Donald Trump repeatedly rejected his attorneys’ efforts to settle the classified documents case ahead of a looming indictment, according to a bombshell new report.
Insiders told The Washington Post that the former president’s attorney Christopher Kise advised him multiple times to return all classified documents to the correct authorities and then tried to persuade him to try to reach a deal with Attorney General Merrick Garland in late 2022. Mr Trump reportedly dismissed the advice.
As a result, on Tuesday, the former president was arrested and arraigned on 37 charges over his handling of classified national security documents after leaving the White House to which he pleaded not guilty, claiming he was a victim of political persecution. He marked his 77th birthday as the first current or former president arrested on federal criminal charges in American history.
Bush administration veteran Karl Rove slammed the former president for his “reckless petulance” over the classified documents in an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. Mr Rove said both the country and Mr Trump will pay a high price for his actions.
Meanwhile, a two-year criminal investigation into Mr Trump’s Westchester County golf course has been dropped to his delight.
