Indivisibles, 

Big news -- Donald Trump was just indicted -- again. 

He was the first president to be impeached twice and is the first former president to be indicted…also twice. 

We understand if you’ve lost track of Trump’s many, many legal problems, but no, this latest indictment is not related to the 30 counts he’s facing in New York over the hush money illegally paid by his campaign to cover up an affair. That was back in April.

And no, this one isn’t from the Georgia grand jury that’s expected to indict him for asking for a few thousand votes to be fabricated in 2020. 

And believe it or not -- no, this one is also not related to his incitement of the deadly insurrection on January 6.

No, this one is about Donald Trump taking classified documents from the White House after he tried (and failed) to overturn the 2020 election. It’s easy to dismiss Trump as a ridiculous person, but the charges he is now facing are incredibly serious and represent a major breach of our national security.

How we got here:

You may remember way back in 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant on his residence at Mar-a-Lago. What did they find? Over 300 documents that were marked classified or top secret that he lied about having in his possession. And then he tried to cover it up. 

This was part of an ongoing back-and-forth between the National Archives and Trump. The Archives spent over a year hounding Trump to return materials that were missing from his records. He initially stonewalled and refused, but eventually sent back 15 boxes of documents. Within those boxes were classified materials -- which quickly piqued federal law enforcement’s interest.  

After realizing Trump was in possession of top secret and classified documents, the government issued a subpoena demanding Trump return the rest of the documents. Trump, not known for his adherence to the law, instead tried to cover up what he’d done by reportedly asking his staff to move the boxes of classified documents around to avoid complying with the subpoena. According to the unsealed indictment, the documents were at various times in ballrooms, a bathroom, and IN THE SHOWER. 

He then apparently admitted to unlawfully taking secret documents in a recording obtained by federal prosecutors. In it, he reportedly admits that “I could have declassified [these documents] but now I can’t,” and then said, and we are not making this up, “this is secret information. Look, look at this!”

Over a hundred classified documents have been recovered since. And on June 8, a federal grand jury issued an indictment, and the Department of Justice charged Trump with 38 counts of willful retention of national defense information, obstruction of justice, conspiracy, false statements, concealment, and some charges under the Espionage Act. 

Not a great look for a former president and current presidential candidate.

So -- what’s next?

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the trial and how long it could take, but here’s what we do know: As you might recall, this man is STILL THE FRONTRUNNER for the Republican presidential nomination. We don’t know the timeline of the criminal proceedings just yet, but Trump is still allowed to keep running for president. And he could still win the nomination and even the presidency despite his flagrant criminal behavior. In fact, if he wins, he could shut down federal investigations into his crimes and even pardon himself for this very indictment and any future federal indictments.  

So it’s time we ask his fellow Republicans: WTF? Do you really support a man for president who has now been indicted twice, this time under the literal Espionage Act?

If you live in a district represented by a Republican, it’s essential that you ask them if they’ll support Trump as the nominee. If they won’t answer, stay on them. Ask them why someone who’s being indicted for endangering our national security and willfully breaking the law deserves to be President of the United States. Get them on the record, and don’t let them lie or pivot. Record their answer, and publish it. Want help? Use this birddogging resource!

Republicans can’t fly under the radar on this. As their constituent, you deserve answers, and we deserve better leaders. Now is the time to hold their feet to the fire. Find out more about the top targets for accountability at Unrepresentative18.org.

In solidarity, 

Meagan Hatcher-Mays
Director of Democracy Policy
Indivisible

P.S. -- We also have a version of this email in video format available on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube! Share this to your social media feeds and to your friends and family to ensure our whole network understands what is happening with this indictment.