Fact Check: Did Trump Sign Into Law Felony for Which He's Indicted?
Donald Trump is expected to be charged on Tuesday over his handling and management of classified documents, news that the former president announced via social media this week.
While details of the indictment remain sealed, Trump told followers on his Truth Social site that he has been informed about the charges for what he's called the "boxes hoax." He will appear in court in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation.
In what might be a particularly ironic outcome, one social media commentator claimed that if Trump is charged for mishandling classified documents, it would be under felony legislation that he signed while president.
The Claim
A tweet by @CalltoActivism, posted on June 9, 2023, viewed 2.6 million times, said: "MAJOR BREAKING: Donald Trump is facing five years in prison and a felony because of a law HE SIGNED in attempt to punish Hillary Clinton in 2018.
"Oh this is GOOD!
"The law HE SIGNED upgrades the crime of wrongly moving classified material from a misdemeanor to a felony.
"Trump signed the bill after spending the 2016 presidential campaign accusing Hillary Clinton of improperly handling classified information."
The Rulinghttps://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-i ... ny-1805561
True.
In 2018, as part of legislation that extended the FISA Amendments Act, Trump signed changes to U.S. Code that upgraded the sentencing protocol for the crime of mishandling classified documents.
Previously punishable by no more than one year in jail, the change meant those found guilty could face up to five years behind bars, upgrading the crime from a misdemeanor to a felony.
While we don't know yet whether Trump has or will be charged under this law, the similarity of this legislation's wording to the offense that Special Counsel Jack Smith is said to have investigated strongly suggests it could be the case.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team.
...he really is a stable genius!