Considered one of Donald Trump’s staff advised FBI brokers that the previous president had ordered the relocation of bins of paperwork at Mar-a-Lago earlier than federal brokers searched the property, in accordance with a supply acquainted with the matter.
The supply additionally advised NBC Information that the FBI obtained safety video displaying individuals shifting bins out of a storage room at Trump’s Florida property.
The Washington Submit first reported the worker’s account on Wednesday.
When reached by NBC Information, the FBI and Justice Division declined to remark.
The employee’s account presents new particulars about Trump’s actions earlier than FBI brokers executed a search warrant on Aug. 8 to retrieve categorized materials from Mar-a-Lago.
In response to the Washington Submit report, Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich accused the Biden administration of weaponizing legislation enforcement.
“The Biden administration has weaponized legislation enforcement and fabricated a Doc Hoax in a determined try and retain political energy,” Budowich mentioned in a press release to NBC Information. “Each different President has been given time and deference relating to the administration of paperwork, because the President has the final word authority to categorize data, and what supplies ought to be categorized.”
The revelation concerning the witness account comes simply days after NBC Information first reported that Trump lawyer Christina Bobb spoke with federal investigators final week and named two different Trump attorneys concerned with the case.
Sources beforehand advised NBC Information that Bobb, Trump’s then-custodian of file, had signed a letter in June certifying that Trump was in compliance with a grand jury subpoena in Could and not possessed a trove of paperwork with classification markings at Mar-a-Lago.
However the witness’ account means that the bins had been moved to Trump’s personal residence at Mar-a-Lago after the subpoena was issued.
Trump has publicly insinuated with out proof that federal brokers planted proof throughout their search, which in accordance with the Justice Division unearthed 100 categorized, secret and top-secret paperwork, in addition to hundreds of different paperwork belonging to the federal government.
Kristen Welker contributed.