In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Trump stated that the charges against him are "the greatest witch hunt of all time" and that he is "totally innocent." Trump, the current front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, was indicted on federal charges on Thursday evening. The charges stem from Special Counsel Jack Smith's months-long investigation into the former President's alleged improper retention of classified records at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
The indictment, which has not been unsealed, lists Trump as a criminal defendant charged with at least seven counts involving obstruction of justice, conspiracy, and illegal retention of classified government material. He has been ordered to appear in federal court in Miami on Tuesday. Trump told Fox News Digital that he would "of course" plead not guilty to the charges.
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Trump accused the Biden administration of trying to deflect from their dishonesty by bringing this "ridiculous boxes hoax case." He added, "They're not going to get away with it." Trump cited the Presidential Records Act and said it "makes me totally innocent."
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Trump also stated that the indictment was handed down on Thursday because it was the same day an allegation emerged that Biden received $5 million for involvement in a bribery scheme. Fox News Digital exclusively reported that a confidential human source told the FBI during a June 2020 interview that President Biden was allegedly paid $5 million by an executive of the Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, where his son Hunter Biden sat on the board.
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Sources familiar with the contents of the subpoenaed FBI-generated FD-1023 form allege a criminal bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national that involved influence over U.S. policy decisions. The confidential human source believes that the $5 million payment to Joe Biden and the $5 million payment to Hunter Biden occurred, based on his or her conversations with the Burisma executive.
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According to the document, the $5 million payments appeared to reference a kind of "retainer" Burisma intended to pay the Bidens to deal with several issues, including his effort to end the investigation into Burisma led by Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin. Another source referred to the arrangement as a "pay-to-play" scheme.
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Biden had acknowledged that when he was Vice President, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly-lucrative role on the board, receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice President threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.
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In 2019, then-President Trump pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to launch investigations into the Biden family's actions and business dealings in Ukraine —specifically Hunter Biden's ventures with Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings and Joe Biden's successful effort to have Shokin ousted.
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The House of Representatives later impeached Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- all stemming from the phone call and the question about the Bidens' dealings. The Senate voted for acquittal in February 2020.
Trump said he was doing his job when he asked the right question during his July 2019 phone call with Zelenskyy. He said, "if you have any corruption on the Biden administration, call our attorney general." Trump added that "it turns out, my job was done correctly."
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When asked whether he thought Biden could also be charged, Trump said, "Probably not—nothing will happen." Trump believes the indictment was handed down on Thursday because of the $5 million allegation. He stated that "that's just the beginning."
Trump concluded the interview by stating that he did nothing wrong and that the Biden administration is the most corrupt in history. He believes that they are trying to deflect from their dishonesty by bringing this "ridiculous boxes hoax case." Trump said he would plead not guilty to the charges and is "totally innocent."
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