A federal grand jury is investigating Trump's handling of classified documents, report says
- A federal grand jury is reportedly investigating Trump's handling of classified documents.
- Trump took boxes of classified documents to Mar-a-Lago, the National Archives said.
A federal grand jury is investigating President Donald Trump's handling of classified information after leaving office, The New York Times reported.
It's a significant step for the Justice Department, which is said to be interested in official presidential materials and classified documents Trump took back to his residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving the White House in January 2021.
The Washington Post first reported in February that the department was looking into Trump's actions and whether they violated the Presidential Records Act.
The National Archives and Records Administration, the agency charged with preserving and maintaining such documents, eventually recovered 15 boxes of materials from Mar-a-Lago. It then asked the Justice Department to investigate whether Trump had violated federal records laws requiring the preservation of official presidential documents.
The grand jury has subpoenaed the National Archives for access to boxes containing classified documents and is seeking to interview former aides who worked in the White House at the end of Trump's presidency, The Times reported.
The newspaper added that charges were rarely brought over the handling of such sensitive material but an investigation was needed to determine whether there were any related lapses in intelligence handling.
The Justice Department declined to comment. Representatives for Trump and the National Archives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement to The Times, a Trump spokesperson said: "President Trump consistently handled all documents in accordance with applicable law and regulations." He added that efforts to investigate this were "politically motivated and misguided."
In addition to documents marked "classified," The Post and The Times both reported that some of the items in the boxes were letters to Trump from the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — which Trump described as beautiful "love letters" — a note from former President Barack Obama, a map on which Trump drew with a Sharpie to mark a possible hurricane path to Alabama, and at least one piece of clothing.
The Presidential Records Act, a law from the 1970s, requires presidents and White House staff to preserve official documents and communications, including gifts received while in office, letters, emails, text messages, and social-media posts, and turn those items over to the archives at the end of a president's term.
There are few mechanisms enabling the National Archives to enforce the law and punish violators.
For Trump, the grand-jury investigation opens another front of legal scrutiny and further calls into question the former president's record keeping. In New York, the attorney general is investigating the finances of Trump's namesake company.
A New York state judge held Trump in contempt after finding Trump failed to comply with a subpoena from the office of Attorney General Letitia James. But Judge Arthur Engoron lifted that contempt order Wednesday with conditions, including a requirement that Trump pay a $110,000 fine.
A separate inquiry led by the local prosecutor in Atlanta is examining whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered with Georgia's election in 2020.