me and you’re going to have to go through 75 million Americans just like me,” former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake said last week. “And I’m going to tell you, most of us are card-carrying members of the [National Rifle Association]. That’s not a threat. That’s a public service announcement.”
On Monday, Manuel Morales, Miami’s police chief, expressed confidence that any protests would remain peaceful.
He said the police were preparing for a crowd size from 5,000 to 50,000.
“We’re taking this event extremely serious,” he said. “We know there’s the potential for things taking a turn for the worse, but that’s not the Miami way.”
Specific security plans were not disclosed.
Morales said that officers were mindful of social media posts that echoed Trump’s rhetoric about the indictment and the special counsel prosecuting him but said there have been no specific threats.
The U.S. Secret Service has been preparing for Trump’s appearance as well.
In coordination with the U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement authorities, the agency has worked to streamline Trump’s movements and minimize the number of locations and the distance he needs to move within the court complex to help secure his appearance.
“While operational security precludes us from going into specifics, the Secret Service will not seek any special accommodations outside of what would be required to ensure the former President’s continued safety,” spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
External courthouse security is being provided by the Federal Protective Service, which supervises all federal building grounds.
A noticeable increase in both local and federal law enforcement has been seen around the courthouse.
“We continuously review the measures in place and take appropriate steps to ensure the integrity of the federal judicial process,” the Marshals said in a statement last week, in part.
(NEW YORK) — Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on federal charges in an investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday.
The indictment comes after more than 100 documents with classified markings were found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in August 2022.
Trump was charged with 37 counts: 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information; one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice; one count of withholding a document or record; one count of corruptly concealing a document or record; one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation; one count of scheme to conceal; and one count of false statements and representations.
The indictment of Trump, who has repeatedly denied any allegations of impropriety, is unprecedented for a former president.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 12, 9:58 PM EDT
Magistrate judge denies press coalition request for video, audio of Tuesday’s proceedings
A federal magistrate judge has denied a request from a coalition of press outlets, including ABC News, seeking video and audio access to Tuesday’s historic initial appearance and arraignment of former President Donald Trump as he appears to face federal criminal charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
The order confirms that Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman will preside over Trump’s court appearance, and he assures the court reporter will provide a same-day turnaround of the transcript from the proceedings.
Goodman notes in the order he believes the media coalition’s request also asks him to rule on all future proceedings related to the case against Trump, which he says he leaves open to the discretion of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon for further appeals from media outlets.
“My involvement in this case will almost certainly end tomorrow,” Goodman writes in the order. “So I do not feel it is appropriate for me to rule on what happens in future proceedings when I am not the district judge and when I will have no involvement whatsoever.”
Jun 12, 9:33 PM EDT
How serious are obstruction charges?
Legal experts say that of all the federal charges Donald Trump and his aide Walter Nauta face in the investigation into the alleged mishandling of top secret government documents, obstruction is one of the most serious.
Claire Finkelstein, the founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, said the obstruction charges in the indictment against Trump and his aide carry as much serious weight as the charges related to keeping the top secret documents, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Jun 12, 9:27 PM EDT
Trump says he’ll plead not guilty
On the eve of his Tuesday arraignment in Miami, former President Donald Trump made rounds across key conservative media audiences and spoke out against the charges.
Trump told talk show host Howie Carr he would plead “not guilty” at his arraignment and not make a statement during his court appearance on Tuesday.
“I just say, ‘not guilty.’ I didn’t do anything wrong. I did nothing wrong. Presidential Records Act. It’s not even a criminal event. There’s no criminality here. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said.
Trump also slammed his former attorney general, Bill Barr, who over the weekend had criticized Trump for his alleged mishandling of presidential documents.
“Bill Barr is a failure in so many different ways. But he was a coward. And he didn’t do his job,” the former president said.
Jun 12, 4:45 PM EDT
Schumer calls for supporters, critics to ‘maintain the peace’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on both supporters and critics of former President Donald Trump to “maintain the peace” as Trump heads to federal court on Tuesday.
“This case must be allowed to play out through the legal process without outside political or ideological interference,” Schumer said on the Senate floor Monday. “I encourage both supporters and critics of Donald Trump to maintain the peace and let the justice system do its work.”
Republican leader Mitch McConnell has not made any public comments on the indictment since it was handed up on Thursday.
Jun 12, 3:00 PM EDT
Trump lands in Florida
Former President Donald Trump has landed in Florida ahead of his Tuesday afternoon appearance in federal court in Miami.
Trump is spending Monday night at his golf club in Doral, Florida.
Jun 12, 2:31 PM EDT
Miami police prepared for crowds of 5,000 to 50,000
Preparations are underway in Miami ahead of former President Donald Trump’s Tuesday appearance in federal court, city officials said at a news conference Monday.
“We are working very closely with our federal, state and local partners to make sure we have a comprehensive approach” to maintain “peace and order,” but also to allow people the right to express themselves, Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said.
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez encouraged any demonstrators to be peaceful, adding that officials are prepared for large crowds outside the courthouse.
Jun 12, 1:31 PM EDT
McCarthy defends keeping docs in bathroom: ‘A bathroom door locks’
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy went to bat for former President Donald Trump during his first appearance in the Capitol since the 37-count indictment against Trump was handed up in Florida last week.
Asked by reporters whether it was a good look for Trump to have stored boxes of documents in a Mar-a-Lago bathroom, McCarthy responded, “I don’t know. Is it a good picture to have boxes in a garage that opens all the time?” McCarthy said, drawing comparisons to the circumstances surrounding documents found in President Joe Biden’s possession.
“A bathroom door locks,” McCarthy added.
McCarthy repeatedly slammed the FBI and Department of Justice for failing to indict Biden, falsely equating the crimes Trump allegedly committed with Biden’s own handling of classified documents.
“I think President Trump has not been treated equally like everybody else in this process,” McCarthy said.
“You raid one house and you don’t raid the other — that’s a little different, and that’s not fair,” he said.
McCarthy said he has not spoken to Trump since the indictment was handed up. He said he’s read “a lot of portions” of the indictment but not the entire 49-page document that was unsealed Friday.
Jun 12, 12:17 PM EDT
Trump en route to Florida
Former President Donald Trump has departed Newark Liberty International Airport to head to Florida ahead of his federal court appearance in Miami on Tuesday.
Jun 12, 11:12 AM EDT
Trump leaves Bedminster club to head to Florida
Former President Donald Trump has left his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club to begin his travel day to Florida.
Trump is expected to board his plane at Newark Liberty International Airport to take him to Florida, one day before his court appearance, to meet with potential legal counsel for in-person interviews, sources told ABC News.
The hunt for new counsel comes after Trump’s attorneys on this case, Jim Trusty and John Rowley, resigned on Friday, just hours after Trump was informed of the indictment.
Sources told ABC News that it’s unlikely Trump will have a full team set in time for Tuesday’s court appearance, but he’s expected to have attorney Todd Blanche, who is representing Trump in the Manhattan district attorney’s probe into hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, by his side. Attorney Chris Kise, who is based in Florida and working on other matters on behalf of the former president, is likely to also be in attendance, but plans were not solidified as of Sunday evening, sources said.
Jun 11, 9:47 PM EDT
Trump plans to head to Florida Monday, sources say
Donald Trump is expected to head to Florida midday Monday ahead of his first appearance Tuesday before a federal judge regarding the 37 counts he faces from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation, sources familiar with the planning told ABC News.
Jun 11, 6:24 PM EDT
Miami mayor to speak Monday on security for Trump’s expected court appearance
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is expected to hold a press conference Monday regarding the city’s “preparations, security measures and traffic impacts in anticipation of former President Donald Trump’s presence in the city of Miami on Tuesday.”
The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET and will take place at the Miami Police Department, according to a press release.
-ABC News’ Victor Oquendo
Jun 11, 3:38 PM EDT
Trump plans to speak from NJ after arraignment in Florida
The Trump campaign on Sunday announced that the former president is scheduled to deliver remarks at his Bedminster golf club in New Jersey at 8:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, after his scheduled court appearance in Florida earlier that afternoon where he will be arraigned on his 37-count indictment.
After Trump was arraigned in his criminal case in New York City in April, and pleaded not guilty, he similarly addressed supporters — that time from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim
Jun 11, 2:18 PM EDT
Graham insists Trump is politically ‘stronger’ after indictment’
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., argued on ABC’s This Week that Donald Trump is “stronger” after last week’s indictment and added that the charges don’t impact his support for the former president.
“I think Donald Trump is stronger today politically than he was before. … We’ll have an election, and we’ll have a trial, but I promise you this: Most Americans believe, most Republicans believe, that the law is used as a weapon against Donald Trump,” Graham said in a testy interview with “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos.
Graham said he did not approve of the former president’s handling of classified information but insisted Trump did not deserve to be charged under the Espionage Act.
Jun 09, 5:27 PM EDT
GOP Rep. calls for an ‘eye for an eye’
Following the unsealing of Trump’s indictment, GOP lawmakers continued reacting to the news this afternoon and one included an incendiary remark.
“We have now reached a war phase. Eye for an eye,” Rep. Andy Biggs, a Freedom Caucus member and top Trump ally, tweeted.
Another Trump ally, Rep. Clay Higgins, tweeted that “President Trump said he has “been summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM. This is a perimeter probe from the oppressors. Hold. rPOTUS has this. Buckle up. 1/50K know your bridges. Rock steady calm. That is all.”
-ABC News’ Gabe Ferris
Jun 09, 5:06 PM EDT
Schumer, Jeffries release joint statement
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a joint statement Friday, “No one is above the law – including Donald Trump.”
“This indictment must now play out through the legal process, without any outside political or ideological interference,” they said. “We encourage Mr. Trump’s supporters and critics alike to let this case proceed peacefully in court.”
Jun 09, 4:13 PM EDT
McCarthy says Trump indictment ‘going to disrupt this nation’
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy told Fox News he believes the indictment is “going to disrupt this nation because it goes to the core of equal justice for all.”
“This is a very dark day in America when you think about what they’re trying to indict President Trump on,” McCarthy said, falsely equating the crimes Trump allegedly committed with President Joe Biden’s own handling of classified documents.
McCarthy said House Republicans “are not going to stand for it,” saying he’s already talked to House Oversight Chairman James Comer and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan “of things that we can do to ensure equal justice.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Jun 09, 3:29 PM EDT
Trump to appear in court Tuesday
Former President Donald Trump and his aide, Walt Nauta, are set to appear in court at 3 p.m. Tuesday at a federal courthouse in Miami, according to a spokesperson for special counsel Jack Smith.
The indictment was returned Thursday and unsealed on Friday, according to his office.
Trump is expected to arrive at and depart from the Miami courthouse Friday via secure private access points that would make it impossible for the public or journalists to see him.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, “While operational security precludes us from going into specifics, the Secret Service will not seek any special accommodations outside of what would be required to ensure the former President’s continued safety. As with any site visited by a protectee, the Secret Service is in constant coordination with the necessary entities to ensure protective requirements are met. We have the utmost confidence in the professionalism and commitment to security shared by our law enforcement partners in Florida.
“Miami police will also help Tuesday with “personnel, resources, detours, and/or road closures,” Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales said in a statement. “We’re committed to protecting everyone’s first amendment right and will continue to serve our residents, business owners, and visitors while maintaining the safety of our community.”
Jun 09, 3:14 PM EDT
Special counsel speaks out
Special counsel Jack Smith said Friday that he invites everyone to read the indictment “in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged.”
“The men and women of the United States intelligence community and our Armed Forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people. Our laws that protect national defense information are critical for the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced,” he said.
“We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone,” Smith said. “Applying those laws, collecting facts, that’s what determines the outcome of an investigation.”
Jun 09, 2:43 PM EDT
Trump to writer: ‘Secret information … look at this’
In May 2021, prosecutors allege former President Donald Trump brought some of his boxes to his Bedminster, New Jersey, property. On July 21, 2021, Trump, before and during an interview for his upcoming book, showed the writer what he called “secret information” regarding national security, prosecutors said.
“Well, with [the Senior Military Official] — uh, let me see that, I’ll show you an example. He said that I wanted to attack [Country A]. Isn’t it amazing? I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look. This was him,” Trump said, according to prosecutors. “They presented me this–this is off the record, but—they presented me this. This was him. This was the Defense Department and him.”
“Secret. This is secret information. Look, look at this,” Trump said, according to prosecutors.
“See as president, I could have declassified it,” Trump said, according to prosecutors.
“Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret,” Trump said, according to the indictment.
Jun 09, 2:35 PM EDT
After telling FBI he’s an ‘open book,’ Trump fled Mar-a-Lago with boxes of records: Prosecutors
The indictment alleged that in June 2022, former President Donald Trump, after meeting with officials from the FBI and declaring himself an “open book,” flew from his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida to his Bedminster, New Jersey, property with boxes of records that had been packed on his plane earlier that day.
Nauta and “others” had loaded the boxes, prosecutors said.
Jun 09, 2:31 PM EDT
Details revealed in indictment
The indictment alleged that, after the FBI subpoenaed former President Donald Trump, he “endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal his continued retention of classified documents by” actions including: suggesting his attorney falsely tell the FBI and grand jury that he didn’t have documents responsive to the subpoena; directing aide Walt Nauta to move boxes of documents to conceal them from Trump’s attorney, the FBI and grand jury; and causing a false certification to be submitted to the FBI and grand jury saying all documents were provided “while knowing that, in fact, not all such documents has been produced.”
The indictment noted that between January 2021 and August 2022, Mar-a-Lago hosted more than 150 social events, including weddings and fundraisers “that together drew tens of thousands of guests.”
The indictment mentions five of Trump’s statements in 2016, when still a candidate for president, including when he said in August 2016 that “in my administration I’m going to enforce all laws concerning the protection of classified information.”
According to the indictment, on June 2, an attorney for Trump went through the boxes in the storage room, removed 38 documents with classified markings, placed them in a redwood folder and sealed it with clear duct tape.
Trump allegedly asked, “Did you find anything?…. Is it bad? Good?” and they discussed what to do with the documents, according to prosecutors.
Trump’s attorney said at that point Trump “made a funny motion as though- well okay why don’t you take them with you to your hotel room and if there’s anything really bad in there, like, you know, pluck it out. And that was the motion that he made. He didn’t say that.”
According to the indictment, Trump and Nauta misled one of the Trump attorneys by moving boxes that contained documents with classified markings so that the attorney would not find the documents and produce them to a federal grand jury.
The indictment details how Nauta allegedly lied to FBI agents in May 2022 when he claimed to have no knowledge of the classified documents being brought to Mar-a-Lago.
Jun 08, 9:19 PM EDT
What 2nd Trump indictment could mean for GOP White House race: Analysis
With former President Donald Trump now facing a second indictment, this time on federal charges, according to sources, it’s a turn of events that could shake up the Republican primary field as Trump makes a third run for the White House.
The aftermath of Trump’s first indictment in New York connection to an alleged hush money scheme could be an indication of what is to come. Before his first indictment, Trump pledged to continue on with his presidential bid despite charges and even argued that cases could give his campaign a boost. Trump wasn’t wrong.
In fact, he still outpaces his GOP rivals in recent polling.
Another boon to his campaign, the fact that Republicans by and large rallied around him after his first indictment — even most of those challenging him in the Republican presidential primary.
But the field of candidates is more crowded now, comprised of more candidates willing to clearly criticize Trump.
-ABC News’ Averi Harper
Jun 08, 9:07 PM EDT
Federal indictment expected to be ‘speaking indictment’: Sources
The federal indictment against former President Donald Trump is expected to be a “speaking indictment” that will lay out chapter and verse the government’s case to the public, according to sources.
-ABC News’ Ivan Pereira
Jun 08, 8:56 PM EDT
Trump team anticipated indictment for several days: Sources
Former President Donald Trump’s team has been anticipating a federal indictment for the past several days, sources said.
Sources said his team is already planning a trip down to Miami and is thinking of holding a campaign event around this indictment.
-ABC News’ John Santucci
Jun 08, 8:49 PM EDT
DOJ, White House decline to comment
Spokespeople for the Justice Department and Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office declined to comment Thursday evening on Trump’s announcement he was informed of his indictment.
White House Spokesperson Ian Sams also declined to comment on Trump saying his attorneys have been informed he has been indicted in the classified documents investigation.
Sams referred ABC News to the DOJ, which he said “conducts its criminal investigations independently.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle and Alexander Mallin
Jun 08, 8:37 PM EDT
Trump charged in ‘rocket docket’ court — and why that could matter
Former President Donald Trump will face charges in the Southern District of Florida, a venue whose reputation for swift proceedings has earned it “rocket docket” status — a colloquialism that reflects its strict adherence to the speedy trial clock.
Walter Norkin, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida, explains why that might be notable.
“The Southern District of Florida is one of the few districts in the country that operates under a ‘rocket docket’ and, in distinction from the District of Columbia, you can expect a criminal case to be resolved within six months of an indictment issuing,” Norkin told ABC News. “The judges in the Southern District of Florida adhere very strictly to the Speedy Trial clock, which, with limited exceptions, requires trial or conviction to occur within 70 days.”
As a strategic matter, according to Norkin, the special counsel may have chosen this particular venue as a means to circumvent that inclination as prosecutors face the prospect of “certain policy considerations that take effect as an election nears.”
“To the extent a defense strategy would be to delay trial,” Norkin continued, “they will have a heavier burden executing that plan in Southern District of Florida than they would in another district.”
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman
Jun 08, 8:19 PM EDT
What an indictment means for Trump’s presidential bid
Former President Donald Trump can still be elected president again — even if he is convicted — experts tell ABC News.
But there are practical reasons that could make it a challenge, the experts told ABC News after Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in March.
Jun 08, 8:12 PM EDT
Who is special counsel Jack Smith?
Attorney General Merrick Garland tapped Jack Smith in November 2022 as special counsel to oversee the DOJ’s investigation into former President Donald Trump’s handling of classified materials after leaving office.
Former colleagues have characterized Smith, a longtime federal prosecutor and former head of the Justice Department’s public integrity section, as an aggressive prosecutor who would not shy away from taking on difficult prosecutorial judgments, with the background and temperament that make him a strong selection for the high-profile role.
Jun 08, 7:57 PM EDT
What to expect at Tuesday’s arraignment
When the former president arrives at Miami federal court on Tuesday, it will mark an extraordinary moment for the country: Trump will be formally placed under arrest by the very government he was once elected to lead.
Once he is arrested, Trump will be booked and processed as a federal defendant and then appear before a judge for an arraignment.
Trump, or one of his attorneys, will enter a not guilty plea, touching off the prosecution of the former president.
The courthouse has spent the last several days preparing for Trump’s arrival, but there is no outward sign Thursday night that he is days away from appearing.
Prior to news of the indictment, members of the special counsel’s team were seen going into and out of court and the room where a grand jury has been hearing evidence.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky
Jun 08, 7:51 PM EDT
Trump calls investigation a ‘hoax’
Former President Donald Trump posted on his social network Truth Social Thursday evening that his lawyers have been informed he’s been indicted.
He called the investigation a “hoax” and said he’s an “innocent man.”
Trump said he has been summoned to appear at the Miami federal courthouse on Tuesday.
Trump’s campaign sent out a fundraising email following news of the indictment.
(LONDON) — A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three people were killed in the English city of Nottingham and a van attempted to run over more people early Tuesday morning, police said.
Police were called to Ilkeston Road in the center of the city shortly after 4 a.m. local time and discovered two people dead in the street. Authorities have not disclosed how those individuals were killed.
Shortly after, police officers were called to another incident a short distance away on Milton Street to reports that a van had attempted to run over three people. Those three people were taken to a hospital and are being treated for their injuries though authorities have not released any details on their condition.
Another man was found dead a few blocks away on Magdala Road but no cause of death was given for the third victim.
“This is an horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people. We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody,” said Chief Constable Kate Meynell in a statement following the incident.
“This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened, she continued. “We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses.”
Alex Norris, Labour MP for Nottingham North, said in a statement posted to social media that “our community’s thoughts and prayers are with all those affected. Our gratitude is with our blue light responders for their work today also.”
Police have shut down six roads in the area while police investigate the ongoing issue and the Nottingham Express Transit tram network has also suspended all of its services.
(DENVER) — Nine people were injured, including three critically, in a shooting in Denver near the arena where the Nuggets won their first NBA title on Monday night, police said.
A suspect, who was also shot, was in custody, the Denver Police Department said in a statement. The suspect’s injuries were believed to have been non-life threatening, police said.
Three of the injured people were in critical condition following the shooting near the 2000 block of Market Street, police said.
“This is a complex, ongoing investigation in its early stages,” the department said. “Preliminary info indicates multiple shots were fired during an altercation involving several individuals.”
The shooting was about a mile away from Ball Arena, where the Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat on Monday to claim their first NBA title.
Police earlier in the evening closed some downtown streets as large crowds exited the arena.
Many of those fans had dispersed before the shooting began, but there was a smaller crowd lingering around the area, a police spokesperson said.
(NEW YORK) — More than a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the countries are fighting for control of areas in eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukraine has begun its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia, officials told ABC News.
Multiple reports have said a major battle has begun in southeastern Ukraine, south of the major Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 13, 5:52 AM EDT
Russian missiles strike Zelenskyy’s hometown, killing six
At least six people were killed and 25 were injured in Kryvyi Rih, as Russian missiles targeted the city overnight, Ukrainian officials said.
Missiles hit residential buildings, including a five-story apartment building, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a Facebook post early Tuesday morning local time.
“More terrorist missiles, Russian killers continue their war against residential buildings, ordinary cities and people,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian on Twitter.
Russia also attacked Kyiv with cruise missiles overnight into Tuesday morning. All of the cruise missiles were shot down, the Kyiv city military administration said on Telegram
Air raid sirens were activated across Ukraine early Tuesday morning.
Jun 12, 11:19 AM EDT
Ukraine makes first small gains in counteroffensive
Ukraine is making its first notable advances since the start of its counteroffensive, in the past two days rapidly compelling Russian forces to pull back from three villages on the southern front line.
Russian and Ukrainian public sources confirm Ukraine has liberated the villages in the area known as the Vremeyevskoe salient, at the border of the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.
The advances are still small but notable because they show Ukraine beginning to pierce Russia’s defensive line. Since liberating the villages, Ukraine is continuing to push south toward another village, according to Russian pro-war bloggers linked to Russia’s military.
Russia’s pro-war military bloggers are sounding the alarm about the Ukrainian advances. Russian units were forced to pull back from two villages, Neskuchnoe and Blagodatnoe, almost without a fight because of the risk of encirclement.
Jun 10, 12:53 PM EDT
Zelenskyy makes first comments on counteroffensive
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made his first public comments on Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began earlier this week.
“Counteroffensive and defensive actions, accordingly, are taking place in Ukraine, on which stage, I won’t say in detail,” Zelenskyy said.
“I think we should trust our militaries. And I trust them. I am in touch with our commanders of different areas every day: Syrskyi, Tarnavskyi, Moskaliov, Nayev, Zaluzhnyi. Everyone is optimistic. Pass this to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he added.
Jun 09, 9:50 AM EDT
Putin says tactical nukes to be deployed to Belarus after July 7 or 8
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons after July 7 or 8, when storage sites are ready, according to Russian news service Interfax.
“Everything is going to plan in the most sensitive matters you and I have agreed on. As you know, preparations of the relevant facilities will be finalized on July 7-8, and we will start taking measures towards the deployment of respective types of weapons in your territory as soon as that happens,” Putin said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“Everything is going to plan, all is stable,” he said.
Jun 09, 9:36 AM EDT
Putin says tactical nukes to be deployed to Belarus July 7-8
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons after July 7 or 8, when storage sites are ready, according to Russian news service Interfax.
“Everything is going to plan in the most sensitive matters you and I have agreed on. As you know, preparations of the relevant facilities will be finalized on July 7-8, and we will start taking measures towards the deployment of respective types of weapons in your territory as soon as that happens,” Putin said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“Everything is going to plan, all is stable,” he said.
-ABC News’ Anastasia Bagaeva
Jun 09, 9:19 AM EDT
Counteroffensive begins in southeastern Ukraine, south of Zaporizhzhia
Arguably, Ukraine’s counteroffensive was getting going a few days ago, and the Institute for the Study of War said as much on Monday, saying on Twitter that “Russian and Ukrainian officials are signaling the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.”
However, there were significant developments on Thursday. Multiple reports said a major battle has begun in southeastern Ukraine, south of the major Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
Well-placed unofficial pro-Ukrainian sources said the southeastern front is becoming more active and there are unconfirmed images and reports that Ukraine’s new modern German-made Leopard 2 tanks are involved in the offensive.
“The events that are happening now on the front line signal the start of the offensive and Ukraine will intensify its efforts,” the head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said Thursday morning.
Jun 09, 9:19 AM EDT
Ukraine begins counteroffensive against Russia
Ukraine began its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia on Thursday, officials told ABC News.
Well-trained Ukrainian troops had been near the front lines in recent days, Western officials said last week.
Two Ukrainian officials, including a source close to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed to ABC News that an active phase of the Ukrainian counteroffensive is underway.
A tanker fire caused part of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia to collapse, June 11, 2023. — WPVI
(PHILADELPHIA) — Officials recovered a body from the wreckage of the Interstate 95 collapse in Philadelphia, which happened on Sunday morning when a tanker caught fire beneath an underpass.
Family members of Nathaniel Moody told ABC News he was the truck driver who died in the crash, fire and collapse on I-95. Authorities have not yet identified the remains taken from the wreckage as Moody’s.
Moody leaves behind a son and two daughters, his son told ABC News.
The Philadelphia County Medical Examiner and coroner are working on identifying the remains, as officials continue to clear the damaged part of the highway.
The rebuild of that section of I-95 is expected to take months, officials said.
“With regards to the complete rebuild of I-95 roadway, we expect it to take some number of months,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a press conference on Sunday evening.
Shapiro signed a disaster declaration on Monday, which he said would allow Pennsylvania to use federal funds in its rebuilding effort and immediately access $7 million in state funds.
The complete demolition of the bridge is likely to be complete within the next four to five days, officials said at a press conference Monday.
The bridge itself, which was constructed 10 to 12 years ago, was “structurally sound” prior to the crash, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said at a press conference Monday.
The tanker truck, carrying 8,500 of gasoline, attempted to navigate a left-hand turn after exiting at the Cottman Avenue offramp of I-95, according to officials. Losing control through its turn, the tanker fell on its side and ruptured its own tank, according to Carroll. Once ignited, the fuel burned at a high enough heat to structurally compromise the concrete and steel I-beans of the overpass.
The tanker that crashed and ignited has since been removed from the crash site. Officials have largely removed the collapsed section of the interstate and are working on demolishing the structurally unsound southbound portion of the road.
Inspectors from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation determined that the southbound portion cannot be reopened and will also need to be replaced, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report reviewed by ABC News on Monday.
Individuals who crossed the southbound portion of the road around 6:25 a.m. prior to the road being shut down described the road as slumping downward.
“It was like a sinkhole,” emergency room nurse Lisa Taormino told ABC News. “It felt like if you were driving, and you hit a really big pothole, and the whole entire road just sunk down probably a good six to 12 inches down.”
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg pledged the full support of his department to the rebuilding efforts during remarks at the American Council of Engineering Companies conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday.
Buttigieg said the collapse would slow passenger traffic but significantly impact supply chains.
“This is going to be a major disruption in that region and it’s really going to affect the Northeast,” he told reporters Monday.
I-95 is one of the busiest travel corridors in the United States and serves as the main north-south highway on the East Coast. An average of more than 160,000 vehicles travel across the impacted section in Philadelphia every day, according to a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
Roughly 8-9% of traffic through that portion of I-95 is comprised of commercial traffic, with the American Trucking Association warning that the collapse is “likely to have significant impacts on the supply chain.”
Carrol pledged on Monday to work “24/7” to “attack this problem in the most efficient way possible so that we can resume normal traffic movements on I-95.” All lanes between the exits for Philadelphia’s Woodhaven Road and Aramingo Avenue are closed in both directions indefinitely, local ABC station WPVI reported.
“It’s gonna look like lower Manhattan like every day, probably throughout the summer,” Somerton resident Mark Fusetti told ABC News. “It’s going to be a nightmare.”
President Joe Biden was briefed on the collapse and his administration is in communication with Shapiro as well as Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
A team of specialists from the National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Pennsylvania State Police, will also be on site Monday to begin the on-scene portion of their safety investigation into the incident. A preliminary report will be available in two to three weeks, according to the NTSB.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio, Matt Foster, Amanda Maile, Chad Murray, and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Of all of the federal charges that former president Donald Trump and his aide Walter Nauta face in the investigation into the alleged mishandling of top secret government documents, obstruction is one of the most serious, according to legal experts.
Claire Finkelstein, the founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center, noted that the obstruction charges in the indictment against Trump and his aide carry as much serious weight as the charges related to keeping the top secret documents, with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Finkelstein told ABC News this was not surprising, as the federal government has always treated allegations of interfering with any investigation seriously and often spearhead these kind of probes.
“You can see it as the most important charges, as protecting the rule of law goes,” she said.
Finkelstein said an obstruction charge can cover a broad change of alleged activities from as simple as lying to investigators to as major as destroying evidence. But it all comes down to one clear allegation, she said: That the accused deliberately interfered with an ongoing criminal investigation.
“[U.S. Code] 1001 is lying to investigators. Very, very often you find 1001 charges filed in federal court,” she said.
Vida Johnson, an associate professor of law, at Georgetown University, told ABC News that federal prosecutors will seek an indictment on obstruction when they have evidence the subject knows they are part of an investigation.
“This is sort of the classic type of crime where people say the cover-up is worse than the crime,” she said. “The idea that you would cover up, that is the type of thing that prosecutors always look for.”
Trump allegedly ordered Nauta, his attorneys and other staff members to move boxes of government documents, some of which included nuclear information and information regarding other nations, to his Mar-a-Lago estate after leaving office, according to the federal indictment. The boxes were allegedly kept in disarray in unsecured locations including a ballroom and bathroom, according to investigators.
After he was subpoenaed, Trump allegedly had his attorneys falsely sign an affidavit that all of the documents were returned, according to federal prosecutors.
Trump, who is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Miami, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and accused federal prosecutors of a political “witch hunt.”
“We did absolutely nothing wrong. … It’s a disgrace what’s happening,” he said at a campaign event on Saturday.
Finkelstein noted that obstruction can be charged against individuals who aren’t the main focus of a federal investigation.
“Even if you were a bystander and saw something like documents being taken away, if you deliberately lie to investigators, you’re liable,” she said.
Nauta allegedly lied to investigators when he denied having knowledge about the location and movement of the documents before Trump provided them to authorities even though there were alleged communications between himself, Trump and other staffers about previously moving the boxes of documents, the indictment said.
Trump has defended Nauta and the aide accompanied the former president during campaign events over the weekend.
Finkelstein said that prosecutors tend to gather as much evidence as possible to make a strong case before a grand jury and trial jury. Finkelstein said Special Counselor Jack Smith and his team would be very thorough given this is a major investigation that concerns national security and a former head of state.
Trump’s indictment references recorded conversations where he allegedly admits to knowing the documents at Mar-a-Lago were classified, text messages about the alleged movement of the documents and testimony from witnesses.
Finkelstein said the government will stress their obstruction case is based on the fundamental idea that no one is above the law.
“If the government can’t rectify those basic rule of law violations, or wrongdoings…then we have damaged quite a profound component of the rule of law,” Finkelstein said.
