Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who announced Thursday on social media that he's been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate. The Justice Department did not immediately publicly confirm the indictment.
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What to know:
— Signs that Trump could face criminal charges began to pile up this month
— Who is Jack Smith, the special counsel overseeing probes into the retention of classified documents?
— In spite of legal woes and crowded GOP field, Trump has remained Republicans’ frontrunner for 2024
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AP SOURCES CONFIRM INDICTMENT
Two people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly said Trump’s team had been informed that he's been indicted on seven counts and that prosecutors had contacted lawyers to advise them of the indictment shortly before Trump announced it himself on his Truth Social platform.
“This is indeed a DARK DAY for the United States of America,” Trump posted. “We are a Country in serious and rapid Decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!”
Within 20 minutes of his announcement, Trump, who said he was due in court Tuesday afternoon in Miami, had begun fundraising off it for his 2024 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors have said that Trump took roughly 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, including some 100 that were seized by the FBI last August in a search of the home that underscored the gravity of the Justice Department’s investigation.
