Of all the cases where the name of Donald Trump returns, this one appears to be the most compromising. The ex-president, prosecuted for his negligent handling of state secrets after leaving the White House, on Tuesday called his earlier indictment in federal court in Miami a “heinous abuse of power”.
In front of his supporters gathered at his golf club in New Jersey, he accused his Democratic successor Joe Biden of being “corrupt” and of attacking his “main opponent”. “It’s a political persecution worthy of fascist or communist regimes,” said the Republican, presidential candidate for 2024.
Information about nuclear weapons
A few hours earlier, in Miami, the former septuagenarian president had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, paving the way for a historic and potentially very damaging trial for his campaign for the American presidential election of 2024.
The Republican is accused of endangering the security of the United States by keeping confidential documents, including military plans or information on nuclear weapons, in a bathroom or storage room of his luxury residence in Mar-a-Lago , in Florida.
He is also accused of having refused to return these documents despite court injunctions, which earned him the charge of “illegal retention of information relating to national security”, but also “obstructing justice” and ” false testimony”.
Biden and his band of “Marxist thugs”
In Miami, a federal judge notified him of the 37 charges against him. Looking brave, Donald Trump then enjoyed a walkabout before flying to New Jersey, where hundreds of his supporters were waiting for him, wearing his famous red caps.
“They are trying to prevent him from showing up,” said Vincent Larusso, present in the crowd, to AFP. Many of Donald Trump’s fans still support him at all costs, convinced that he is the victim of a plot.
Joe Biden “and his band of Marxist thugs are trying to destroy American democracy”, repeated Donald Trump on Tuesday evening, before his supporters sang happy birthday to him a day in advance.
At the same time, his campaign team multiplies, with some success, emails to his followers to encourage them to contribute financially to his defense.
More than 11,000 documents seized
In the United States, a law obliges presidents to transmit all their emails, letters and other working documents to the National Archives. Another prohibits keeping state secrets in unauthorized and unsecured places. When he left the White House in January 2021, Donald Trump nevertheless took away dozens of boxes full of files.
In January 2022, after several reminders, the ex-president agreed to return boxes containing nearly 200 classified documents, but kept some secretly.
To recover them, FBI agents carried out a spectacular search in Mar-a-Lago on August 8 and seized around 30 other boxes, containing 11,000 documents.