President Donald Trump allegedly took classified documents relating to his private business interests in 2021, according to a memo provided to the House Judiciary Committee by the Department of Justice.
The documents show evidence gathered by special counsel Jack Smith, who led multiple investigations into Trump’s handling of classified documents. An FBI raid later on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence found a trove of classified materials, including a large collection in a bathroom.
“Trump possessed classified documents pertinent to his business interests — establishing a motive for retaining them,” according to a 2023 “progress memo” from Smith’s team, reviewed by MS NOW. “We must have those documents.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the House Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, said the mistaken release of files was the result of a “frenzied search” by the DOJ to come up with evidence against Smith prior to him testifying before Congress in January regarding his 2023 indictment of Trump.
“You have, quite amazingly, missed the fact that some of the documents you provided include damning evidence about your boss’s conduct,” Raskin wrote in a Tuesday letter demanding answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Raskin also noted that the release by the DOJ could violate a gag order put in place by Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge who presided over the case. That order prevented the public release of Smith’s investigatory findings.
“This glimpse into the trove of evidence behind the cover-up reveals a President of the United States who may have sold out our national security to enrich himself,” Raskin wrote.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Raskin on Wednesday, saying he had “zero credibility.” She also called Smith “a liar and a fraud.”
“This is a cheap political stunt from a Democrat on Capitol Hill who I think wants to get himself on cable television,” Leavitt said,
The Department of Justice did not respond to Salon’s request for comment.
Read more
about Trump’s DOJ
