FBI Interviewed Trump Lawyer Who Signed Off On Claim There Were No More Documents At Mar-A-Lago

Topline

Trump attorney Christina Bobb met with Justice Department investigators Friday as part of the agency’s investigation into White House documents stored at Mar-A-Lago, multiple outlets report, after the lawyer signed a legal document in June stating there were no more classified documents at the Florida estate—despite that not being true.

Former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on August 31.

Key Facts

Bobb spoke with federal investigators on Friday in Washington, D.C., NBC News first reported and the Guardian confirmed, both citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

According to an August court filing from the DOJ, a Trump attorney—whom multiple outlets have identified as Bobb—signed a sworn certification letter on June 3 that stated all classified materials being kept at Mar-A-Lago had been turned over to the government following a “diligent search” to find all remaining documents, in compliance with a subpoena.

NBC and the Guardian report that letter was drafted by Trump attorney Evan Corcoran and not Bobb, who did not search for the documents at all herself, and Bobb told investigators she only signed it after insisting that it be rewritten to state she was swearing there were no more remaining documents “based upon the information that has been provided to me.”

Bobb told the DOJ that Corcoran was the one who provided that information to her, and NBC reports she named two Trump attorneys in total to investigators as being involved with the documents.

The fact government agents found more classified documents at Mar-A-Lago after the letter was signed “calls into serious question the representations made in the June 3 certification and casts doubt on the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the DOJ wrote in its August filing, potentially opening up Trump’s attorneys to legal liability if they lied to investigators in June.

The DOJ filing states that after turning over some classified documents on June 3 and signing the letter, the unnamed Trump attorney said any non-classified White House documents that still remained at Mar-A-Lago were being kept in a storage room, which was later also proven to be false when agents recovered documents from Trump’s office.

Crucial Quote

“People made [Bobb] the fall guy—or fall gal, for what it’s worth—and it’s wrong,” a source who spoke with Bobb about her DOJ testimony told NBC. “Yes, she signed the declaration. No one disputes that. But what she signed is technically accurate . . . The people who told her to sign it should know better.”

Big Number

38. That’s how many documents with classified markings Bobb turned over to the DOJ in June in response to the agency’s subpoena, according to the DOJ. The government then went on to find an additional 103 documents with classified markings when it searched Mar-A-Lago itself in August, along with more than 11,000 nonclassified ones.

What We Don’t Know

Whether any of Trump’s attorneys will face legal consequences themselves. In addition to Bobb, the Washington Post reports Corcoran had also been counseled to get his own criminal defense attorney because he claimed there were no more classified documents at Mar-A-Lago, but has so far refused.

What To Watch For

If more documents will be produced. Multiple outlets report the DOJ believes Trump still may have more White House documents in his possession of which the federal government isn’t aware. It’s still unclear whether the DOJ will take any further action in an attempt to get remaining documents, such as issuing subpoenas or another search.

Key Background

The DOJ is conducting a criminal investigation into Trump bringing White House documents back to Mar-A-Lago with him and whether that violated federal laws around mishandling government documents. That led the agency to conduct a search of Mar-A-Lago in August, and Trump then asked a court to appoint a third-party special master to review the documents, which has sparked a legal battle that’s now reached the Supreme Court. The ongoing investigation and litigation has divided Trump’s attorneys, the Washington Post reports, as Christopher Kise, who was hired to help with the president’s defense and favors “turn[ing] down the temperature,” has reportedly clashed with other Trump attorneys who want to take a more argumentative approach. Kise was reportedly sidelined on the president’s legal team after pushing the more docile strategy, CNN reports, though he has since continued to appear on legal filings in the case. The New York Times reports the DOJ’s suggestion that it believes there may still be more documents in Trump’s possession has further split the attorneys. While Kise pushed for Trump to hire a forensics team to find additional documents, the Times reports, the president has instead favored other attorneys’ opinion that he should “maintain an aggressive stance toward the authorities” instead.