During the August 8 search of the Florida property, FBI agents found information that Trump had deposited it there themselves. The former president and his lawyers have repeated this claim several times in recent weeks, without providing evidence.
An independent judge appointed by the court last week, former judge Raymond Derry, is now giving Trump a “last chance” to determine exactly what documents are involved. By Monday, the administration must provide Trump’s lawyers with copies of all non-confidential items.
Next, the Trump team should prepare a statement indicating documents that would have been filed in Mar-a-Lago by someone else. Darry has to review more than 11,000 government documents, some of which enjoy the highest level of secrecy.
Search can continue
In the meantime, the Department of Justice is allowed to continue investigating confidential documents found during the search. A judge decided that on Wednesday.
The criminal investigation will include whether classified papers were withheld and whether there was an attempt to thwart a federal investigation. Both crimes are punishable. According to Trump, he made sure that the documents in question were no longer classified during his presidency, but according to the court, no evidence was found.
