The former US President ordered documents to be cleared away after being asked to return them. The testimony of the witness is one of the strongest evidence to date of a possible obstruction of justice.
A former employee of Donald Trump is heavily incriminating his former employer in a dispute over government documents confiscated from Trump’s private estate. Trump asked him to clear boxes of documents at his home in Florida after the former US President received a request to return the documents, some of which were classified, the newspaper reports Washington Post. The employee, who was employed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, was cooperating with the Justice Department and has been questioned multiple times by federal officials, the newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
The witness initially denied handling sensitive documents, but later admitted to moving the boxes at Trump’s request, the report said. The key witness’ testimony is one of the strongest pieces of evidence to date that the former Republican president may have obstructed justice. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich said the administration of US President Joe Biden is using law enforcement as a weapon against Trump. “Every other President has been granted time and respect in relation to the management of documents, as the President has ultimate authority to categorize records and decide what materials should be classified,” he said. Budowich accused the Justice Department of providing “misleading and false information” to the media.
In early August, the Federal Police FBI searched Trump’s villa in the US state of Florida. The FBI confiscated various classified documents, some with the highest level of secrecy. According to the law, this material should have been given to the National Archives. Among the thousands of documents, according to the FBI, were around 100 documents marked as secret, which are now in court. Trump has now turned to the country’s Supreme Court. The core question is who has access to around 100 confiscated secret documents.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Examining the documents is one of several legal issues Trump is facing. He is considering running for president again in 2024.