Former United States President Donald Trump is facing criminal charges over his handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice raided the Republican businessman's home in August 2022 as part of their search for the sensitive materials
Trump allegedly failed to cooperate with federal officials regarding the return of the documents
The Department of Justice recently filed a federal indictment of former United States President Donald Trump over his handling of classified documents. Here is a timeline of everything we know so far about the historic case.
January 2021: Trump Leaves the White House
Trump left office on Jan. 20, 2021, ahead of at the time President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration following his presidential election win. The General Services Administration (GSA) said that members of the former president's transition team were responsible for packing the sensitive materials into boxes and placing them on pallets so that they could be transported.
May 2021: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) later found out about the documents taken from the White House after the former president left office. They immediately issued a request on May 6, 2021, for the records to be returned, as per the Independent.
January 2022: Return of Some of the Classified Documents
NARA received 15 boxes of records that were found to be stored at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, 14 of which were later found to have contained classified documents. The materials were found mixed in with various other materials, such as newspapers, magazines, photos, and personal correspondence.
August 2022: Raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago Estate
The FBI raided the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022 in search of the classified documents that Trump took from the White House. But legal filings also showed that the investigation into the Republican businessman's potential violation of the Espionage Act was already months in the making.
The sensitive materials made it clear that the former president had sufficient time to try and return the documents that the government had requested. Officials also discovered the sheer quantity of highly-sensitive materials that Trump was allegedly hiding at his club.
September 2022: Trump's Request for a Special Master
Trump appointee Judge Aileen Cannon granted the former president's request for a special master who would be responsible for DOJ objections in the case. The Justice Department requested access to the sensitive materials that were taken in the raid.
While Cannon initially rejected the DOJ's request, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals later allowed the department to review the classified documents, according to Reuters.
November 2022: Special Counsel Jack Smith
United States Attorney-General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to oversee the Trump case.
December 2022: Testimonies Regarding the Case
Tim Paralatore, a lawyer for Trump, appeared before a federal grand jury in Washington where he described efforts to search the former president's properties for any remaining materials. This came after at least two additional records were found following a further search of the Republican businessman's properties.
A federal appeals court also reversed Judge Cannon's previous ruling of appointing a special master to the case, arguing that she did not have sufficient authority to make the decision. This gave the DOJ access to all of the seized materials.
June 2023: Federal Indictment of Trump
Trump revealed on his Truth Social media platform that the Biden administration informed him through his attorneys that he has been indicted in relation to the classified documents. The 37-count indictment was later unsealed and revealed additional details of the case.
The criminal charges against the former president include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, and several others.
The indictment added that the former president also stored "information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries" inside his boxes. These also included U.S. nuclear programs, potential vulnerabilities of the country and its allies in relation to military attack, and plans of possible retaliation if a foreign attack does occur, said The Guardian.
