Trump's attorneys found classified docs in his bedroom months after raid
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Former President Trump on May 20 in New York City. Photo: Mark Peterson - Pool/Getty Images
Former President Trump's attorneys found classified documents in his bedroom four months after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, per court documents unsealed Tuesday.
The big picture: The revelation comes as part of a newly unsealed opinion that U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell cited last year when she found that prosecutors brought forward sufficient evidence to show Trump mishandled classified documents.
- The former president's classified documents trial in Florida was indefinitely postponed earlier this month, with the judge citing the number of outstanding pre-trial motions.
Zoom in: An empty folder and "another mostly empty folder marked `Classified Evening Summary'" were found when Trump lawyers searched his properties following the FBI's August 2022 raid on the former president's Florida home.
- The judge wrote in an 87-page opinion that, "Notably, no excuse is provided as to how the former president could miss the classified-marked documents found in his own bedroom at Mar-a-Lago."
- Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Worth noting: A witness scanned the contents of the box containing the classified materials and stored them on a laptop in her possession owned by Trump's Save America PAC, according to a footnote in the opinion.
- Trump's office gave the box containing the four records to the FBI in January 2023, in compliance with another subpoena, per the court filing.
Catch up quick: The Department of Justice unsealed a 37-count federal indictment against Trump last June on charges related to the investigation into his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. He has pleaded not guilty.
- The DOJ said at the time that the boxes, stored everywhere from a shower to a business center, held hundreds of classified documents that, if exposed, could threaten U.S. national security, foreign relations, and the safety of the military.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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