An employee at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort has reportedly revealed to investigators that Trump instructed them to move boxes containing classified material to his residence in the months preceding the FBI’s raid.
According to the Washington Post, the employee’s account of events was corroborated by witness testimony and security footage which showed people moving the boxes.
Trump made the request following a subpoena he received in May, nearly three months before the FBI conducted their raid on the former President’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
The video footage of the handling of boxes — which is now in the possession of investigators — also contributed to the FBI’s August 8 raid of Mar-a-Lago.
Since first denying the handling of sensitive material, the employee has become a cooperating witness in the Department of Justice’s probe and — according to reporting by CBS News — has appeared before a grand jury.
In response to the latest revelations, Taylor Budowich, a spokesperson for Trump, reiterated the former President’s belief that the investigation is baseless, saying, “The Biden administration has weaponized law enforcement and fabricated a Document Hoax in a desperate attempt to retain political power.”
He continued his statement, explaining, “Every other President has been given time and deference regarding the administration of documents.”
Yet Trump’s battle with the federal government regarding White House documents began in May 2021, when National Archives general counsel Gary Stern wrote to Trump’s attorneys explaining that approximately two dozen boxes of Presidential records from Trump’s time in office hadn’t been returned.
Stern’s letter was sent 15 months before the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence.
