Donald Trump was indicted today on 37 charges dealing with boxes full of documents, some classified as Top Secret. He willfully retained them, hid, and conspired to obstruct justice. He turned it into a campaign rally. It was a solemn circus.

I watched a CNN report on Donald Trump’s federal indictment for several hours. It was a severe event amid a circus. Or was it a circus amid a solemn meeting in a Federal courthouse? In that courthouse, Donald Trump and his co-conspirator, Waltine Nauta, entered a courtroom and heard the charges and allegations detailed on June 8, 2023, Grand Jury indictment—first the indictment, then the campaign commercial. I wondered after the midterms if he would be indicted. This was his second, and I expect a third and fourth out of Washington DC, and Fulton County, Georgia.

The Indictment

United States of America v. Donald J. Trump and Waltine Nauta Defendants

Trump’s retention, concealment, and false statements about boxes (some shown in the photos below) of classified documents taken to Florida after his presidency was why he was indicted. Everyone asks why did he do this. Some people close to Trump said that he considered these boxes his boxes and could do what he wanted with them. He played with them. He showed his documents in one of his boxes to a few people (that we know about). The only one responsible for the mess he’s in now is Donald Trump and his accomplice, Waltine Nauta.

The boxes here contain documents classified at the highest levels containing information about national defense, nuclear capabilities, and more. It’s appalling that spilled boxes were found.

Trump was indicted on 37 counts, Nauta on six. Here they are.

Counts 1-31. Willful retention of national defense information.

Trump took boxes of documents from the White House (that didn’t belong to him) and most likely had them transported to Mar A Lago on Air Force One when he left Washington on January 20, 2021. Trump kept in unsecured rooms, including a bathroom and a stage in a ballroom. Thirty-one of these documents held national defense information (classified as Top secret, Secret or Confidential). Each document represents a separate charge against Trump.

Count 32—conspiracy to obstruct justice.

The purpose of conspiring (with Waltine Nauta) was to “hide and conceal them from a federal grand jury. The conspiracy included Trump suggesting one attorney to falsely represent the FBI and grand jury that Trump did not have the documents that were subpoenaed. They moved boxes at Mar a Lago to hide them from his attorneys. Trump tried to trick the FBI by giving up some documents. They also made false statements about the document locations.

Count 33—withholding a document or record

From May 11, 2022 through August 2022, in Palm Beach County, Florida, the defendants engaged in misleading conduct toward one of Trump’s attorneys to persuade the attorney to hide or conceal documents.

Count 34–corruptly concealing a document or record.

Trump and Nauta hid and concealed boxes that contained documents with classification markings from one attorney so that another attorney would not find them. Really!

Count 35—concealing a document in a federal investigation

The two of them knowingly concealed, covered up, falsified, and made false entries into records and documents. They did this during a federal investigation into the missing documents.

Count 36—scheme to conceal.

During the grand jury investigation Trump and Nauta hid and concealed from the FBI and the grand jury documents with classification markings.

Count 37—false statements and representations.

Trump and Nauta knowingly and willfully made false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations during the grand jury and federal criminal investigations by the FBI. Trump’s and Nauta’s false statements caused one of their attorneys to, in a sworn certification, make false statements about the boxes, their search, and any certifications. The former president hid some of the boxes so the attorney could only locate some of the documents.

Trump’s Indictment Campaign Commercial

The entire day in Miami was, in effect, another of Trump’s campaign rallies. After pleading not guilty before a federal judge, Trump (and Nauta) left the courthouse in a limousine and headed to a Cuban restaurant nearby. I could use my TV to capture some images of the day. These will give you a flavor of how Trump turns everything into a campaign-for-president event.

Here we see Trump and Nauta at the Cuban Restaurant. This was minutes after leaving the federal courthouse.