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Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago (image from November 2022)

Photo: Andrew Harnik / AP

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has been indicted in the affair of secret documents – now a U.S. court is revealing the indictment. 31 points are about the deliberate retention of national defense information, according to AFP. The other charges include a conspiracy to obstruct justice, the withholding of documents, the hiding of documents and alleged false testimony.

Trump took secret documents on nuclear and weapons programs with him, according to the writing. In addition, the U.S. judiciary accuses the Republican of conspiracy to obstruct the investigation. According to the indictment, Trump also showed another person a Defense Department document described as a "plan of attack" against another country, according to Reuters.

Last August, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized boxes filled with numerous documents, including many with classification levels, during a raid on Trump's private estate Mar-a-Lago in the US state of Florida. Trump had taken the documents with him from the White House to Mar-a-Lago at the end of his term in January 2021. According to a law, presidents must hand over official documents to the National Archives after the end of their term of office. In addition, there are strict legal rules for dealing with secret documents.

Next Tuesday, Trump will have to answer in court in Miami. Shortly before the appointment, two of his lawyers resigned their mandate. "This morning, we filed our resignations as President Trump's lawyers. We will no longer represent him in the indicted case or in the Jan. 6 investigation," Jim Trusty and John Rowley said in a joint statement on Friday.

Trump announced in his network Truth Social that his case would be heard by Todd Blanche – a lawyer who represents him in a separate trial in New York. The surprise announcement by Trump's lawyers could lead to further legal complications. After the indictment, the former president also wrote on the network that he was innocent.

ani/dpa/Reuters/AFP