The Department of Justice and FBI investigators have more evidence of possible obstruction by former President Trump in the probe into classified documents found during the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago estate last summer, according to a new report from The Washington Post.
The Post, citing anonymous sources, reports that investigators now have new evidence that Trump, after receiving a subpoena from the DOJ for the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, personally looked through the materials in an apparent attempt to hold on to some materials.
Trump and his team had returned some documents after receiving the subpoena last spring, but the FBI later executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago that recovered hundreds of documents that were marked as classified and were kept at the Florida resort past Trump’s time in office.
The Presidential Records Act mandates all presidential materials are returned to the National Archives for preservation after the end of a White House tenure.
Related news and commentary on the Trump indictment from The Hill:
Investigators have also reportedly gathered evidence that Trump instructed others to mislead government officials trying to recover presidential records in early 2022, before the subpoena. The Post notes this would not likely be a crime on its own, but could show evidence of intent to back up a possible obstruction case.
The new evidence indicates the special counsel appointed to the case, Jack Smith, is focusing on possible obstruction, or whether Trump made efforts to impede the government in recovering the records.
Correspondence from former Trump aide Molly Michael has been used to piece things together, according to the report.
In a statement to the Post, a Trump spokesperson decried “witch-hunts against President Trump” that “have no basis in facts or law.”
Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, was indicted last week on criminal charges in a separate case in Manhattan. He’s set to appear in New York court on Tuesday for arraignment.