Donald Trump, the only former U.S. president to face criminal charges, has been indicted for the second time this year. The federal government says Trump took classified information from the White House and shared it with a journalist who wrote a book about his presidency.
The indictment, unsealed on Friday, accuses Trump of seven counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of theft of government property. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to stay in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He called the indictment a “witch hunt” and a “political persecution” by the “radical left”.
Trump is scheduled to speak at two Republican conventions on Saturday, in Georgia and North Carolina, where he is expected to attack the prosecutors and defend his actions.
The indictment is the latest development in a long-running investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents. The probe began in 2019, when former national security adviser John Bolton published a memoir that revealed sensitive details about Trump’s foreign policy decisions.
The Justice Department sued Bolton for violating his nondisclosure agreement and sought to block the publication of his book. Bolton claimed that he had received clearance from the White House for his manuscript, but the government disputed that.
In January 2021, Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for inciting an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He was acquitted by the Senate in February.
In April 2021, Trump was indicted by a grand jury in New York for tax fraud and other financial crimes related to his business empire. He has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.
