Donald Trump might face an indictment for violating the Espionage Act and for obstruction of justice, the Independent reported on Wednesday. The DOJ is preparing to nudge the Washington DC jury as soon as Thursday.
The former President is running for the 2024 US Presidential Elections. He is the frontrunner in the Republican pool that consists of his former VP Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Asa Hutchinson, Larry Elder, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum and Chris Christie.
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The Independent cited sources in reporting that prosecutors are going to ask the grand jurors in Washington DC to approve an indictment against Trump for violating a portion of the US criminal code Section 793. It prohibits “gathering, transmitting or losing” any “information respecting the national defence”.
Trump is facing charges for taking White House documents to his Palm Beach, Florida property. With this indictment, he should not be able to claim that he used his power as president to declassify the documents.
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The Espionage Act of 1917 establishes strict penalties for those who engage in ‘spying to impede U.S. military efforts and/or give aid to foreign enemies’. Neither the prosecutors nor Trump have made any official statements about the possibility of a new indictment.
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Meanwhile, federal prosecutors have subpoenaed multiple witnesses to testify before a grand jury in Florida in the criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of national security materials, multiple reports said on Wednesday. The former President’s aide has already Taylor Budowich testified, as per the reports.
The questioning was expected to be led by Jay Bratt.