- Trump employees moved sensitive documents to Mar-a-Lago a day before federal agents came to retrieve them, The Washington Post reported.
- Investigators are suspicious of the timing of the move and believe it could indicate an obstruction.
- The investigation into the classified documents is reportedly nearing completion and Trump’s attorneys believe an indictment could be forthcoming in just weeks.
Two of former President Donald Trump’s employees moved sensitive documents to Mar-a-Lago a day before federal officials came to the property to retrieve them.
That’s according to The Washington Post, which previously reported that the boxes of documents were moved from a storage room in Mar-a-Lago after the federal government subpoenaed them last May. Officials from the National Archives and the Department of Justice had asked that the documents be returned before subpoenaing them. But investigators are reportedly suspicious of the specific timing of the move and believe it could indicate a potential obstruction of the ongoing federal investigation into whether Trump mishandled national defense information.
The Post also reported that Trump and his advisers conducted a “dress rehearsal” to move sensitive documents before the federal government subpoenaed the records. And a witness told prosecutors he moved boxes of documents to Mar-a-Lago on the orders of the former president.
Trump’s lawyer, meanwhile, signed a statement last June saying that all documents that were transferred from the White House to Mar-a-Lago after Trump left had been returned to the federal government. But the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s property two months later and recovered 11 other sets of documents with classified marks.
The DOJ’s investigation into Trump’s handling of government documents – led by Special Counsel Jack Smith – has intensified in recent months. The Wall Street Journal reported that investigators are nearing the end of obtaining testimony and evidence and that Smith is nearing a final decision on whether to take the extraordinary step of pursuing federal criminal charges against the 45th President.
Within Trump’s camp, concerns are mounting over a possible indictment, which could come in just weeks. And on Tuesday they sent a letter asking to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland, a decision some legal experts said was a telltale sign of impending charges.
“Unlike President Biden, his son Hunter, and the Biden family, President Trump is being treated unfairly,” the letter said. “No President of the United States has ever, in the history of our country, been baselessly investigated in such an outrageous and unlawful manner.”
Insider reached out to Trump’s attorney to comment on The Post’s reporting.
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