Donald Trump says he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified docs

A person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly said Trump's lawyers were contacted by prosecutors.

Donald Trump said Thursday he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House.

The Justice Department did not immediately publicly confirm the indictment.

Trump is currently in Bedminster, New Jersey. A person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to discuss it publicly said Trump’s lawyers were contacted by prosecutors shortly before he announced on his Truth Social platform that he had been indicted.

Former President Donald Trump speaks as he announces a third run for President, at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., Nov. 15, 2022. Trump and his aides are bracing for a potential indictment in the classified documents investigation as prosecutors handling the probe were spotted at a Miami courthouse where a grand jury has been hearing from witnesses. Trump’s lawyers have been told that he is a target of the investigation, the clearest indication yet that criminal charges could be coming soon, according to one person familiar with the matter. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Within 20 minutes of his announcement, Trump had begun fundraising off it for his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump said he is due in court Tuesday afternoon in Miami.

The case adds to deepening legal jeopardy for Trump, who has already been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta that also could lead to criminal charges. As the prosecution moves forward, it will pit Trump’s claims of sweeping executive power against Attorney General Merrick Garland’s oft-stated mantra that no person, including a former commander in chief, should be regarded as above the law.

The indictment arises from a monthslong investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Trump broke the law by holding onto hundreds of documents marked classified at his Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago, and whether Trump took steps to obstruct the government’s efforts to recover the records.

Prosecutors have said that Trump took roughly 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including some 100 that were seized by the FBI last August in a search of the home that underscored the gravity of the Justice Department’s investigation.

A sign for the Department of Justice is seen before Steven D’Antuono, FBI Washington field office Assistant Director in Charge (L) and Michael Sherwin, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia hold a press conference to give an update on the investigation into the Capitol Hill riots on January 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. Five people died, including Capitol Hill Police officer Brian Sicknick, when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol on January 6. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger-Pool/Getty Images)

Trump and his team have long seen the special counsel investigation as far more perilous than the New York matter — both politically and legally. Campaign aides had been bracing for the fallout since Trump’s attorneys were notified that he was the target of the investigation, assuming it was not a matter of if charges would be brought, but when.

But it remains unclear what the immediate and long-term political consequences will be for Trump. His first indictment spurred millions of dollars in contributions from angry supporters and didn’t damage Trump in the polls. No matter what, the indictment — and the legal fight that follows — will throw Trump back into the spotlight, sucking attention away from the other candidates who are trying to build momentum in the 2024 presidential race.

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