Former POTUS Donald Trump has been indicted on seven counts over his handling of classified documents after he left his position at the White House.
This development in the classified documents probe now marks the first time a former President has faced federal charges.
Trump is facing a charge under the Espionage Act, his attorney Jim Trusty stated on Thursday, as well as charges of obstruction of justice, destruction or falsification of records, conspiracy, and false statements, per CNN.
It is the businessman's second indictment and, if convicted, it can carry a prison sentence.
Legal experts say the indictment will not limit Trump's ability to run for the presidency again, per BBC News, as the 76-year-old is campaigning to make a return to the White House in 2024.
Following news of his indictment, Trump took to his social media platform - Truth Social - on Thursday (June 8), where he insisted he was innocent and had been summoned to appear at a federal court in Miami, Florida, next week where he will be arrested and hear the charges against him.
"I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former president of the United States. This is indeed a dark day for the United States of America," he wrote. "We are a country in serious and rapid decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!"
Then, in a video posted to Twitter by his son Donald Trump Jr, Trump repeatedly said: "I'm an innocent man. Our country is going to hell."
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy also responded to the news, accusing President Joe Biden of "weaponizing" the Department of Justice in a scathing Twitter post. "Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America. It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades," he said.
"I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice. House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable," he added.
Though Bill Barr, the former US attorney general who served under Trump, hit back at McCarthy's claims on CBS Mornings, stating: "This is not a case of the DOJ conducting a witch hunt [...] This would have gone nowhere had the president just returned the documents, but he jerked them around for a year and a half [...] There is no excuse for what he did here."
The charges against Trump date back to an FBI raid at his Mar-a-Lago home in August last year, which was executed in relation to an investigation into the 45th President's handling of presidential documents, as previously reported.
Officials had reason to believe Trump was in violation of several federal laws, including laws that govern the "concealment, removal or mutilation" and "destruction, alteration or falsification" of records in federal investigations.
According to the New York Post, Federal agents conducting the search seized 11 sets of classified documents and over 20 boxes of items.
