COLUMBUS: Despite facing a 37-count federal felony indictment for hoarding military secrets, Donald Trump seemed unfazed as he addressed supporters in his first public remarks since the case against him was unsealed. The former president signalled that he intends to fight the charges outside the courtroom, rallying his base to view the American justice system as corrupt and biased against conservatives. Trump dismissed the indictment as a “joke” driven by Democrats’ fear of his potential 2024 election victory.
While this strategy has worked for Trump in the past, the new indictment poses a significant challenge. The detailed case alleges that Trump personally directed aides to store classified documents in cardboard boxes at Mar-a-Lago, later ordering them to be moved to avoid detection by the National Archives and Justice Department. The charges include 31 counts of “willful retention” of classified information, including sensitive military secrets from foreign governments. Trump and his body man, Walt Nauta, also face six charges of obstructing the grand jury investigation.
Trump wasted no time in portraying the prosecution as a conspiracy orchestrated by President Joe Biden, although the White House and the Department of Justice have maintained their independence on the matter. He aimed at special counsel Jack Smith, whom he labelled “deranged,” and criticised the evidence presented in the case, which involved testimony from Mar-a-Lago employees, close advisers, and even one of Trump’s attorneys.
During his speech, Trump cited Bill Clinton’s handling of tapes during a journalist interview to defend his actions, claiming that the Presidential Records Act allowed him to remove and convert any records from his administration, regardless of their classification. He maintained his combative stance, vowing to “clean out” what he referred to as a “sick nest” of people involved in his prosecution.
