Feds Cite Efforts To Obstruct Investigation Of Trump Estate Documents

The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified files during its Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office, according to a filing that presents the most detailed timeline to date months of tense months. interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives about the discovery of government secrets. The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records recovered from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal investigation focused not only on why the files were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team deliberately misled them about the continued and illegal presence of the top-secret documents. The timeline set by the Justice Department made clear that the emergency search of Mar-a-Lago was conducted only after other efforts to retrieve the records failed and that it arose from law enforcement’s suspicion that additional documents remained at the property despite assurances from Trump representatives that a “diligent search” had covered all the material. It also included an image of some of the seized documents which were clearly classified, perhaps as a way of countering suggestions that whoever packaged or handled them could easily fail to appreciate their sensitive nature. The photo shows the covers of a series of classified documents bound together with paperclips — some marked “TOP SECRET//SCI” with bold yellow borders and one marked “SECRET//SCI” with a rust-colored border — along with bleached pages , spread out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Next to them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed photos, including a Time magazine cover. While it contains important new details about the investigation, the Justice Department’s filing does not resolve a key question that has fascinated the public with the investigation — why Trump kept the documents after he left the White House, and why he and his team they resisted repeated attempts to give them back. In fact, it suggests officials may not have received a response. During a June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago by FBI and Justice Department officials, the document states: “Counsel for the former President offered no explanation as to why boxes of government records, including 38 documents, remained at the facility with graduation marking. almost five months after the production of Fifteen Boxes and almost a year and a half after the end of the Administration’. That visit to Mar-a-Lago, which took place weeks after the Justice Department subpoenaed the records, gets significant attention in the document and appears to be a key focus of the investigation. Although Trump said he had declassified all the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers did not suggest so during the visit and instead “handled them in a way that counsel believed the documents were classified.” according to the document. . FBI agents who went there to obtain additional material received “a single Redweld envelope, double wrapped in tape, containing the documents,” the affidavit states. That file, according to the FBI, contained 38 uniquely marked documents, including five documents marked confidential, 16 marked secret and 17 top secret. During that visit, the document says, Trump’s lawyers told investigators that all records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago warehouse — and that “there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched.” After that, however, the Justice Department, which had subpoenaed videos on the property, “developed evidence that government records were likely hidden and removed from Storage and that efforts were likely made to obstruct the government’s investigation.” . The filing does not identify the people who may have moved the boxes. In their search in August, agents found classified documents in both the warehouse and the former president’s office — including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in desks. “The fact that the FBI, within hours, discovered twice as many redacted documents than the ‘diligent investigation’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to conduct casts serious doubt on the statements made in the June 3 certification and questions the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the document says. It says, “In some cases, even FBI counterintelligence personnel and Justice Department lawyers conducting the review required additional clearances before they were allowed to review certain documents.” The investigation began after a referral by the National Archives and Records Administration, which recovered 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago in January that were found to contain 184 classified documents, including top secret information. The purpose of Tuesday night’s filing was to oppose a request by Trump’s legal team for a special master to review documents seized during this month’s search and to set aside those protected by claims of legal privilege. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter Thursday. Cannon said Saturday that it was her “preliminary intention” to appoint such a person, but also gave the Justice Department a chance to respond. On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of the potentially privileged documents and identified a “limited set of materials that may contain privileged attorney-client information.” He said on Tuesday that a special master was therefore “unnecessary”. In a separate development, Trump’s legal team has grown with the addition of another lawyer. Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Colvin and Balsamo reported from New York.

title: “Feds Cite Efforts To Obstruct Investigation Of Trump Estate Documents Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-15” author: “Joseph Harris”

The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified files during its Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office, according to a filing that presents the most detailed timeline to date months of tense months. interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives about the discovery of government secrets. The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records recovered from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal investigation focused not only on why the files were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team deliberately misled them about the continued and illegal presence of the top-secret documents. The timeline set by the Justice Department made clear that the emergency search of Mar-a-Lago was conducted only after other efforts to retrieve the records failed and that it arose from law enforcement’s suspicion that additional documents remained at the property despite assurances from Trump representatives that a “diligent search” had covered all the material. It also included an image of some of the seized documents which were clearly classified, perhaps as a way of countering suggestions that whoever packaged or handled them could easily fail to appreciate their sensitive nature. The photo shows the covers of a series of classified documents bound together with paperclips — some marked “TOP SECRET//SCI” with bold yellow borders and one marked “SECRET//SCI” with a rust-colored border — along with bleached pages , spread out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Next to them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed photos, including a Time magazine cover. While it contains important new details about the investigation, the Justice Department’s filing does not resolve a key question that has fascinated the public with the investigation — why Trump kept the documents after he left the White House, and why he and his team they resisted repeated attempts to give them back. In fact, it suggests officials may not have received a response. During a June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago by FBI and Justice Department officials, the document states: “Counsel for the former President offered no explanation as to why boxes of government records, including 38 documents, remained at the facility with graduation marking. almost five months after the production of Fifteen Boxes and almost a year and a half after the end of the Administration’. That visit to Mar-a-Lago, which took place weeks after the Justice Department subpoenaed the records, gets significant attention in the document and appears to be a key focus of the investigation. Although Trump said he had declassified all the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers did not suggest so during the visit and instead “handled them in a way that counsel believed the documents were classified.” according to the document. . FBI agents who went there to obtain additional material received “a single Redweld envelope, double wrapped in tape, containing the documents,” the affidavit states. That file, according to the FBI, contained 38 uniquely marked documents, including five documents marked confidential, 16 marked secret and 17 top secret. During that visit, the document says, Trump’s lawyers told investigators that all records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago warehouse — and that “there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched.” After that, however, the Justice Department, which had subpoenaed videos on the property, “developed evidence that government records were likely hidden and removed from Storage and that efforts were likely made to obstruct the government’s investigation.” . The filing does not identify the people who may have moved the boxes. In their search in August, agents found classified documents in both the warehouse and the former president’s office — including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in desks. “The fact that the FBI, within hours, discovered twice as many redacted documents than the ‘diligent investigation’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to conduct casts serious doubt on the statements made in the June 3 certification and questions the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the document says. It says, “In some cases, even FBI counterintelligence personnel and Justice Department lawyers conducting the review required additional clearances before they were allowed to review certain documents.” The investigation began after a referral by the National Archives and Records Administration, which recovered 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago in January that were found to contain 184 classified documents, including top secret information. The purpose of Tuesday night’s filing was to oppose a request by Trump’s legal team for a special master to review documents seized during this month’s search and to set aside those protected by claims of legal privilege. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter Thursday. Cannon said Saturday that it was her “preliminary intention” to appoint such a person, but also gave the Justice Department a chance to respond. On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of the potentially privileged documents and identified a “limited set of materials that may contain privileged attorney-client information.” He said on Tuesday that a special master was therefore “unnecessary”. In a separate development, Trump’s legal team has grown with the addition of another lawyer. Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Colvin and Balsamo reported from New York.

title: “Feds Cite Efforts To Obstruct Investigation Of Trump Estate Documents Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-29” author: “Fred Hamilton”

The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified files during its Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office, according to a filing that presents the most detailed timeline to date months of tense months. interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives about the discovery of government secrets. The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records recovered from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal investigation focused not only on why the files were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team deliberately misled them about the continued and illegal presence of the top-secret documents. The timeline set by the Justice Department made clear that the emergency search of Mar-a-Lago was conducted only after other efforts to retrieve the records failed and that it arose from law enforcement’s suspicion that additional documents remained at the property despite assurances from Trump representatives that a “diligent search” had covered all the material. It also included an image of some of the seized documents which were clearly classified, perhaps as a way of countering suggestions that whoever packaged or handled them could easily fail to appreciate their sensitive nature. The photo shows the covers of a series of classified documents bound together with paperclips — some marked “TOP SECRET//SCI” with bold yellow borders and one marked “SECRET//SCI” with a rust-colored border — along with bleached pages , spread out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Next to them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed photos, including a Time magazine cover. While it contains important new details about the investigation, the Justice Department’s filing does not resolve a key question that has fascinated the public with the investigation — why Trump kept the documents after he left the White House, and why he and his team they resisted repeated attempts to give them back. In fact, it suggests officials may not have received a response. During a June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago by FBI and Justice Department officials, the document states: “Counsel for the former President offered no explanation as to why boxes of government records, including 38 documents, remained at the facility with graduation marking. almost five months after the production of Fifteen Boxes and almost a year and a half after the end of the Administration’. That visit to Mar-a-Lago, which took place weeks after the Justice Department subpoenaed the records, gets significant attention in the document and appears to be a key focus of the investigation. Although Trump said he had declassified all the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers did not suggest so during the visit and instead “handled them in a way that counsel believed the documents were classified.” according to the document. . FBI agents who went there to obtain additional material received “a single Redweld envelope, double wrapped in tape, containing the documents,” the affidavit states. That file, according to the FBI, contained 38 uniquely marked documents, including five documents marked confidential, 16 marked secret and 17 top secret. During that visit, the document says, Trump’s lawyers told investigators that all records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago warehouse — and that “there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched.” After that, however, the Justice Department, which had subpoenaed videos on the property, “developed evidence that government records were likely hidden and removed from Storage and that efforts were likely made to obstruct the government’s investigation.” . The filing does not identify the people who may have moved the boxes. In their search in August, agents found classified documents in both the warehouse and the former president’s office — including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in desks. “The fact that the FBI, within hours, discovered twice as many redacted documents than the ‘diligent investigation’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to conduct casts serious doubt on the statements made in the June 3 certification and questions the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the document says. It says, “In some cases, even FBI counterintelligence personnel and Justice Department lawyers conducting the review required additional clearances before they were allowed to review certain documents.” The investigation began after a referral by the National Archives and Records Administration, which recovered 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago in January that were found to contain 184 classified documents, including top secret information. The purpose of Tuesday night’s filing was to oppose a request by Trump’s legal team for a special master to review documents seized during this month’s search and to set aside those protected by claims of legal privilege. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter Thursday. Cannon said Saturday that it was her “preliminary intention” to appoint such a person, but also gave the Justice Department a chance to respond. On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of the potentially privileged documents and identified a “limited set of materials that may contain privileged attorney-client information.” He said on Tuesday that a special master was therefore “unnecessary”. In a separate development, Trump’s legal team has grown with the addition of another lawyer. Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Colvin and Balsamo reported from New York.

title: “Feds Cite Efforts To Obstruct Investigation Of Trump Estate Documents Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Thomas Phillips”

The FBI also seized 33 boxes containing more than 100 classified files during its Aug. 8 search at Mar-a-Lago and found classified documents stashed in Trump’s office, according to a filing that presents the most detailed timeline to date months of tense months. interactions between Justice Department officials and Trump representatives about the discovery of government secrets. The filing offers yet another indication of the sheer volume of classified records recovered from Mar-a-Lago. It shows how investigators conducting a criminal investigation focused not only on why the files were improperly stored there, but also on the question of whether the Trump team deliberately misled them about the continued and illegal presence of the top-secret documents. The timeline set by the Justice Department made clear that the emergency search of Mar-a-Lago was conducted only after other efforts to retrieve the records failed and that it arose from law enforcement’s suspicion that additional documents remained at the property despite assurances from Trump representatives that a “diligent search” had covered all the material. It also included an image of some of the seized documents which were clearly classified, perhaps as a way of countering suggestions that whoever packaged or handled them could easily fail to appreciate their sensitive nature. The photo shows the covers of a series of classified documents bound together with paperclips — some marked “TOP SECRET//SCI” with bold yellow borders and one marked “SECRET//SCI” with a rust-colored border — along with bleached pages , spread out on a carpet at Mar-a-Lago. Next to them sits a cardboard box filled with gold-framed photos, including a Time magazine cover. While it contains important new details about the investigation, the Justice Department’s filing does not resolve a key question that has fascinated the public with the investigation — why Trump kept the documents after he left the White House, and why he and his team they resisted repeated attempts to give them back. In fact, it suggests officials may not have received a response. During a June 3 visit to Mar-a-Lago by FBI and Justice Department officials, the document states: “Counsel for the former President offered no explanation as to why boxes of government records, including 38 documents, remained at the facility with graduation marking. almost five months after the production of Fifteen Boxes and almost a year and a half after the end of the Administration’. That visit to Mar-a-Lago, which took place weeks after the Justice Department subpoenaed the records, gets significant attention in the document and appears to be a key focus of the investigation. Although Trump said he had declassified all the documents at Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers did not suggest so during the visit and instead “handled them in a way that counsel believed the documents were classified.” according to the document. . FBI agents who went there to obtain additional material received “a single Redweld envelope, double wrapped in tape, containing the documents,” the affidavit states. That file, according to the FBI, contained 38 uniquely marked documents, including five documents marked confidential, 16 marked secret and 17 top secret. During that visit, the document says, Trump’s lawyers told investigators that all records that had come from the White House were stored in one location — a Mar-a-Lago warehouse — and that “there were no other records stored in any private office space or other location at the Premises and that all available boxes were searched.” After that, however, the Justice Department, which had subpoenaed videos on the property, “developed evidence that government records were likely hidden and removed from Storage and that efforts were likely made to obstruct the government’s investigation.” . The filing does not identify the people who may have moved the boxes. In their search in August, agents found classified documents in both the warehouse and the former president’s office — including three classified documents found not in boxes, but in desks. “The fact that the FBI, within hours, discovered twice as many redacted documents than the ‘diligent investigation’ that the former President’s counsel and other representatives had weeks to conduct casts serious doubt on the statements made in the June 3 certification and questions the extent of cooperation in this matter,” the document says. It says, “In some cases, even FBI counterintelligence personnel and Justice Department lawyers conducting the review required additional clearances before they were allowed to review certain documents.” The investigation began after a referral by the National Archives and Records Administration, which recovered 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago in January that were found to contain 184 classified documents, including top secret information. The purpose of Tuesday night’s filing was to oppose a request by Trump’s legal team for a special master to review documents seized during this month’s search and to set aside those protected by claims of legal privilege. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is scheduled to hear arguments on the matter Thursday. Cannon said Saturday that it was her “preliminary intention” to appoint such a person, but also gave the Justice Department a chance to respond. On Monday, the department said it had already completed its review of the potentially privileged documents and identified a “limited set of materials that may contain privileged attorney-client information.” He said on Tuesday that a special master was therefore “unnecessary”. In a separate development, Trump’s legal team has grown with the addition of another lawyer. Chris Kise, a former Florida attorney general, has joined the team of lawyers representing Trump, according to two people familiar with the matter, who were not authorized to discuss the move by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. Kise did not respond to messages seeking comment.

Colvin and Balsamo reported from New York.