- Trump’s legal troubles pile up after DOJ raids Mar-a-Lago.
- The DOJ is investigating whether Trump violated three federal laws.
- The Jan. 6 committee is also investigating whether Trump violated five federal laws.
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The Justice Department is investigating whether former President Donald Trump violated three federal laws related to his handling of classified documents.
It comes amid a House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot and Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The committee is using its public hearings this summer to try to build a case that Trump violated at least five federal laws.
Here’s a breakdown of the eight federal laws Trump has potentially broken as the Justice Department and the Jan. 6 panel continue to investigate the former president.
Violation of the Espionage Act
The Justice Department is investigating whether Trump violated the Espionage Act by collecting, transmitting or losing national defense information. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the FBI seized 11 sets of classified documents after a search of Trump’s former Mar-a-Lago residence.
One of the documents in Trump’s possession included records marked “Variousclassified/TS/SCI,” which refers to sensitive government information, according to a copy of the warrant.
Hiding, removing or mutilating records
The Justice Department is investigating whether Trump violated two criminal laws by trying to hide or remove records, according to a copy of the order. Federal authorities were also looking for evidence that Trump violated another federal law to obstruct justice by engaging in or attempting to damage, alter or falsify records.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman previously reported that Trump tore up sensitive documents and flushed them down the toilet. Earlier this week, Haberman shared photos with Insider that showed paper notes in two toilet bowls.
“Telephone Scam”
The House Select Committee revealed in one of its hearings on June 13 that Trump’s campaign raised more than $250 million from his supporters. In the fundraising emails, his team suggested that Trump would use the money to create a fund to legally challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The committee revealed that no such fund was ever created and was instead directed to a new political action committee called Save America.
Under current law, wire fraud is committed if an individual intends to defraud or obtain money through false pretenses.
Obstruction of official proceedings
The commission said on Jan. 6 that it had evidence to show that Trump and his 2020 campaign team violated federal law by attempting to obstruct or obstruct an official proceeding.
Prosecutors could potentially allege that he pressured former Vice President Mike Pence to stop the congressional election certification process. Prosecutors could also use evidence of Trump’s alleged scheme to send a fake voter list to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.
Tampering with a witness
The commission on January 6 alleged that Trump and his associates tried to contact some witnesses who testified before the commission.
During a Jan. 6 hearing on July 12, the committee presented new evidence that Trump attempted to subpoena a witness on Jan. 6 — an act that could amount to witness tampering. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who is the committee’s vice chairwoman, said she has referred the matter to the Justice Department.
In another hearing on June 28, Cheney presented two messages obtained by one of the witnesses from a Trump associate. Cheney did not identify the witness, but read a description of the witness’ conversation with the Trump aide.
Cheney said the witness told the committee that “What they told me is that as long as I continue to be a team player, they know that I’m on the team, I’m doing the right thing, I’m protecting who I need to protect, you know, I’m going to continue to be favored in Trump’s world.”
Conspiracy to defraud the government
In a March 2 court filing, the January 6 commission said it had evidence that Trump and his campaign team violated another federal law by engaging in a “criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.”
Prosecutors will have to prove that Trump knew he had lost the 2020 election and continued his efforts to overturn the election results.
During public hearings, the panel on Jan. 6 played testimony from former White House officials who repeatedly told Trump there was no evidence of voter fraud and that he lost the election fairly.
Incitement to riot
Prosecutors could potentially build a case that the former president incited the Jan. 6 riot based on some of the commission’s evidence.
Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified before the committee on Jan. 6 that Trump knew his supporters were armed. Earlier on January 6, she recalled Trump saying: “I don’t care that they have guns. They are not here to hurt me. Take away the exploding stores. Let my men in.’
Prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump knew in advance that the violence would occur on January 6.
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