DOJ reportedly has cooperating witness inside Mar-a-Lago in Trump classified documents investigation

(Image credit: Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

published 5 May 2023

Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents "have obtained the confidential cooperation of a person who has worked for him at Mar-a-Lago" as they focus on determining if Trump ordered boxes of sensitive material moved from a storage room at his Florida estate as the Justice Department was trying to recover them, The New York Times reports, citing multiple people familiar with the investigation.

Investigators, led by special counsel Jack Smith, "have developed what multiple people familiar with the investigation say is a wealth of testimony and evidence" about Trump's behavior as the Justice Department stepped into an effort by the National Archives to retrieve documents Trump improperly took home with him from the White House, the Times reports. "The existence of an insider witness, whose identity has not been disclosed, could be a significant step in the investigation," and the witness "is said to have provided investigators with a picture of the storage room where the material had been held."

The unidentified cooperating witness is part of a flurry of activity in Smith's investigation, including a wave of subpoenas and grand jury testimony, the Times reports. Those subpoenaed include security officials at the Trump Organization who may have information about security cameras at Mar-a-Lago as well as nearly all Mar-a-Lago employees. Smith is also investigating Trump's involvement in attempts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.

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A Trump spokesperson called the investigation "a targeted, politically motivated witch hunt" that is harassing "anyone who has worked for President Trump."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.