FACT CHECK: Viral Post Claims Donald Trump Has Not Been Indicted

Christine Sellers | Fact Check Reporter

A post shared on Facebook purports former President Donald Trump has not been indicted.

Verdict: False

Trump was indicted on Jun. 8 by a federal grand jury in relation to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, NBC News reported. The former Republican President was arraigned on Jun. 13 in a Miami federal court, where he pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, according to the Washington Post.

Fact Check:

Trump accused President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of abusing their power in a Tuesday night speech delivered at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, according to CBS News. The former President’s supporters gathered in Bedminster in the wake of his federal court appearance following his Jun. 8 indictment, Insider NJ reported.

The Facebook post, liked over 2,000 times, purports Trump has not been indicted. The post further claims Biden was not inaugurated as the Commander-in-Chief, so Trump still holds control of the U.S. military, and the events unfolding around him are “the greatest Sting Operation in World History.”

The post also includes a screenshot of Trump taken from a recent video he posted to his TRUTH Social account.

The claim is false. Trump was indicted on Jun. 8 by a federal grand jury in relation to his alleged mishandling of classified documents, NBC News reported. At the time, Trump was indicted on seven charges, including making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct, according to the outlet. The outlet also indicated multiple counts could be associated with each charge.

Following his Jun. 8 indictment, the former Republican President was arraigned on Jun. 13 in a Miami federal court, where he pleaded not guilty to 37 charges, according to The Washington Post. Among the charges, Trump faces 31 counts of “alleged willful retention of national defense information,” the outlet reported.

The full list of charges was made public after the DOJ unsealed Trump’s indictment on Jun. 9. (RELATED: Did Trump Use This Slur In Reference To DeSantis?)

Furthermore, Trump was defeated by Biden in the 2020 presidential election and left office in 2021, so he no longer holds control of the U.S. military.

Trump stressed his innocence in the Jun. 8 TRUTH Social video referenced via the Facebook post. “This is election interference and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt of all time,” the video’s caption read in part.

Check Your Fact has contacted a Trump spokesperson and the DOJ for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.

Christine Sellers

Fact Check Reporter

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