Trump personally packed up boxes of documents linked to Mar-a-Lago raid investigation: Report
by Jerry Dunleavy, Justice Department Reporter |
October 04, 2022 09:54 AM
Former President Donald Trump personally packed some of the boxes filled with records at Mar-a-Lago that were later transferred to the National Archives in January, according to a new report.
Trump’s team had initially handed over 15 boxes of records from Mar-a-Lago to the National Archives in January, and the FBI’s affidavit justifying its Aug. 8 raid said the bureau’s criminal investigation “began as a result of a referral” from the National Archives to the Justice Department on Feb. 9.
The Washington Post reported Monday that “Trump himself eventually packed the boxes” sent to the National Archives in January, citing “people familiar” with the matter.
Trump's legal team renewed its attacks on the raid investigation in the wake of the report's release.
“Biden’s weaponized DOJ has no greater ally than the fake news media, which seems to only serve as the partisan microphone of leakers and liars buried deep within the bowels of America’s government,” Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said Monday evening.
“President Trump remains committed to defending the Constitution and the Office of the Presidency, ensuring the integrity of America for generations to come.”
The FBI previously said it seized more than 11,000 pages of records from Mar-a-Lago during the bureau’s unprecedented August raid, including roughly 100 documents with classification markings. Unsealed court filings revealed that Trump is being investigated under the Espionage Act, as well as related to laws regarding obstruction of justice.
The Post also reported on Monday that Trump asked his team to release a statement in early February claiming he had returned "everything" the National Archives had asked for. The outlet said Trump’s proposed Feb. 7 statement “was never released over concerns by some of his team that it was not accurate.”
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/trump-personally-packed-some-boxes-returned-national-archives
