DLNews Politics:

Donald Trump faces a new indictment over handling classified documents, which could bring him to trial next year. It's the first time a former president faces criminal charges in their private life, and it puts him in uncharted legal territory.

The indictment is due to be unsealed on Tuesday and includes a charge of illegally retaining national defense files, conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice.

Exclusive: Trump admits on tape he didn't declassify? Secret information?

Recently, there have been developments in an ongoing investigation into former President Trump's handling of classified information. Prosecutors obtained an audio recording of a meeting at his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he mentioned having a classified military document about Iran and suggested declassifying it. The recording includes the sound of rustling paper. This recording was made by individuals assisting Mark Meadows, the former chief of staff, in writing his book. Two sources familiar with the investigation revealed that the document discussed in the recording could not be found. This significant indictment marks the first time a sitting president has been charged with mishandling classified documents. Trump faces seven charges, including felony violations of the Espionage Act, making false statements, and obstruction. This case has significant political implications and will test the willingness of Republicans and voters to support a man accused of breaking laws related to handling sensitive national security information while in office.

Publicly, Trump has claimed that all the documents he brought with him to his Florida residence are declassified.

As he has done so often before, Trump took to social media to defend himself against the allegations. In a series of posts on Truth Social, he shared that he had been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on June 13 for his arraignment.

He also denied that he mishandled classified documents and claimed without evidence that the papers became automatically declassified once they left the White House. Legal experts say the document case is far from a slam dunk. The government would have to prove that Trump intentionally mishandled the information to obstruct an investigation, a very high bar.

The indictment in the documents probe marks a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which had previously investigated Trump for years as president and as a private citizen but never charged him with any crime. When prosecutors conducted an earlier investigation into his 2016 campaign and Russia, they followed department policy against indicting sitting or former presidents.

Trump's legal team is preparing to fight the indictment.

Legal experts say an indictment would not stop Mr. Trump from running for president again. He already faces criminal charges in a New York civil case filed by adult film star Stormy Daniels and has been the subject of a long-running FBI probe into his business practices.

In November, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor with an aggressive, hard-charging reputation, to oversee the DOJ's investigation into whether Mr. Trump broke the law by keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property and obstructing efforts to recover those documents.

In a recent court filing, Mr. Trump's lawyers argued against submitting information about the status of those documents to Judge Raymond Dearie, the special master tasked with reviewing thousands of seized records. They said doing so would undermine their defense against any future indictments. The move was an explicit acknowledgment that a federal charge was likely. A trial could begin as early as 2024.

Trump's political future needs to be clarified.

The indictment against Trump is the latest of many legal threats he faces as he campaigns for president. It comes on top of a sexual assault civil case, an investigation into his hush money payments to two women, a probe into his business dealings in New York, and federal investigations into the Capitol attack and his post-presidential handling of classified documents.

But the indictment against Trump is a severe threat because it alleges that he mishandled and unauthorizedly retained national security documents and then obstructed the investigation into those records. Those are both felonies and conviction could result in years of prison time.