Trump team handed over more classified documents, laptop from Mar-a-Lago

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Former President Donald Trumps legal team turned over several pages of documents with classified markings and a laptop containing electronic scans of those materials to federal investigators in recent months, a person familiar with the situation said.

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The handovers took place in December and January, according to the person, who asked not to be named discussing a pending investigation.

The Trumps’ team hired outside investigators to search his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida and other properties, the person said, and a search in December turned up several pages that there is a classification mark on several thousand pages of Trump’s presidential schedules in the box.

The Trumps’ legal team notified the Justice Department at the time and returned the pages, the person said. While declining to identify the location, the person said the box was not in the storage area where the FBI collected several thousand documents, including material with classified markings, during a court-authorized search in August.

In January, the Trumps’ team learned that an aide had scanned copies of the documents in the box, including the marked pages, and turned that computer over to the Justice Department, according to the person.

ABC News first reported the latest materials found at Mar-a-Lago. ABC and other outlets previously reported that Trumps legal team ordered additional searches amid concerns from the Justice Department that he had not turned over all classified material in his possession.

The source also confirmed news reports that an empty folder found at Mar-a-Lago was given to federal investigators, but disputed the description that it contained classified markings. CNN reported that the folder was marked Classified Evening Briefing.

Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith is overseeing the federal criminal investigation into whether classified information and other government records were mishandled, as well as whether anyone was involved in interception in connection with that investigation. . Smith also led a separate investigation into the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a second special counsel, Robert Hur, in January following revelations that documents with classified markings were found at President Joe Bidens Delaware home and an office he used in Washington.

Garland said the White House counsel’s office notified the National Archives about the discovery and the administration promised to cooperate. Former Vice President

Mike Pences representatives subsequently reported finding classified material at his home, which they turned over to the National Archives. They said he is cooperating with authorities.

Spokesmen for the special counsel’s office and for Trumps team did not respond to requests for comment.

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