The special counsel investigating former President Trump’s alleged improper preservation of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago is working to wrap up his investigation, a source familiar with the investigation told Fox News Digital.
The source told Fox News Digital that Special Counsel Jack Smith has been working to wrap up the investigation for weeks. It’s unclear when Smith will announce his findings or if he plans to sue Trump.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Smith has conducted interviews with nearly every Mar-a-Lago employee, including key political aides and other staffers, and has conducted numerous grand jury interviews in recent years. weeks.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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A Secret Service agent and security guard guard former US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, US, March 31, 2023. (REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo)
Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Smith, a DOJ official, as special counsel to investigate Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified files from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Smith was named in November, shortly after the FBI raided Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago residence as part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the case, after the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) claimed that Trump took 15 boxes of presidential records from his personal residence in Florida.
These boxes allegedly contained “classified national security information” and official correspondence between Trump and foreign heads of state.
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NARA informed Congress that the agency had recovered the 15 boxes from Mar-a-Lago and “identified items marked as classified national security information within the boxes.” The case was referred to the Department of Justice by NARA.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to deliver a speech at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump said this year that the National Archives did not “find” the documents, but were “donated, upon request.” Sources close to the former president said he cooperated and there was “no need” for a raid.
Classified documents believed to have been confiscated by the FBI in Monday’s raid included a letter to Trump from former President Obama, a letter from Kim Jong Un, a birthday dinner menu and a cocktail napkin.
Smith also took over the Justice Department’s investigation into the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. In this role, he investigated whether Trump or other officials interfered with the peaceful transfer of power after the presidential election. of 2020, including Electoral College certification. vote that day.
President Biden is also currently under investigation by a special counsel for his alleged improper retention of classified Obama administration documents. Former Vice President Pence also had classified files at his house, a case being reviewed by the Justice Department.
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Former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. (Charles Trainor Jr./Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Every administration since President Reagan has mishandled classified documents, according to testimony from government officials. National Archives and Records Administration.
Officials said NARA was “not aware of the missing classified information” when reviewing Trump’s presidential records, but instead “was aware of the missing records.”
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The official said NARA’s initial outreach to the Trump team came after officials noticed they were missing “highly visible elements” of the Trump administration.