Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein weighs in on second indictment of former President Donald Trump
MIAMI - A former federal prosecutor in Miami has weighed on the second indictment against former President Donald Trump for his alleged mishandling of sensitive government documents after he left the White House.
The 44-page indictment filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida alleges that Trump "endeavored to obstruct the FBI and grand jury investigations and conceal retention of classified documents." The indictment names Walt Nauta, an aide to Trump who served as a White House valet, as a co-conspirator.
Former federal prosecutor David Weinstein said one charge could have a "significant" impact on Trump's future.
"The thing that sticks out to me about the charge related to what's called the Espionage Act for the unlawful removal and possession of certain documents is that not so much the punishment attached to that count, but the fact that anyone convicted of that particular offense can no longer hold public office and so that's certainly significant," he said.
In three posts to his account on Truth Social, Trump said attorneys with the Justice Department informed him he was indicted over the "boxes hoax" and he has been called to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed the arraignment to CBS News.
Trump posted on the platform that he is innocent and called this a "DARK DAY for the United States of America."
According to Trump's attorneys, he is currently at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Law enforcement officials have revealed that the U.S. Secret Service will meet with Trump's staff and security to arrange his travel and upcoming arraignment.
Jim Trust, one of Trump's attorneys, said spoke about the indictment on CNN on Thursday.
"There's not going to be an arrest. This is coming in on a summons that was appropriate. This is not somebody who's going to flee. This is not somebody that poses a danger to the community, which are the factors that you would normally consider when you're talking about release. So again, no arrests, no warrant, none of that kind of nonsense. But we'll go through the bureaucratic process we have to on Tuesday," he said.
Trust said his client is innocent.
"He knows he's innocent. He knows this is garbage. He knows there's fundamental flaws with each one of the counts that they're apparently putting in this indictment and he knows that the whole process, starting from the archivist, was a corrupt and politicized one. So he's not shrinking from the fight," he said.
The decision to pursue an indictment of Trump is an unprecedented step, marking the first time the Justice Department has brought federal charges against a former president.
