An investigation into Donald J. Trump’s possible mishandling of classified government documents has been ongoing since the end of his presidential term in January 2021. In May of that year, the National Archives and Records Administration informed Trump’s lawyers that he had taken boxes that may contain government records with him to his home and resort, Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Later that year, Trump’s lawyers confirmed possessing boxes with materials that could be reclaimed, 14 of which contained classified documents, prompting an investigation by the Justice Department.
In May 2022, the Justice Department issued a subpoena to Trump’s lawyers for any additional records still in his possession and in June of the same year, investigators from the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) went to Mar-a-Lago to search for additional documents. Roughly three dozen documents, including 17 with a “Top Secret” label, were found in a storage room. Despite attempts to show that all materials in question had been returned, more than 100 additional classified documents were found during an FBI search of Trump’s property on August 8, 2022.
Trump attempted to fight the Justice Department’s investigation, even requesting a special master be appointed to oversee the investigation. A range of Trump’s aides and lawyers were interviewed by the FBI and Justice Department prosecutors. Although some tried to block the Justice Department from questioning them, those efforts largely failed.
