Former US President Donald Trump tried to delay the delivery of classified material to the FBI. The businessman’s defense asked to extend the transfer of these documents, which were in the hands of the National Archives, to check if they could be under the protection of executive privilege. However, the request was ultimately rejected.
Former US President Donald Trump tried to cling to executive privilege to delay the delivery of material to the FBI.
Specifically, they are documents recovered by the National Archives and that They were in the former president’s mansionlocated in Florida.
The National Archives office released a letter signed by its acting director, Debra Steidel Wall, and which was sent on May 10 to Trump’s lawyer, Evan Corcoran.
In it, he denied an extension of the term, alleging that there was no reason for the former ruler to be protected by that privilege.
The 15 boxes owned by the National Archives had been received last January, after exchanges between the institution and former Trump lawyers due to the alleged lack of official documents.
The entity found information considered to be of national security in these documents. Even, part of it was left with the label of “Top Secret”.
In the letter published this Tuesday, Trump’s current defense is reminded that the Department of Justice had explained to them on April 29 that in that material there were about 100 classified documents, including more than 700 pages.
The Department of Justice stressed that access to them was necessary not only in the framework of the ongoing investigation, but also to assess the potential damage that could result from having been transferred and preserved without following the usual channels after leaving power in 2021. .
When the National Archives informed the Department of Justice of this material, it he asked them to put him in the hands of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other intelligence services.
Trump tried to hold on to executive privilege
Trump tried to delay the delivery date and at first managed to move it from the week of April 18 to the 29 of that month, but later requested an extension to check if some of those documents could be covered by that privilege.
The lawyers’ April 29 letter stated that if they were not given more time to review the records before they were released by the Archives, that letter should be considered a plea of executive privilege.
But the response from the Archives -disclosed today- was clear: This privilege was not recognized and there was no reason to delay the delivery to the FBI and the other intelligence services involved any longer.
Trump is being investigated for the possible commission of three crimes: violation of the Espionage Law, obstruction of Justice and destruction of documents. In case of conviction, they could carry from fines to prison sentences and disqualification from holding political office.
His Mar-a-Lago mansion was searched by the FBI on August 8.. The search warrant showed that the former president took classified material from the White House to that residence.
Trump asked a Florida court on Monday for supervision of this “illegal and unconstitutional” search, which includes the designation of a “special teacher” in charge, a more detailed receipt of what was seized and the return of what was not included in the record. court order.
The federal judge is inclined to publish, covering up the sensitive partsbut will wait to know the edition proposal delivered by the Prosecutor’s Office, which has until this Thursday to do so.