Former President Donald Trump is facing seven federal charges relating to his alleged mishandling of classified White House documents that were recovered during raids on his Mar-a-Lago last year, as well as allegations he attempted to obstruct efforts by the US government to reacquire the documents..Trump is scheduled to appear in a federal court Tuesday in Miami to be arraigned on the charges which include: willfully retaining the national defence documents, conspiring to obstruct justice, withholding the documents, corruptly concealing the records, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheming to conceal and making false statements, according to ABC News..All seven charges “break out from an Espionage Act charge,” his lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN. “It does have some language in it that suggests what the seven charges would be. Not 100% clear that all of those are separate charges, but they basically break out from an Espionage Act charge.” .Each charge carries a prison sentence and/or fine for Trump, as follows, per The New York Post:.Retaining classified documents: Maximum of 10 years in jail and/or fine.Trump claims he declassified everything that came from the White House, adding that a president has the authority to declassify material “even by thinking about it.” A section of the Espionage Act prohibits any individual, including the president, from “willfully retain[ing]” national defence information and “fail[ing] to deliver it to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it.”.Conspiring to obstruct justice: Maximum of 10 years and/or a fine..The former president is accused of telling others to mislead government officials while they were working on gathering the classified documents in his possession. This crime would constitute an obstruction of justice charge. US Federal law prohibits anyone from making “threats or force” that would “influence, intimidate, or impede” any US officials from conducting their work..Withholding a document or record: Maximum five years and/or fine .Investigators allege Trump purposely leafed through some of the boxes of top-secret government documents in an apparent effort to retain some of the material. Similar to the Espionage Act charge, the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material charge prohibits an individual from “knowingly removing such documents or materials without authority and with the intent to retain such documents or materials at an unauthorized location.”.Corruptly concealing a document or record: Maximum 20 years and/or fine.This charge includes language for threatening others to mislead a federal investigation and illegally retaining classified documents, which Trump is accused of doing. The charge targets “whoever corruptly alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other objects, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding; or otherwise obstructs, influences, or impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so.”.Concealing a document in a federal investigation: Maximum of 20 years and/or fine .If convicted of purposefully hiding the classified documents, Trump could face another two decades while federal investigators searched for them inside his private residences last year..“Whoever tampers with evidence, such as by altering, destroying, or concealing a record, document or other tangible objects with an intent to obstruct or impede a court proceeding can be punished,” according to the statute..Scheme to conceal: Maximum five years and/or fine.Trump is accused of knowingly hiding the classified documents while and immediately after serving within the “executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Government of the United States,” according to the statute. If found to have been involved in domestic terrorism, the charge could land Trump an eight-year sentence..False statements and representations: Maximum five years and/or fine.For allegedly lying about keeping top-secret government papers inside his home, Trump could face charges for making false statements and representations. .Trump could face a 75-year prison sentence if convicted on all seven charges..Trump released a video Thursday night just moments after he was indicted, telling the American people “I am an innocent man. They go after a popular president… They go after him after a boxes hoax. Just like the Russia hoax,” said Trump..“It’s election interference at the highest level. I’m an innocent man. I’m an innocent person.”
