(NewsNation) — While Donald Trump is the first U.S. president to face federal criminal charges, one former US Air Force intelligence officer was recently sentenced to prison for the same crime.
Retired Lt. Col. Robert Birchum was sentenced June 1 to three years in prison. Birchum pleaded guilty in February to unlawfully possessing classified documents relating to national defense. Critics are pointing to Birchum’s sentencing as reason enough for the former president to face the same fate.
In 2017, law enforcement officers discovered that Birchum knowingly removed more than 300 classified files or documents, including more than 30 items marked top secret, from authorized locations, prosecutors said. Birchum kept these classified materials in his home, his overseas officer’s quarters and a storage pod in his driveway.
Trump faced his first full day with the looming possibility of facing years behind bars. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a Miami courtroom to federal criminal charges for his handling of classified documents.
Trump’s supporters, and many fellow Republicans, are accusing the federal government of weaponizing the justice department against Trump.
Attorney General Merrick Garland sought to protect the DOJ from these attacks by handing the case off to special counsel Jack Smith. On Wednesday, Garland was asked about the case and threw his support behind Smith.
“Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor. He has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors, and agents, who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law,” Garland said.
