Former President Donald Trump is facing even more legal trouble with the revelation that he continued to keep classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate, even after FBI investigators searched the property in August 2022. A court filing unsealed on Tuesday detailed how Trump’s lawyers conducted subsequent searches at various properties, including Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Trump Tower, and storage units and offices, where additional classified materials were found. The filing also revealed that classified documents were discovered in Trump’s bedroom at Mar-a-Lago, with one box containing four documents marked as classified materials. The government forced Trump’s attorneys to conduct these additional searches, highlighting Trump’s failure to fully comply with the investigation.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell noted in the unsealed filing that Trump obstructed the government’s investigation by intentionally concealing the existence of classified documents, even after being subpoenaed to turn over all remaining materials. The government has recovered over 11,000 White House documents from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate alone, more than 100 of which have classified markings. Trump’s spokesperson, Steven Cheung, has not responded to a request for comment on the matter. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 40 felony charges he faces in the documents case, claiming it is a “witch hunt” and arguing that he was legally allowed to retain the documents under the Presidential Records Act, a claim that legal experts have rejected.
The trial in the classified documents case against Trump was initially scheduled to begin this week but has been repeatedly delayed as U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, who is overseeing the trial, has pushed back deadlines. The trial has now been indefinitely delayed as discovery issues in the case are still being worked out. It is uncertain when the trial will actually begin, but it will not be before the November election. The charges against Trump include willful retention of national defense information, obstruction, and destroying evidence. Under federal law, presidential documents are considered government property once presidents leave office, and the National Archives is responsible for their custody. Trump brought documents back to Mar-a-Lago with him after leaving office and voluntarily turned over some boxes to the National Archives in early 2022, but the government then subpoenaed him for all remaining classified materials.
Prosecutors allege that Trump intentionally concealed documents from his lawyers during the search for materials to comply with the subpoena, even directing aides to move documents on his behalf. In June 2022, Trump’s lawyers turned over 38 classified documents to the government in response to the subpoena, but investigators believed there were still more at Trump’s Florida estate. The search of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022 resulted in the recovery of over 100 classified materials, stored throughout the property, including in unexpected locations like a bathroom. Despite the mounting evidence against him, Trump maintains his innocence and continues to face legal challenges in the classified documents case.
