Former US President Donald Trump has been accused of handling classified documents after leaving White House.
Mr Trump, 76, faces seven charges including storing classified classified files without a warrant, US media reported. so far the charges have not been made public.
It is the second indictment against Trump and the very first indictment from US government against the former president.
Trump has been campaigning to return to White House in 2024.
In a post on the Truth Social network, Trump said he was not guilty and has been asked to appear in court in Miami on Tuesday afternoon, where he will be arrested and the charges against him will be heard.
“I never thought such a thing could happen to a former president of the United States,” he wrote.
He added: “This is certainly
a dark day for the country of America, but together we will make America Great again!”
Mr Trump’s lawyer Jim Trusty told CNN that the former president had received details of the charges in the subpoena.
He said it includes conspiracy, false information, obstruction of justice, and illegal storage of confidential documents under the Espionage Act.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) declined to comment and the indictment has not been made public.
An indictment is a document that sets out the details of the charges against a person, to ensure that they have information about the alleged criminal offences.
Meanwhile, secret intelligence officials will meet with law enforcement to plan Trump’s trip to the Miami courthouse in the coming days.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith has been considering evidence in the warrant case since he was appointed to oversee it by Attorney General Merrick Garland in November.
Last year, Trump’s Florida mansion Mar-a-Lago was searched and 11,000 documents were seized, including about 100 marked classified. Some of these contained top secret writings.
There were reports last week that prosecutors obtained an audio recording of Trump in which he admitted to keeping a classified document after leaving White House.
it is against US law for government officials – including the president – to remove or place classified documents in an unauthorized location.
Legal experts said the indictment would not hinder his ability to run for the presidency again.
“He can be impeached multiple times and it won’t hinder his ability to run for office,” says David Super, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Super noted that Trump can continue to run for office even if he is found guilty in the case of receipts.
