Former President Donald Trump said Friday that the FBI staged a knocked-over box of documents for photographs included in the indictment over his alleged mishandling of classified material in a Truth Social post.
“Strange! Everything about the boxes was so neat, orderly, and clean,” Trump posted on the social network. “Did the FBI tip over the one box the way they ‘staged’ the papers on the floor during the raid of Mar-a-Lago, only to apologize after getting caught?” (RELATED: ‘Deeply Troubled’: Mike Pence Speaks Out On Trump Indictment)
Trump announced Thursday on Truth Social that his attorneys had been told he was being indicted as the result of an investigation into classified documents that were the subject of an Aug. 8 raid on Mar-a-Lago, the Florida estate he owns. The 49-page indictment that was unsealed Friday showed a photo displaying some of the boxes of documents recovered in the raid, one of which was knocked over with photos and other items spilling out of it.
“Today an indictment was unsealed charging Donald J. Trump with violations of our national security laws along with conspiracy to obstruct justice,” Special Counsel Jack Smith said in a statement to the press Friday. “This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida, and I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged. The men and women of the U.S. intelligence community and our Armed Forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people.”
Most Republican presidential candidates condemned the indictment, while businessman Vivek Ramaswamy stated that he would pardon Trump. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blasted the indictment on Twitter, as did Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana.
Over two-thirds of Republicans polled by NBC said the investigations into the former president are politically motivated.
The FBI referred the Daily Caller News Foundation to the office of Special Counsel Jack Smith when asked for comment on Trump’s post.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.