Former President Donald Trump appearing in federal court in Miami today, facing 37 criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents, is a sad but necessary moment of truth and accountability. Even for his staunchest opponents, it should be nothing to celebrate.
The facts of the case, as detailed in a 49-page indictment, are deeply disturbing — and extraordinarily dangerous. On leaving office, Trump took “scores of boxes” with him that he was not authorized to possess. They contained highly classified files on (among other things) nuclear programs, weapons capabilities, US military vulnerabilities and plans for retaliation after a foreign attack. Despite the extreme sensitivity of the files, Trump stashed them haphazardly around his golf club, “including in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.” On at least two occasions he showed them off to others. Commenting on a plan of attack, he said, “This is secret information. Look, look at this.”
As the government tried to intervene, Trump lied and dissembled at every step. When officials from the National Archives and Records Administration demanded the documents, he ignored them for months before turning over a small fraction. When a federal grand jury subpoenaed the files, Trump did everything he could to obstruct the probe, including asking his lawyer to destroy documents and lie to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; directing an aide to hide evidence; withholding multiple sensitive files; and causing his lawyer to falsely certify that all the required material had been produced. When the FBI finally raided his club last August, they uncovered 102 classified documents still on the premises.