Donald Trump was not caught off guard when he learned that he had been indicted by the Justice Department on Thursday night. The former president had already recorded a video in which he defended himself and attacked his political enemies.
The indictment accuses Trump of illegally obtaining and disclosing top-secret defense information related to a covert operation against Iran in 2020. He allegedly shared the documents with a journalist who published a book about his presidency.
Trump’s allies and lawyers quickly rallied around him and denounced the indictment as a politically motivated witch hunt. They also questioned the timing of the announcement, which came hours after Trump held a rally in Iowa.
Trump’s legal team said they were confident that they would prevail in court and that the former president would not cooperate with the prosecutors. They also said they were ready to fight any attempts to extradite Trump from Florida, where he resides.
This is not the first time that Trump faces legal troubles after leaving office. He is also facing criminal investigations in New York and Georgia over his business dealings and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.