The recent federal grand jury indictment against former President Donald J. Trump brings his political story full circle. In 2016, Trump was an outspoken critic of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, accusing her of jeopardizing classified information. However, the indictment accuses Trump of endangering national security by taking classified documents when he left the White House and refusing to return all of them, even after being subpoenaed. Trump now faces criminal charges that include conspiracy to obstruct justice and willful retention of documents. He could be the first former president to be indicted by a federal prosecutor representing the nation as a whole.
The first indictment against Trump, announced in March by the Manhattan district attorney, charged him with falsifying business records to cover up hush money to an adult film actress who alleged that they had a sexual tryst. However, the latest charges stem directly from his responsibility as the nation’s commander in chief to safeguard data that could be useful to America’s enemies.
Trump’s defenders have downplayed the Manhattan indictment as efforts of a local elected Democrat, but the new charges pose a greater political risk to Trump. His core supporters have stood by him so far, but with multiple allegations against him, his rivals for the Republican nomination are hoping that the fatigue factor will ultimately cost him support.
The irony of the situation is that the issue that helped propel Trump to the White House now threatens to ruin his chances of getting back there. It remains to be seen whether the accusation of double standards will work in Trump’s favor as he tries to argue that he is being persecuted. Nonetheless, he will face not just primary voters who will decide whether he has been disqualified from the presidency, but also a prosecutor who is determined to enforce laws about the protection of classified information. In conclusion, the recent indictment is a stark contrast to Trump’s previous claims about the sanctity of classified information.
