Trump lawyer in June said classified document had been returned -NY Times According to Reuters
© Reuters. An itemized list of property seized during the execution of an FBI search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, showing documents listed as “Confidential.” “Secret” and “Top Secret” seen after being released by US District
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An attorney for former US President Donald Trump signed a statement in June that all classified documents kept in boxes at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate had been returned. to the government, the New York Times reported on Saturday.
The statement was signed after Jay Bratt, a top national security official at the US Department of Justice, visited Trump’s South Florida beach club on June 3, the New York Times reported. Bratt met with two Trump lawyers to discuss the handling of classified information during the visit, the newspaper said.
Trump is under federal investigation for possible violations of the Espionage Act, making it illegal to spy for another country or mishandle US defense information, including share that information with unauthorized persons, a search warrant released Friday showed.
FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago this week and removed 11 sets of classified documents, some of which were marked as top secret, according to the Justice Department.
The existence of Trump’s attorney’s statement suggests that Trump and his team may not have fully disclosed information about classified documents in the former president’s residence, the Times reported.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report. The Justice Department declined to comment.
Taylor Budowich, a spokesman for Trump, criticized the FBI search in a statement as an “unprecedented and unnecessary raid” that was part of a “fabricated witch hunt by the party.” Democracy”.
Budowich did not confirm or deny the New York Times report.
The chairs of the House Intelligence Committees and the Oversight and Reform Committees on Saturday asked the director of national intelligence, Avril Haines, to consider what damage it may have done to national security. because Trump has top secret documents at Mar-a-Lago.
“Former President Trump’s conduct has the potential to put our national security at serious risk. This matter needs a full review, in addition to the ongoing law enforcement investigation. out,” the two committee chairmen, both Democrats, said in a three-page letter, which they released publicly.
Representative Carolyn Maloney is chair of the Oversight Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff is chair of the Intelligence Committee.
