coverage of a historic federal indictment of a former president of united states begins at this hour with the dramatic full statement made by special prosecutor jack smith this afternoon when he, in effect, introduced himself to the american people, speaking publicly for the very first time in his six and a half months of investigating donald trump. good afternoon. today an indictment was unsealed. charging donald j trump with felony violations of our national security laws as well as participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice. this indictment was voted by a grand jury of citizens in the southern district of florida and i invite everyone to read it in full to understand the scope and the gravity of the crimes charged. the men and women of the united states intelligence community and our armed forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and its people. our laws the protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the united stat
thank you so much, reverend sharpton. a big show indeed, i am alicia menendez. welcome to a new weekend of american voices. with our country now in uncharted waters with the federal indictment of donald trump. this hour, the former president is going to make his second public parents it today. stopping in north carolina. we are not going to air his speech live. but we will bring you any news that he makes. we expect his speech to mirror his remarks, just hours ago in georgia. the former president, the only president in u.s. history to be federally charged with a crime, firing up his base. acting without a care in the world. repeating his same tired lie that his indictment is a product of a deep state witch hunt. instead of his own misdeeds. which we learned yesterday, not just hearsay, but caught on tape, and on camera. well trump can go out and say what he wants, the rubber meets the road this tuesday in miami. where this country, and the world, we ll see him face federal
the united states of america, versus donald j trump. we have one set of laws in this country. and they apply to everyone. , tonight the stunning 49-page indictment. 37 criminal counts, secret national security documents, strewn around his country club, on stage in a ballroom, on the floor in the bathroom. a conspiracy to hide them from the feds, and the lies that he told to cover it up. rachel maddow, lawrence o donnell, aubry melbourne, joy, read are here for msnbc s special coverage of the second indictment of donald trump. good evening from new york. welcome back to our special coverage. i m chris hayes here at 30 rock with the whole team. as well as the great and the good, rachel maddow who is joining us remotely on this historic day. and unprecedented, is an understatement. 37 count indictment against the 45th president of the united states. was unsealed today. a special counsel, jack smith, made his first public comments since his appointment by attorney general,
jack smith released the indictment today ahead of the court appearance in miami. and as we all discovered when it hit, the details inside those pages are simply stunning. yeah, and disturbing. the indictment alleges the former president transported boxes containing hundreds of classified documents from the white house to mar-a-lago. some were stored on the stage of a working ball room that he used at the time for events and gatherings, that anybody could wander into. the club s website calling it perfect, quote, for smaller soirees or an incredible cocktail party. some of the documents were kept in the bathroom. most telling in the indictment was that trump aid walt nauta texted of papers spilling onto the floor, including one so restrictive it s restricted to the five eyes, our closest allies. and the anderson, the indictment alleges that mr. trump took some of these documents to a second club, bedminster, where he is today, and where he shared the information about an a
trial. reporter: can trump overcome this case? house judiciary chairman jim jordan will join me next. and political shock wave. the historic indictment further unsettles the presidential contest. it is a horrible thing for this country. i have never once suggested to the justice department what they should do or not do. reporter: will trump be on trial while he is on the trail? i ll speak to former impeachment prosecutor and democratic congressman dan goldman, ahead. plus, pardon power. one republican presidential candidate said he d pardon trump if he wins. this is not about politics to me. this is about principle. reporter: another says trump needs to drop out. the country doesn t need this distraction. reporter: how does the indictment change the gop race? two presidential hopefuls join me in moments. hello. i m dana bash in washington where the state of our union is once again in uncharted waters. this weekend a defiant donald trump is once again pre