Topline
Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys turned over a tranche of documents marked classified and a laptop to the Justice Department in December and January, after FBI agents searched Trump’s home, according to multiple reports, as a special counsel probe into whether Trump mishandled sensitive records steams ahead.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 9, 2022 in … [+]
Key Facts
Handovers to the DOJ included an aide’s laptop, documents marked classified found at Mar-A-Lago and an empty folder titled “Classified Evening Briefings,” CNN reported, citing multiple unnamed sources.
An aide to Trump put digital copies of the documents on a thumb drive and then uploaded them to the laptop, not knowing they were classified, according to CNN.
It’s not clear what information the documents might have contained.
A Trump campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The Federal Bureau of Investigation recovered hundreds of apparently classified records—including some marked “top secret”—from Mar-A-Lago in an August raid after federal prosecutors said Trump went months dodging a subpoena requiring him to turn over the records. Trump has insisted he did nothing wrong, calling the probe a politically motivated “witch hunt.” He has also claimed the documents were his property since he somehow declassified them before leaving the White House—an assertion he has not provided evidence to back up. Prosecutors suggested after the Mar-A-Lago raid they believe Trump still possesses records marked classified, prompting an order from a federal judge last year requiring Trump’s legal team to carry out additional searches. The renewed hunt uncovered at least two records marked classified in a West Palm Beach, Florida, storage unit formerly used by Trump.
Tangent
Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing federal investigations involving Trump, which include the classified records case and a probe into Trump’s involvement in the January 6 storming of the Capitol, after Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed him in response to Trump launching his 2024 presidential campaign. Former Vice President Mike Pence recently received a subpoena relating to the January 6 investigation.
Contra
President Joe Biden is also facing a special counsel investigation into his potential mishandling of classified records after sensitive documents were found at his Wilmington, Delaware, home and former D.C. office, while apparently classified documents were also recently found at Pence’s Carmel, Indiana home. Representatives for both Biden and Pence claim they immediately turned over the documents to authorities after they were discovered.
Further Reading
Trump Mar-A-Lago Investigation: What To Know As Ex-President Goes To Supreme Court (Forbes)
More Classified Records Found In Trump’s Florida Storage Unit, Reports Say (Forbes)
Attorney General Garland Appoints Special Counsel To Determine If Trump Faces Charges (Forbes)
Trump Launches 2024 Presidential Bid (Forbes)
Pence Subpoenaed In Trump Special Counsel Probe (Forbes)
Who Is Robert Hur, The Special Counsel Investigating Biden’s Classified Documents? (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/02/10/trump-lawyers-turned-over-more-classified-materials-and-a-laptop-to-doj-report-says/