NEW YORK, June 10. /TASS/. Former US President Donald Trump kept classified documents, which, among other things, contained information about US nuclear programmes, according to an indictment unsealed on Friday.
"The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack," reads the document, uploaded to the electronic database of the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Besides, one of the documents dated June 2020 contained information "concerning nuclear capabilities of a foreign country."
The former president had in his possession papers compiled by various governmental agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Defense, the National Security Agency and the Department of State.
The former US president said on his Truth Social website on Thursday that the US government had filed charges of potential mishandling of classified documents against him. In his post, Trump strongly maintained his innocence. He has been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on June 13.
On August 8, 2022, FBI agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida estate. A total of 11 sets of classified documents were seized, the Wall Street Journal reported at that time. According to a warrant, which was released to the public later, the search was related to an investigation into the potential mishandling of classified documents.
Trump maintains that he committed no wrongdoing because, as the head of the state, he had the authority to de-classify all documents that he had. Those powers, however, are not applicable to documents related to the nuclear sphere. According to the indictment, the documents discovered at the former president’s estate fall under this category.