DONALD Trump could face up to 100 years in prison if convicted of mishandling classified documents at his plush Mar-a-Lago resort.
The tycoon, who is the current frontrunner in the race to be the Republican nomination for the 2024 election, is the first former president to face federal criminal charges.
Trump has been indicted on seven charges in connection with the probe and has been summoned to appear at a Miami courthouse on Tuesday.
It's the second indictment he has faced in three months.
If Trump was convicted of all the charges and punished with maximum penalties, he could be sentenced to 100 years behind bars, as reported by ABC News.
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Trump has been charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice and could face a maximum of 20 years in prison.
He has also been charged with concealing a document in a federal probe – a count that faces a maximum 20-year sentence.
If Trump is convicted of withholding a document or record, he could face a 20-year prison sentence.
Trump is accused of corruptly concealing a document or record and could be sentenced to 20 years behind bars if convicted.
The 76-year-old has also been charged with the wilful retention of national defense information, which could see him hit with a 10-year sentence.
The charges also include scheme to conceal false statements and representations.
Both charges face a maximum sentence of five years in prison if convicted.
Trump has railed against the indictment, raging on his Truth Social platform: "The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax."
He continued: "I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States."
Trump posted a video declaring his innocence, describing the latest legal move as "election interference at the highest level."
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He has repeatedly said that he's innocent.
Trump said: "I'm an innocent man. I did nothing wrong. I will fight this, just like we've been fighting for seven years.
"I'm an innocent man, we will prove it again. Seven years of proving it and here we go again. Very unfair - but that's the way it is."
'INNOCENT'
The news came just months after Trump was indicted on 34 counts in New York over an alleged hush money scheme.
He's accused of paying off porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Trump pleaded not guilty to those charges in April.
The former president faces investigations in Atlanta and Washington D.C., which could produce additional charges.
On Thursday, Trump criticized Biden for the unauthorized classified documents that were allegedly found at his properties.
"Joe Biden has 1850 Boxes at the University of Delaware, additional Boxes in Chinatown, D.C., with even more Boxes at the University of Pennsylvania," the former president said.
Trump added that Biden had "documents strewn all over his garage floor where he parks his Corvette, and which is 'secured' by only a garage door that is paper thin, and open much of the time."
Mark Stone, Sky News' US correspondent, wrote that it's "unlikely" a trial would be completed before November 2024 if it reached that stage.
Stone speculated that Trump could pause the case if he was to be elected president.
The indictment came after a months-long probe conducted by special counsel Jack Smith, the Associated Press reported.
He was looking into whether Trump kept hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Palm Beach, about 70 miles north of Miami.
The former president has also been accused of obstructing the government's effort to recover the classified materials.
Trump allegedly took about 300 documents after vacating the White House. Around 100 were recovered during a raid in August.
The Justice Department declined to comment on the new indictment.
It is the latest hurdle in Trump's attempts to win the Republican nomination and the White House in 2024.
'A DARK DAY'
His challengers include former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Trump's campaign said on Thursday: “This is un-American and wrong.
"President Trump violated no laws and is being held to a different legal standard than other former Presidents and Vice Presidents.
"We are confident that no matter how crooked the Executive branch has become, the American justice system is resilient and will throw this case out in its entirety. If not, our cherished Constitution is in serious trouble.
“President Trump will fight this unconstitutional abuse of power until he is ultimately vindicated. He will never stop fighting for the American people, and he will continue to work to restore the greatness of the United States of America.”
Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives, branded the news a "dark day" for the US.
He tweeted: "It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him. Joe Biden kept classified documents for decades. I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice.
"House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponization of power accountable."
DeSantis, who is behind Trump in the polls to be the Republican nominee for president, has also spoken out.
He said: "The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society.
"We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation.
"Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary or Hunter?
"The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias, and end weaponization once and for all."
Trump's attorney, Alina Habba, added in an interview with Fox News' Jesse Watters on Thursday: "When your name is Donald Trump, when you're leading in the polls, you are going to get hit hard.
"You are going to get indicted until you can't take it anymore. But they picked the wrong guy.
"And I think that's why he's so ahead in the polls. And that's why he will probably win."
