Special counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of former president Donald Trump in the classified documents investigation was unsealed Friday. It is detailed and damning.
The indictment alleges that, while out of office, Trump deliberately kept many documents involving military, nuclear, and intelligence secrets. It makes the case that he knew full well some of that information was classified.
It contains a wealth of evidentiary detail attesting to Trump’s intense interest in those documents, and his deep involvement in discussions about what to return to the government. And it recounts how Trump allegedly schemed to hide certain documents from his own attorneys and from the government.
Some of this evidence relies on a recording Trump’s own attorney Evan Corcoran made recounting the case so far. According to Corcoran, in discussions about what to return to the government, Trump asked him, “Isn’t it better if there are no documents?”
Overall, Smith’s team charged Trump with 37 counts, accusing him of unauthorized retention of defense information, conspiring to obstruct justice, withholding government documents, scheming to conceal information from a grand jury, and causing false statements to be made to the government. They also charged Trump’s personal aide Walt Nauta on six counts, accusing him of making false statements to the FBI and conspiring with Trump to conceal information.
“Our laws that protect national defense information are critical for the safety and security of the United States and they must be enforced,” Smith said in a public statement. “Violations of those laws put our country at risk.”
Some mysteries remain. The indictment does not seek to provide an explanation of Trump’s motives in holding on to these documents. What was he trying to do? And its descriptions of the documents themselves remain quite vague, since they are still classified — any details, such as the names of countries involved, are redacted.
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