Donald Trump is the first former president of the United States to face federal criminal charges.
According to CNN, Trump, who will age 77 on June 14th, is facing seven criminal charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Trump's attorney, James Trusty, stated that the former president would appear in court in Miami the following week.
He told CNN he anticipated receiving the indictment ''sometime between now and Tuesday afternoon.
"If they wish to continue playing games, they will give it to us on Tuesday at 3:01 p.m."
Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, addressed the allegations in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday evening (8 June).
Trump stated, "I never imagined that such a thing could happen to a former president of the United States."
"Today is a truly somber day for the United States of America.
"We are a country in rapid and serious decline, but together we will Make America Great Again!" he added.
The Justice Department did not publicly confirm the indictment immediately. However, two individuals with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly disclosed the indictment to the Associated Press.
One of these individuals stated that prosecutors contacted Trump's attorneys shortly before he disclosed his indictment on his Truth Social platform.
The allegations place the Department of Justice in a politically precarious position. Its first case against a former president coincides with the Republican party's nomination process for the 2024 presidential election against Democrat Joe Biden.
Trump is leading this contest for the Republicans, and charges against him could increase the likelihood of a prison term.
Trump, who said he was due in court Tuesday afternoon, began fundraising for his 2024 presidential campaign within 20 minutes of his announcement. In a video, he proclaimed, "I AM AN INNOCENT MAN!" and reiterated that the investigation is a "witch hunt."
Trump, who has already been indicted in New York and faces additional investigations in Washington and Atlanta that could also result in criminal charges, confronts increasing legal peril.
As the prosecution progresses, it will contrast Trump's claims of expansive executive power against Attorney General Merrick Garland's insistence that no one, including a former president, should be considered above the law.
The indictment results from a months-long investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into whether Trump violated the law by retaining hundreds of classified documents at his Palm Beach estate, Mar-a-Lago, and whether he obstructed the government's attempts to recover the documents.
Prosecutors claim that Trump took approximately 300 classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after departing the White House, including approximately 100 that were seized by the FBI during a search of his home in August 2017 that highlighted the gravity of the Justice Department's investigation.
Trump and his team have long viewed the special counsel investigation as far more politically and legally dangerous than the New York matter. Since Trump's counsel was informed that he was the subject of the investigation, campaign aides assumed that it was not a matter of if charges would be filed but when.
The Republican presidential candidate will appear in court on Tuesday (June 13) in Miami, Florida.
