Donald Trump Indictment, Take Two: This Time With a Recorded Admission of Guilt

Well, well, well, Mr. President, if it isn’t the consequences of your own actions. Today is a bad day to be Donald Trump or one of his grody legal henchmen, but a good day to be a person whose brain exploded every day of Trump’s presidency, as we watched him repeatedly flout law and order with seemingly no repercussions. As of yesterday evening, the former president has been indicted on seven counts of criminal activity at the federal level. Yes, seven. 

No sitting or former president has ever been indicted on federal charges, so we’re making history here. Yes, Trump was already indicted just a few months ago on charges related to the Stormy Daniels hush money saga, but that was a state-level indictment. This time we’re talking federal judges and juries, baby. 

[Update 2:20PM EDT, June 9, 2023: The newly released indictment document reveals that Trump is facing 37 felony counts.] As reported by The New York Times, the twice-impeached president will have to answer to accusations of unauthorized retention of national security documents in violation of the Espionage Act, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements, and contempt of court. In addition, Reuters reports that two of Trump’s lawyers quit as one of the former president’s aides, Walt Nauta, has been charged in the case as well.

Trump has done so many heinous things—which of his wrongdoings, exactly, might actually bring him to justice? As you probably remember, when Trump left the White House in January 2021, he was supposed to hand over any presidential records to the National Archives and Records Administration. Instead, he decided to take a ton of those records, which are federal property, to Mar-a-Lago. The NARA figured that out and got some of them back, and soon discovered that among the papers Trump had unlawfully taken to his Florida home were over 100 highly classified documents. So in February 2022, the FBI opened a criminal investigation.

The indictment says that the federally-owned documents Trump took to Mar-A-Lago, “included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the U.S. and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for a possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”

Trump has maintained his innocence throughout the process. Speaking in a video he released last night, Trump said, “I am an innocent man. I did nothing wrong,” while claiming that the investigations are “election interference.” Trump has claimed throughout the investigation that, as President, he declassified all the materials prior to taking them to his house. However, a recording reportedly exists from a July 2021 meeting where Trump acknowledged having a classified document in front of him, which will be used as evidence. 

The judge assigned to preside over Trump’s initial court appearance scheduled for Tuesday is Judge Aileen M. Cannon, who Trump himself appointed in 2020, and is generally thought to be sympathetic to the former president. So is there any possible way we’re going to see things play out in a so-called “fair” way? Who knows. But at least Trump is actually being forced to move through the criminal justice system rather than get off scot-free. Trump has a history of just completely screwing people over and then walking away with no consequences. Or just paying off the more powerful people who sue him. It is so damn satisfying to watch him become subject to the power he once so unfairly flouted.

(featured image: Rob Carr, Getty Images)