State of the White House Archives: Would Trump Have Trapped Himself?

Donald Trump, accused of keeping state secrets after leaving the White House, would he have surrounded himself? The indictment quoted the former president widely, and his remarks appeared to hurt him.

• Also read: State secrets: Trump faces justice

• Also read: For Biden, in the face of Trump’s indictments, silence is golden

• Also read: Trump is expected to appear in a Florida court on Tuesday

Recalling this landmark document, the Republican billionaire said during the 2016 campaign, “Once in power, I will enforce the laws on protecting classified information.”

“No one will be above the law,” Donald Trump added.

“The laws are the same for all,” Special Prosecutor Jack Smith said in his speech Friday, revealing 37 charges brought by federal justice against the 45th president of the United States.

Donald Trump is accused of taking classified documents in January 2021 that potentially endangered the security of the United States; He kept it without any precautions in his lavish residence in Florida; Then he lies so as not to return them.

Since the investigation opened, he has used several lines of defence, notably ensuring that the documents were “automatically declassified” when he left Washington.

But an interview recorded in July 2021 that appears in the indictment discredits him on this point.

At that time, he showed people who came to meet him an “attack plan” drawn up at his request by the Pentagon and which, according to US media, was aimed at Iran.

He stressed that the document was “top secret”, and said: “As president, I could have declassified them (…) Now I can’t, but they are still secrets.”

“If we don’t play the game?”

The indictment also cited an exchange dating back to May 2022 between Donald Trump and two of his attorneys.

The former president just received a court order to return the classified files. He asks his advisors, “What will happen if we don’t respond or if we don’t play the game?”

And he adds, according to notes recorded by one of his interlocutors: “I don’t want anyone digging through boxes.” “Wouldn’t it be better to tell them I don’t have anything here?”

His lawyers did not follow through and one of them turned over 38 classified documents to federal agents on June 2.

But the boxes were moved to his client’s apartments before he began his research, and thousands of pages escaped him.

This time, it is an exchange via text message between a member of Donald Trump’s family and his personal assistant who witnesses the maneuver.

This relative, quoted in the indictment, wrote: “I saw you put the boxes in the POTUS room” (short for “President of the United States,” editor’s note).

“I think he wanted to search inside, not take them away,” replied the aide, Walt Naota, indicating that the instructions had been given to him by his superior.

Federal Police will finally recover about thirty boxes in August 2022 during a stunning Mar-a-Lago search.

Donald Trump will appear in Florida on Tuesday to be formally notified of the charges against him. He must be silent during this session, and every word can be used against him.