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Washington: Documents relating to nuclear programs and US military vulnerabilities, along with intelligence that should have only been shared with the “Five Eyes” countries, including Australia, were illegally kept by Donald Trump at his Florida estate, according to the 49-page indictment against him.
A day after Trump became the first former US president to be federally indicted, prosecutors have released the charges against him, revealing that he now faces 37 criminal counts relating to the alleged mishandling of classified documents and his attempts to obstruct the FBI’s investigation.
“Over the course of his presidency, Trump gathered newspapers, press clippings, letters, notes, cards, photographs, official documents, and other materials in cardboard boxes that he kept in the White House,” the indictment says.
“Among the materials Trump stored in his boxes were hundreds of classified documents. The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defence and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to foreign attack.
“The unauthorised disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods.”
The indictment presents the clearest picture yet of the files Trump took with him when he left the White House after losing the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. It also depicts how carelessly the information was stored at Mar-a-Lago, which has hosted tens of thousands of members and guest over the years.
According to prosecutors, many of the files seized were stored in boxes all over the club, including “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.”
Many of the documents that Trump retained were linked to key US agencies and departments, such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defence, and the National Security Agency.
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