Former President Donald Trump has made history as the first former president to face federal charges.
He was most recently indicted on Aug. 14 by a grand jury in Georgia, accused of trying to steal the state’s electoral votes from President Joe Biden in 2020. The former president surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Georgia on Aug. 24, where he was arrested and had a mugshot taken.
This is Trump’s fourth time being indicted and his second time being indicted in relation to the 2020 presidential election. The former president is also facing charges for allegedly illegally storing hundreds of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, falsifying business records in an attempt to conceal hush money payments and conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.
Leading up to Trump’s trials, misinformation has spread online about the charges he will face, Biden’s role in the cases and other officials’ handling of classified records – and even what his mugshot looks like. False claims also circulated about key figures in the case, including Attorney General Merrick Garland and District Judge Aileen Cannon.
Here’s a roundup of claims USA TODAY has debunked related to these cases:
Claims about Trump’s arrest mugshot (only Fulton Co. one is real)
The claim: Image shows a mugshot of Trump
Our rating: Altered
Trump did not have his mugshot taken on April 4 when he was placed under arrest. Forensics experts said numerous features show the image is fabricated. Read more.
The claim: Image shows Trump’s mugshot from Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Our rating: Altered
This is not a real mugshot. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office had not released a mugshot of Trump as of the morning of Aug. 24. Trump is expected to turn himself in that afternoon. Read more.
The claim: Photos show Donald Trump being arrested
Our rating: Altered
Trump had not been not arrested by law enforcement officers at the time the post was shared. The creator of two images in the post confirmed that they were computer-generated. Read more.
Claims about Trump’s indictment and key figures in classified documents case
The claim: Video shows Alvin Bragg dropping charges against Donald Trump and resigning
Our rating: Altered
The video’s audio is altered. Bragg’s office is still investigating former President Donald Trump. Read more.
The claim: Charges against Trump include potential for death penalty
Our rating: False
The special counsel’s office overseeing the prosecution told USA TODAY the claim is false, explaining that Trump’s case does not meet the requirements for capital punishment. Legal experts agreed the claim is not valid and pointed out the death penalty is rare, even in applicable cases. Read more.
The claim: Order for Stormy Daniels to pay Trump legal fees shows indictment is ‘absurd and fake’
Our rating: False
The court order is related to a 2018 defamation case adult film actress Stormy Daniels filed against former President Donald Trump. The case is unrelated to Trump’s Manhattan indictment, numerous legal experts said. Read more.
Claim: Trump was charged with espionage
Our rating: False
Legal experts said Trump was not charged with espionage in the classified documents probe. He was charged with the willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act for allegedly possessing documents related to national security. Experts said the Espionage Act encompasses crimes other than espionage itself. Read more.
Claim: Merrick Garland stripped Trump of right to run in 2024 after evidence of ‘justice obstruction’ was found
Our rating: False
Garland does not have the authority to prevent Trump from running for president, according to legal experts. Even if Trump is indicted in the classified documents case, he can still run for president. Read more.
Claim: Biden ordered Trump’s indictment
Our rating: False
Legal experts said Biden does not have the authority to bring criminal charges against anyone. That authority lies with federal prosecutors. In the classified documents probe, Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith made the decision to indict Trump, not Biden. Read more.
Claim: Photo shows US District Judge Aileen Cannon in a ‘Team Trump’ hat
Our rating: False
The photo does not show Cannon, who has been assigned to oversee the federal case related to former President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. It shows two Trump supporters at one of his campaign rallies in September 2022. Read more.
Fact check explainer: Trump wrongly uses Clinton socks case as defense in classified docs probe, legal experts say
The Presidential Records Act doesn’t allow presidents to take classified documents with them when they leave office. Legal experts say that a 2012 case involving tapes in Clinton’s possession is not relevant to Trump’s case since the tapes were considered personal records, not classified presidential records like those Trump allegedly had at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Read more.
Claims about current and previous administrations’ handling of classified records
Claim: Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden and Pence all took classified documents after leaving White House
Our rating: Partly false
While former Vice President Mike Pence and Biden have not been charged for improperly having classified documents in their possession, there is no evidence former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton or George H.W. Bush took classified documents with them after leaving the White House. Read more.
Claim: Biden did not have the authority to declassify documents as vice president
Our rating: False
Legal experts said Biden had the authority to declassify documents as vice president as the result of a 2009 executive order signed by President Barack Obama. Read more.
Claim: Classified documents were found at the University of Delaware
Our rating: False
A legal expert said no classified records have been found at the University of Delaware. Biden donated 1,850 boxes of documents from his time as a senator to the university. Read more.
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
