Two people who were hired to comb through former President Donald Trump’s properties last year for classified files reportedly testified before a federal grand jury.
Both people reportedly gave roughly three hours of testimony before the panel investigating Trump’s handling of the sensitive records, according to CNN. The two people were hired to scour Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf resort, Trump Tower in New York, an office in Florida, and a storage unit in Florida.
Late last year, attorneys for Trump handed over at least two new items with classification markings that had been flagged during an independent search. Those files were reportedly unearthed by the two people who testified before the panel. Their search came after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and confiscated scores of documents with classified markings from the property.
The Justice Department has reportedly been investigating obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act in connection with the search of Mar-a-Lago. The inquiry is being led by special counsel Jack Smith who was appointed to the post last year. Smith has used the grand jury to investigate key witnesses in the Mar-a-Lago debacle.
Trump has denied wrongdoing, insisting he declassified the material and that a president can do so even by “thinking” about it. Prior to the Aug. 8 search, Trump had been subject to a May 2022 subpoena for any outstanding material with classified markings. His lawyers responded at least three times in writing that thorough searches for outstanding documents had been conducted, per CNN.
Smith’s team has been eager to examine the laptop files of a staffer connected to the Mar-a-Lago investigation, sources told CNN. The goal is to uncover whether there is an electronic trail around the classified material and how the documents were stored at Trump’s Palm Beach, Florida, estate.
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Earlier this year, revelations emerged that classified documents from President Joe Biden’s days as vice president were uncovered at a think tank and in his Wilmington, Delaware, residence, triggering a Justice Department review helmed by special counsel Robert Hur. It also emerged that classified documents were discovered at former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana residence.
These revelations have sparked scrutiny from Congress. The Senate Intelligence Committee has been demanding the Office of the Director of National Intelligence give them access to specific details of the materials seized. House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) have also initiated investigations into Biden’s classified documents.
