Former U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday evening he has been indicted on federal charges in connection with his handling of classified documents, becoming the first former U.S. president to face federal criminal charges.

Trump, who is seeking to return to the White House in 2024, disclosed on his Truth Social platform that he has been summoned to appear in a court in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump meets with reporters while in flight on his plane after a campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport in Waco, Texas, on March 25, 2023. (AP/Kyodo)

Shortly after the announcement, CNN, The New York Times and other major U.S. media outlets reported that Trump has seven counts leveled against him, citing unnamed individuals familiar with the situation.

The newspaper said they included willfully retaining national defense secrets, making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

It is the first time that a former U.S. president has faced federal criminal charges, the reports said. Trump reiterated via his platform that he considers himself innocent and that the investigation is a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Trump's indictment comes as he remains the clear front-runner in a crowded field of Republican candidates vying for the party's presidential nomination.

He was indicted in the special counsel's probe into his handling of more than 100 classified documents discovered last year at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

The Justice Department has been investigating whether Trump illegally mishandled sensitive documents he kept after leaving office in 2021.

The department has not commented on the indictment, which marks the second time Trump has been charged.

In April, he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records associated with the payment of hush money to individuals, including a porn star, in a bid to insulate his 2016 presidential election campaign from scandals.


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