The Justice Department has gathered new evidence in its investigation into former President Donald Trump’s removal of classified documents from the White House that could lead to trouble, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Sources with knowledge of the matter told investigatorsfront of the newspaper, Trump told the newspaper that Trump was trying to block the government’s efforts to recover sensitive documents from the Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida, or that he was directing someone to do it on his behalf.
The Post reports federal investigators have gathered evidence that Trump may have sifted through boxes of documents after receiving a subpoena for their return, possibly keeping some of the files despite the order.
As part of the investigation, the government also obtained emails and text messages from Molly Michael, a former aide who worked for Trump at the White House and at Mar-a-Lago during the document episode.
Any case will depend on investigators proving Trump intended to block or obstruct the subpoena, which could prove difficult. The Post added that the government has evidence that the former president asked his lawyer for advice on how to store the records he has, which could reveal his intentions.
A Trump spokesperson told the publication that the ongoing investigation “has no basis in fact or law.”
“The deranged special counsel and the DOJ have now used prosecutorial misconduct by illegally leaking information to undermine the legal process and weaponize the justice system to manipulate public opinion and conduct electoral interference, because they clearly lost all across the board,” the spokesman, Steven Cheung, said in statement.
The saga over classified material continues a year after the National Archives discovered Trump had taken some records to Florida, in violation of federal law. He finally turned over 15 boxes of documents, including 184 classified files, itself a shocking episode for the former president.
But investigators believe they are more secretive.
His counsel eventually turned over 38 more classified documents, but a review of security records at Mar-a-Lago ultimately led to an FBI surprise raid on the compound last August, where more than 100 other classified files were discovered.
Trump has faced legal threats from multiple fronts. The former president was indicted last week in Manhattan for his role in a $130,000 money scheme for adult film star Stormy Daniels. He will be arraigned this week and the criminal charges made public. Trump is also facing questions about his efforts to cancel the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.