Officials believed the documents left at Mar-a-Lago had national security implications, CNN reported earlier this week.
A subpoena issued before the June meeting, which showed investigators where documents were kept in a basement room at Trump’s home and private club, shows how the investigation has intensified and says discussions turned confrontational long before Monday’s search.
The criminal investigation began with concerns about missing documents raised by the National Archives, which made a criminal referral to the Justice Department. That led to this week’s court-authorized search and seizure of documents by the grand jury, leading to FBI interviews with aides.
In response to questions about the grand jury subpoena, Trump spokesman Taylor Pudovich said in a statement to CNN: “Monday’s unprecedented and completely unnecessary search of President Trump’s home was the latest and most egregious act of hostility by the Biden administration. President Trump has armed himself to harass his supporters and his staff.
Earlier this spring, federal investigators began interviewing members of Trump’s staff at Mar-a-Lago and former White House officials involved in moving documents from the West Wing to his Palm Beach home at the end of his presidency. With those interviews.
In addition to the grand jury subpoena for the documents, CNN previously issued a separate subpoena for surveillance video at Mar-a-Lago where federal investigators sought to gather information about who had access to areas where the documents were stored. matter. The subpoena was issued to the Trump Organization, the former president’s company that operates the Palm Beach property, and came after the June meeting.
CNN previously reported that federal investigators visited Mar-a-Lago in June to discuss White House records they believe are still kept at the Palm Beach property with the former president and his lawyers.
Trump was present to greet investigators at the start of the meeting, but did not stay to answer questions. During the meeting, Trump’s lawyers showed investigators documents — some of which were marked classified. According to a person familiar with the matter, agents were given custody of documents marked confidential or above.
This story and headline have been updated to reflect additional developments.
