Donald Trump to appear in court on federal charges in documents case

Ex-president to be arraigned in Miami, accused of intentionally retaining hundreds of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago

Donald Trump, the former US president, is set to face the sobering reality of a courtroom on Tuesday afternoon as he stands accused of illegally hoarding classified information in a case watched around the world.

The justice department's first prosecution of an ex-president concerns conduct that prosecutors say jeopardised national security and involves Espionage Act charges carrying the threat of a significant prison sentence in the event of conviction.