Donald Trump May Have Just Broken the Law

Donald Trump may have violated his federal indictment by auctioning off a priceless gun from his collection at Mar-a-Lago.

Last weekend, an auction held at his Florida home saw the item, described as “a one of a kind Trump Glock from the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump,” go up for bidding during a charity event. Pictures circulating on social media show the gun being presented at the auction, with news website Meidas Touch saying that bidding for the item began at $10,000.

However, the transaction could land the former U.S. president in considerable trouble, given that federal law prohibits those under indictment from transacting firearms. Trump is embroiled in active legal proceedings, having testified at a civil trial over the New York investigation into financial fraud at the Trump Organization. The former president has denied all wrongdoing and repeatedly said that the ongoing federal and civil cases against him are part of a political witch hunt.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives outlines that as part of the Gun Control Act, it is unlawful for “any person under indictment for a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year to ship, transport, or receive firearms or ammunition.”

It means Trump, or anyone involved in the sale of the firearm, could potentially face prison time for violating the law. The person who purchased the weapon could also be legally liable for assisting lawbreaking, given that Trump’s indictment and trial have been heavily publicized.

In the short video on Meidas Touch, an auctioneer is heard taking bids for Trump’s gun starting at $10,000: “Do you have a license for that? I didn’t think so. Alright. This gun is an absolute little gun. Who will do $10,000 for it? Come on. It’s worth every dime. Somebody give me 10.” A Mar-a-Lago guest replies: “Here”

Meidas Touch says that Trump was present at the auction last weekend, with video stills and pictures of him smiling and socializing being published in its report. Newsweek is unable to verify this independently at this time and has contacted Donald Trump’s team via email for comment.

Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, told Meidas Touch that Trump could land himself in even more legal jeopardy if the gun can be proved to belong to the former president. Aronberg said: “Trump will be in legal jeopardy if the gun actually was his and he knew it would be auctioned off. The fact that Trump attended the event is evidence that he knew of the sale.

“Trump will probably say, however, that the gun wasn’t really his, and that the event organizers just used his name and mugshot to raise money for the charity,” Aronberg added.

The gun was auctioned off, with proceeds going to Forever Family Rescue Foundation, an animal welfare and rescue charity. “These unanswered questions could lead to a criminal investigation, and prosecutors could ask the court to decide whether this violates Trump’s pre-trial release. At present, there’s not enough to establish wrongdoing, but this could become yet another headache for the former president,” Aronberg said.

The incident isn’t the first time that Trump has come under fire for allegedly trading firearms while indicted. In September, his campaign team released a now-deleted social-media post of Trump expressing interest in buying a gun at Palmetto State Armory, a gun store in Summerville, South Carolina.

A prosecutor’s filing said that the post “showed the defendant holding a Glock pistol with the defendant’s likeness etched into it. The defendant stated, ‘I’ve got to buy one,’ and posed for pictures.” The filing added Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung posted the video with a caption that read: “President Trump purchases a @GLOCKInc in South Carolina!” His campaign later retracted the video and associated claim.

“The defendant either purchased a gun in violation of the law and his conditions of release, or seeks to benefit from his supporters’ mistaken belief that he did so,” the court filing read. “It would be a separate federal crime, and thus a violation of the defendant’s conditions of release, for him to purchase a gun while this felony indictment is pending.”

Cheung previously told Newsweek that Trump did not purchase the gun. He wrote in a statement: “President Trump did not purchase or take possession of the firearm. He simply indicated that he wanted one.”