Image source, Reuters

Things are moving fast, we have just seen a statement from two of Donald Trump's lawyers, saying they have resigned as legal council.

Jim Trusty and John Rowley announced their decision to quit.

"This morning we tendered our resignations as counsel to President Trump, and we will no longer represent him on either the indicted case or the 6 January investigation," the pair said in a statement.

They both said it was "an honour" to spend the last year defending Trump, but due to the case being filed in Miami, Trusty and Rowley feel it is a "logical moment" to step aside.

The statement came not long after Trump's own annnouncement on Truth Social.

Minutes ago Donald Trump took to his social-media platform, Truth Social, to announce a shake-up to his legal team.

"For purposes of fighting the Greatest Witch Hunt of all time, now moving to the Florida Courts, I will be represented by Todd Blanche, Esq., and a firm to be named later," Trump shared.

The former president said he would not be using Jim Trusty and John Rowley as his lawyers, despite Trusty appearing on ABC's Good Morning America earlier today to talk about the case.

"I want to thank Jim Trusty and John Rowley for their work, but they were up against a very dishonest, corrupt, evil, and “sick” group of people, the likes of which has not been seen before."

Extra lawyers will be announced in coming days, Trump says.

Image source, Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump is continuing to use news of his federal indictment to try to rally supporters and raise money.

In a video Trump reposted on Truth Social this morning, he compares Democrats to a "pack of rabid wolves" trying to unjustly attack him.

And in a fundraising email from this morning, Trump once again accused the Biden administration of attempting to "weaponise our legal system" to get rid him as a presidential candidate.

"We truly are a nation in decline," Trump said.

Image source, EPA

Earlier we brought you reaction from key Republicans who rallied around Donald Trump.

Let's have a look at some remarks from Democratic figures - who haven't held back in their comments:

• St Louis Congresswoman Cori Bush tweeted that Trump "must be held accountable"
• Democratic Congressman for Ohio Greg Landsman described "the chaos of Trump" continuing as he added: "What he’s doing to this country, the extremism and danger he and his allies present, has to end"
• And Adam Schiff, a former Democratic Chairman of the Intelligence Committee, took aim at Kevin McCarthy's suggestion that Congress could intervene. Schiff tweeted: "I will be doing everything I can in the Judiciary Committee to resist that. Trump has plenty of criminal defence lawyers. That’s not the job of Congress"

The former president's attorney, James Trusty, spoke with ABC's Good Morning America earlier today and said Trump was a "tough-to-hide" person.

"He's a pretty resilient guy," Trusty said.

"He's not crumbling in fear or anything remotely like that."

Trusty claimed Trump was "upset by the notion of this indictment" because he was innocent.

He went on to repeat claims that the case amounted to a weaponisation of the Justice Department and that a case against President Joe Biden involving the handling of classified documents was far worse.

Turning to what could happen today, we expect the US Secret Service will be meeting with Trump's staff, his security officers and secret service who were assigned to him during his time in office.

The US Secret service has a large contingent in its Miami office available to protect and provide security.

In the coming days staff will be scrutinising the federal courthouse in Miami and surrounding districts to do threat assessments and work with court officers and others to coordinate a security plan which is expected to be very tight.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, the latest charges come as the race for the Republican nomination for the 2024 election heats up.

Here's some of the reactions from key Trump allies and Republican voices:

• Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, said it was "unconscionable for a president to indict the leading candidate opposing him"
• Writing on Twitter he added: "House Republicans will hold this brazen weaponisation of power accountable"
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said: "We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation"
• Vivek Ramaswamy, who is also running for the Republican nomination, said he would "commit to pardon Trump promptly on January 20, 2025, and to restore the rule of law in our country"
• But another candidate, Asa Hutchinson, said Trump's alleged actions "should not define our nation or the Republican Party"

Is this indictment a threat to Trump's 2024 campaign?published at 14:05 British Summer Time 9 June 2023

14:05 BST 9 June 2023

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Donald Trump has been indicted for the second time in as many months, this time over his handling of classified documents.

But will these new charges change any voters' minds as the Republican runs for president?

After his first indictment in March, many speculated that Trump would pay a political price.

He did not.

In the weeks after a New York City prosecutor brought charges of falsifying business records, Trump surged in Republican polls.

The former US president also held his loyal base of supporters while other Republicans rallied around the embattled candidate.

But the weight of multiple indictments could begin to have an effect on Trump's standing.

It could, for instance, allow the message of party rivals like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who pitches himself as having Trump's policies without the former president's baggage, to resonate.

Even if that cumulative effect does not move public opinion, it is sure to be a distraction for the former president as he continues to campaign for the Republican nomination.

If Trump put national security at risk with his behaviour, that could make a difference in a court of law. And it could matter in the court of public opinion, as well.

You can read more about the possible impact on Trump's presidential run here.

If you're just re-joining our coverage, let us bring you up to speed with what we know so far:

• Donald Trump will be charged under the Espionage Act
• Details of the charges, related to files found by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago home in August 2022, have not yet been released
• Prosecutors must prove Trump acted wilfully
• Trump is accused of obstructing justice
• If convicted, Trump could go to prison
• The former US President denies all charges

You can read more details about the charges Trump is facing here.

Here's a quick reminder of how the former US President reacted.

Donald Trump defended himself in a video posted to Truth Social after receiving news of his indictment.

As we've been reporting, Trump faces seven charges, including unauthorised retention of classified files, US media reported.

He has vowed to fight the charges.

Hello and welcome back to our coverage of Donald Trump.

As a quick recap, the former US President says he has been formally charged over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House in 2021.

This would be the first federal indictment of a former US president -- and comes at a time when Trump is the front-runner to be the Republican candidate in next year's presidential election.

Plenty of reaction is still coming to us and there's much more to analyse, so stay with us as we bring you the latest.

Sam Hancock
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

We're going to pause our live Donald Trump coverage there, thanks for following along.

Our colleagues in Washington DC may well pick this up again later - it'll likely depend on what more the former US president and his team have to say on the matter.

The writers of this page were Robin Levinson-King, Rachel Russell, Joel Guinto and Kelly Ng. It was edited by Marianna Brady, Emma Owen and Jay Savage, and briefly by me.

Until next time.

Before we pause this page, here's a quick summary of Donald Trump's latest indictment.

• The former US president is facing criminal charges over his handling of classified documents after he left the White House
• The details of these charges have not yet been made public, but Trump's lawyers confirmed seven counts, including an espionage charge and several obstruction and false statement charges
• Several of these are considered serious charges, where conviction would mean jail time
• Trump will appear at a federal court in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon to hear these charges
• He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and said he will not plead guilty. He also described the case as "election interference" and "the greatest witch hunt of all time"
• Many Republican politicians and even some of his 2024 rivals have come to Trump's defence, while Democrats are calling for the former president to face justice

We heard earlier from Republicans claiming the US justice system was being "weaponised" against Donald Trump - now House Democrats have had their say.

Trump's indictment has in fact proven that no one is above the law, not even a billionaire former president, said Jamie Raskin, the senior Democrat in the committee that investigated Trump for keeping classified documents.

Congressman Adam Schiff from the judiciary committee said he would not allow Speaker Kevin McCarthy to make good of his threat to make those behind the indictment "accountable".

Meanwhile Greg Landsman of Ohio warned that the "chaos of Trump" would continue for as long as his supporters allowed it to.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

These charges - over Donald Trump's handling of classified documents - follow separate ones slapped on him earlier this year for allegedly falsifying business records over a hush-money payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels.

The latest case is being brought by a federal grand jury, which makes Trump the first former US president in history to face criminal charges on a federal level.

As we've been reporting, the full details are yet to be made public - but it is against the law to keep classified or unauthorised documents and a conviction could carry jail time.

The other indictment was brought by a New York City jury in April. Trump has denied wrongdoing and criticised both indictments as "politically motivated".

In the Stormy Daniels case, Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. It is now heading to trial, which is likely to happen in February or March next year. The most likely outcome is a fine.

Donald Trump and his team are facing two battlefronts - one legal and the other political, says CBS correspondent Robert Costa.

Watch his analysis of the latest scandal involving the former US president below.

Sam Hancock
Live reporter

Hello and good morning. Our overnight team have headed home for a well-earned rest now, and I'm here with fresh eyes to keep you posted on the latest developments.

If you don't already know, Donald Trump announced last night that he's been indicted for a second time this year - this time on federal charges in a case that centres around mishandled documents from his presidency.

It follows an FBI raid at Trump's Florida estate last year, where agents recovered multiple boxes of documents - including several that were classified or marked "top secret".

Reports suggest he is facing a multi-count indictment related to retaining national defence information, and obstruction of justice. But the indictment itself - a document which details the charges against him - has not yet been publicly released.

Stay tuned for the latest updates - I'm here in London working alongside colleagues Jay Savage, Joel Guinto and Kelly Ng in Singapore.

In the US, an indictment is a formal notice that there is enough evidence to charge a person with a crime. It is not a conviction.

A prosecutor brings a criminal case before a citizen's panel of 16 to 23 members, known as a grand jury.

After studying evidence and witness testimonies, the grand jury votes on whether there is enough evidence to merit a trial. Only a simple majority is required to secure an indictment.

Image source, Reuters

After a person is indicted, they must appear in court for an arraignment, during which the indictment papers will be unsealed and the judge will ask for a plea.

According to CBS, the BBC's US broadcast partner, Trump is facing a multi-count indictment related to retaining national defence information, and obstruction of justice.

It is his second indictment in the last four months. His first indictment stemmed from alleged hush money payments to an adult film star.

Image source, Reuters

Trump's main rival for the Republican nomination, Ron DeSantis, is among those calling the indictment a "weaponisation" of the law.

While he did not defend Trump outright, DeSantis said the US justice department had been "so zealous" at pursuing Trump while being "passive" towards President Joe Biden and Trump's former rival, Hillary Clinton.

DeSantis referenced his campaign, promising to "bring accountability to the DOJ" and "excise political bias".

Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy also used the term "weaponisation", as did Senator Ted Cruz and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

But unlike DeSantis, McCarthy offered a categorical defence of Trump.

“I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump against this grave injustice," McCarthy said.

We'll get a clearer picture of this when Trump appears in a Miami court on Tuesday, but for now:

• Trump is expected to be charged with wilful retention of national defence information, according to US media reports
• He is also accused of obstructing justice, giving false statements - charges that are linked to the initial Espionage Act count
• The biggest challenge facing prosecutors is whether they can prove Trump knowingly and intentionally violated the law
• If convicted, Trump could go to prison
• Nothing in federal law or the constitution would prevent Trump from continuing to campaign for president if he is indicted on federal charges.
• This will be Trump's second indictment and also the first time a former president has faced federal charges in the US.

For more on the historic indictment, read our explainer here.