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National

The Department of Justice on Friday unsealed the federal indictment against former President Trump on charges related to the investigation into his handling of classified documents after he left the White House.

Why it matters: The more than half-dozen federal charges present the biggest legal threat to the former president, who is the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and come just two months after he was charged in a Manhattan criminal court for allegedly falsifying business records.  

Driving the news: The 49-page indictment includes 37 felony counts against Trump related to retaining classified information and obstruction of justice.

The indictment says that during his presidency, Trump collected items such as notes, photos and letters — as well as "hundreds of classified documents" — and stored them in boxes.

The classified documents "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.”

The indictment says that unauthorized disclosure of the documents could jeopardize U.S. national security, "foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods."

Some of the boxes, pictured above, were stored in Mar-a-Lago's ballroom, per the indictment. Photo: Screenshot/Trump indictment

When Trump left the White House, "scores of boxes, many of which contained classified documents," were transported to his home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, the indictment says. 

Trump was “personally involved” in the process of packing and moving boxes in January 2021, per the indictment.

The boxes with classified documents were then stored “in various locations” at Mar-a-Lago, including “in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office space, his bedroom, and a storage room.”

The indictment includes 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act.

After his presidency, Trump kept classified documents either created by or implicating the CIA, Department of Defense and National Security Agency, among others, the indictment says.

The indictment says Trump also showed classified documents to others two different times in 2021, including at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., when he shared the documents with “a writer, a publisher, and two members of his staff, none of whom possessed a security clearance.”

“Trump showed and described a ‘plan of attack’ that Trump said was prepared for him by the Department of Defense and a senior military official,” the indictment reads.

Walt Nauta, an aide to Trump, is named as a co-conspirator in the indictment. 

Both Nauta and Trump face one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.

“The purpose of the conspiracy was for [Trump] to keep classified documents he has taken with him from the White House and to hide and conceal them from a federal grand jury,” according to the indictment.

After the indictment was unsealed, Trump took to his Truth Social account to criticize special counsel Jack Smith, who has been leading the Department of Justice’s investigation. 

Trump said the documents were “personal records,” and that he had "nothing to hide."

"Nobody said I wasn’t allowed to look at the personal records that I brought with me from the White House," he wrote. "There’s nothing wrong with that…"

Smith, for his part, said Friday the indictment "was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida," and invited "everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged."

The White House said President Biden learned about the indictment through news reports.

"The president, senior staff found out just like everybody else last night. No advance knowledge that this was coming. Found out from news reports just like everybody else across America,” principal deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters.

When asked Friday whether he'd spoken to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Biden replied: “I have not spoken to him at all and I’m not going to speak with him. And I have no comment on that.”

Trump indictment

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new details throughout. 

DOJ unseals historic Trump indictment

Read: The 37-count indictment against Trump.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks his plane "Trump Force One" at Aberdeen Airport on May 1, 2023 in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Former President Trump disembarks his plane on May 1 in Aberdeen, Scotland. Photo: Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images

Donald Trump

Politics & Policy

A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers on Friday unanimously endorsed an experimental Alzheimer's drug that's been shown to have modest success slowing the progression of the disease, clearing a hurdle for full agency approval.

Why it matters: Eisai and Biogen's Leqembi was found to delay cognitive decline by 27% over 18 months, but it has been plagued by safety concerns following three patient deaths during clinical trials.

Context: FDA staff said in briefing documents earlier this week that the safety concerns "do not appear to preclude traditional approval," though they could not rule out the drug's role in the deaths.

There are also potential risks of brain swelling and brain bleeding among people who take the treatment.

How it works: Leqembi targets proteins in the brain known as amyloid plaques that are believed to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's. FDA staff expressed support for this so-called "amyloid hypothesis."

Details: In a unanimous vote, the advisers said that there was a clinical benefit of Leqembi for the treatment of Alzheimer's. 

"There seems to be strong support that the [clinical trials] demonstrate the clinical benefit of lecanemab," said Robert Alexander, acting chair of the FDA's Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee.

Colette Johnston, one of the advisers, said some groups of patients will have more concerns that should be addressed with their physicians, but the overall risk-benefit was “very positive.”

What they're saying: Eisai and Biogen celebrated the endorsement, saying in a joint statement the companies were "pleased with today’s outcome and the progress it represents for the Alzheimer’s disease community."

"We look forward to our discussions with the FDA as it continues its review" of the drug's application, the companies said.

The big picture: Leqembi could become the first treatment of its kind to receive traditional approval from the FDA, which is expected to make a final decision by early July. 

While drugs that treat specific symptoms of the disease have been authorized, Leqembi would be "the first disease-modifying agent for Alzheimer's disease" to be fully approved by the agency, said Howard Fillit, co-founder and chief science officer of the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.

Yes, but: While the decision is a "tremendous breakthrough," the ultimate goal is not to just slow Alzheimer's, but to completely stop the disease, Fillit told Axios.

"To do that, we're going to need combination therapy" that targets different aspects of the disease, he said.

State of play: While FDA staff did not raise any specific concerns around Leqembi, they urged the advisory committee to discuss the risk of serious side effects associated with the drug in patients that have cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), which can be difficult to diagnose.

Staff said that individuals with "MRI findings consistent with CAA" were not enrolled in Leqembi's clinical trials, but the condition is common among Alzheimer's patients. It's possible that some patients who have it potentially undetected might have taken the treatment and it's not yet understood if the drug's benefits outweigh its risks for this population.

While advisers said that they would not advocate to exclude patients with CAA pathology from the treatment, some said that there is a need for more data to understand the risk for people in this group.

Michael Gold, a non-voting member of the committee, suggested that health providers would be able to make a decision on whether their patients should take the drug if they are diagnosed with CAA. 

Zoom in: Some advisers said that some patients with conditions that could make them more likely to suffer from a safety risk should not take the drug.

FDA staff said during the meeting the risks should always be discussed between the patient and their health provider.

"We want prescribers to be aware of the risk, but we also want to encourage good clinical judgment on an individual assessment level of a patient," said Teresa Buracchio, acting director of the FDA's Office of Neuroscience.

Catch up fast: The FDA granted accelerated approval for Leqembi in January, becoming the second Alzheimer's drug to receive any kind of FDA authorization.

Biogen's Aduhelm is the only other similar treatment to receive accelerated approval, despite strong objections from the FDA's own advisory panel over the lack of evidence that the drug actually works.

Between the lines: Full approval for Leqembi would speed the way for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to expand coverage for drugs that show Alzheimer's progression. 

Currently, CMS limits coverage to patients enrolled in clinical trials. This would change if the FDA grants traditional approval, expanding coverage to beneficiaries in Medicare Part B if the prescribing physician agrees to collect, and share with CMS, data about the drug's performance.

Don't forget: Over six million people are living with Alzheimer's in the U.S., and the number is expected to increase to more than double by 2050, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details. 

Experimental Alzheimer's drug endorsed for full approval by FDA advisers

Leqembi could become the first treatment of its kind to receive traditional approval from the FDA.

Illustration of a brain shaped IV bag hanging from a stand.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on Friday doubled down on its request for the Justice Department to provide documents about the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lag0 last year.

Why it matters: The request came as a judge unsealed a 37-count federal indictment of former President Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Florida resort.

Driving the news: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the committee's chair and one of Trump's most ardent defenders in Congress, wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland to "renew and supplement our request for documents" related to the search.

"The indictment creates, at the minimum, a serious appearance of a double standard and a miscarriage of justice," Jordan wrote.

The letter asks for all documents involving meetings between the FBI and DOJ before the execution of the Mar-a-Lago search warrant, documents related to the search warrant itself and communications between FBI Washington Field Office agents and the U.S. Secret Service.

Jordan set a June 16 deadline for the documents to be turned over.

The 49-page indictment includes 37 felony counts related to Trump's handling of classified documents after leaving office.

The "hundreds of classified documents" at his residences included information about U.S. weapons capabilities and nuclear programs, potential vulnerability to a foreign military attack and retaliatory strike plans, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges Trump kept the documents in a ballroom, a bathroom and shower, an office, his bedroom and a storage room.

The intrigue: The Jordan letter includes excerpts from a transcribed Judiciary Committee interview with Steven D'Antuano, the assistant director of the Washington Field Office, that took place on Wednesday.

"Mr. D’Antuono detailed how he disagreed with the Justice Department’s approach to the raid and described several abnormalities about the Department’s actions in pursuing its investigation of President Trump," Jordan wrote.

D'Antuano said he had concerns around the DOJ not involving the Miami Field Office or the local U.S. attorney, not seeking Trump's consent before resorting to a search warrant and not waiting for Trump's lawyers to be present before executing the search.

The other side: The Democrats on the committee released their own excerpts of D'Antuano's testimony.

The FBI official testified that some of the documents were so classified that "I don't believe I had the clearances for some of them and I didn't want to look at them."

He also said there was a "big fear" within the DOJ about the documents "being lost, destroyed, going someplace else" ahead of the search and that Trump did not properly store them in a secure room.

What we're watching: For the moment, Jordan appears to be holding off on targeting the Justice Department at the same scale of his investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

federal indictment of former President Trump

investigation into Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

House GOP responds to Trump indictment with renewed FBI scrutiny

Jim Jordan is seeking documents related to the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images.

House Republicans

"We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone," special counsel Jack Smith said on Friday in his first public remarks following the indictment of former President Trump.

Driving the news: Smith has been leading the Department of Justice's investigation into Trump's handling of classified documents after he left the White House.

The Department of Justice unsealed the 37-count federal indictment against the 45th president on Friday.

"This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida," said Smith, who did not take reporters' questions.

"And I invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged." 

Why it matters: The federal charges present the biggest legal threat to the former president, who is the frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and come just two months after he was charged in a Manhattan criminal court for allegedly falsifying business records.

What he's saying: Trump criticized Smith in a Truth Social post on Friday afternoon, calling him a "Trump hater" and saying that he should not be involved with the justice system. 

This is not the first time Trump has criticized Smith during the federal investigation.

Between the lines: Smith’s remarks come as some Republican lawmakers following Trump’s indictment have decried the DOJ as implementing “an unequal application of justice” on behalf of the former president.

Of note: Smith, formerly a chief prosecutor at The Hague, was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland last November to oversee federal investigations into Trump.

Editor's note: This is story has been updated with additional details throughout. Please check back for updates.

Special counsel: "We have one set of laws in this country"

"This indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the Southern District of Florida."

Special counsel Jack Smith delivers remarks on a recently unsealed indictment against former President Donald Trump at the Justice Department on June 9. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Indictments

Walt Nauta, an aide to former President Trump, has been indicted in the investigation into his handling of classified documents, according to the 49-page indictment unsealed on Friday.

Driving the news: Nauta worked in the Trump White House and at Mar-a-Lago, where one of his jobs was to transport cardboard boxes with papers of the former president, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that Trump directed Nauta to move boxes of documents to conceal them from one of the former president's lawyers.

On another occasion, Nauta texted another employee of Trump's images of a box's spilled contents.

Nauta also made false statements in an interview with investigators about his knowledge of the boxes and their location within Mar-a-Lago, per the indictment.

Zoom in: Nauta is named in six of the counts in the indictment: conspiracy to obstruct justice; withholding a document or record; corruptly concealing a document or record; concealing a document in a federal investigation; scheme to conceal; and false statements and representations. 

Trump aide Walt Nauta indicted in classified documents probe

The news comes less than 24 hours after Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was being charged.

Axios

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