Thomas Watkins is Washington bureau chief at The National
June 12, 2023
In 2016, Donald Trump asserted that “no one will be above the law” as he ran for president against Hillary Clinton and attacked her use of a private email server that held classified conversations.
“We can’t have someone in the Oval Office who doesn’t understand the meaning of the word confidential or classified,” Mr Trump said at one of his many campaign rallies, where he would claim his Democratic rival should be jailed over the email scandal and would lead chants of “Lock her up”.
Seven years later, Mr Trump’s own words have come back to haunt him in the form of a 37-count indictment that includes charges under the Espionage Act over his handling of classified documents after he left office in January 2021.
Time and again in the indictment, prosecutors reference Mr Trump's own statements as they make their case that the former president “wilfully” and “knowingly” conspired to retain documents that should not have been in his possession – then lied when authorities tried to get them back.
The indictment, which runs to nearly 50 pages, includes a statement Mr Trump made in 2018 when he said access to classified information was “inappropriate” after government officials leave office.
“Any access granted to our nation's secrets should be in furtherance of national, not personal, interests,” he said.
Prosecutors say Mr Trump stored hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after he left the White House. He kept the files haphazardly in the popular property, where thousands of guests and visitors come and go.
Some sensitive documents were even kept in a bathroom – a far cry from the government “Scif” rooms where classified information is supposed to be viewed by those holding security clearances.
Boxes of records stored in a bathroom in the Lake Room at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. AP
Boxes of records on December 7, 2021, in a storage room at Mar-a-Lago. AP
Prosecutors outline what the classified documents Mr Trump stored in his boxes include. Department of Justice
Mr Trump is facing 37 felony charges related to the mishandling of classified documents. AP
Investigators seized about 13,000 documents from Mr Trump's Florida home last year. AP
Classified documents seized during the August 8, 2022, FBI search of Mar-a-Lago. AP
Boxes of records that had been stored in the Lake Room at Mar-a-Lago. AP
Records being stored on the stage in the White and Gold Ballroom at Mar-a-Lago. AP
Court documents show several counts against Mr Trump include maximum prison terms of 20 years. Reuters
Mr Trump attends an event with supporters at the Westside Conservative Breakfast, in Des Moines, Iowa. AP
Anti-Trump demonstrator Nadine Seiler across from the White House on June 9. Reuters
The Federal Courthouse in Miami, Florida. Getty / AFP
Mr Trump has vigorously denied any wrongdoing and said that any classified documents in his possession were by rights his to hold on to because he can “declassify” anything he sees fit.
But here, again, prosecutors use Mr Trump’s own comments against him, this time an audio recording in which the former president acknowledges he does not have the authority to declassify documents.
“As president, I could have declassified it … Now I can’t,” Mr Trump said in a July 2021 interview with an unidentified writer and publisher, during which he allegedly showed them secret battle plans to attack an unnamed country, widely reported to be Iran.
In this excerpt from the 37-count federal indictment against Donald Trump, the former president says he does not have the right to declassify secret documents. Photo: Screengrab
On Sunday, Mr Trump’s former attorney general William Barr weighed in on the case, saying the former president was “totally wrong” that he had any right to have the documents.
“Those documents are among the most sensitive secrets that the country has,” Mr Barr said.
Mr Barr said Mr Trump would be “toast” if convicted of “even half” the charges, and he blamed his former boss for making his own legal mess.
He said the billionaire could have easily avoided prosecution if he had simply co-operated with the authorities as they sought the return of classified documents. Instead, he stonewalled them for more than a year.
“The government acted responsibly, they gave him every opportunity to return those documents. They acted with restraint,” Mr Barr said.
At the moment, Republicans have by and large rallied around their leader and opinion polls show the federal indictment has done nothing to dent Mr Trump's popularity within his own party.
Mr Trump has repeatedly denounced the indictment as a case of political persecution and questioned why President Joe Biden and other officials haven’t been prosecuted after they retained classified documents upon leaving office.
Mr Barr said those situations were different, as the people involved in those cases had co-operated with the National Archives when asked, whereas Mr Trump allegedly sought to obstruct justice.
The indictment poses a far greater legal challenge to Mr Trump than another case in New York, where he is accused of paying hush money to an adult film star during the 2016 election. Some of the charges in the documents case carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison.
Mr Trump responded to Mr Barr’s comments by calling him a “gutless pig”. He has also called the Department of Justice “thugs”, the special counsel in the case a “deranged lunatic” and Mr Biden a “criminal”, as he’s sought to blame others for his woes.
But, as his own words show, perhaps Mr Trump’s greatest enemy is himself.
Anti-Trump protesters near the entrance to the Trump National Doral Miami golf course in Doral, Florida, on Monday. EPA
Starring: Sarah Yarkin, Elsie Fisher, Mark Burnham
Business Insights
As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
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August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
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If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
UAE Falcons
Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.
A – Dubai College, Deira International School, Al Ain Amblers, Warriors B – Dubai English Speaking College, Repton Royals, Jumeirah College, Gems World Academy C – British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Yasmina Academy D – Dubai Exiles, Jumeirah English Speaking School, English College, Bahrain Colts
Recent winners
2018 – Dubai College 2017 – British School Al Khubairat 2016 – Dubai English Speaking School 2015 – Al Ain Amblers 2014 – Dubai College
