Report: Trump employee was told to move documents after May subpoena

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Legacy Sports USA on October 09, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona. Photo credit Mario Tama/Getty Images

According to a new report, a Trump employee who spoke with federal agents said former President Donald Trump specifically told him to move boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago after the National Archives requested them in May, people close to the investigation said.

The report comes from The Washington Post, which spoke with some close to the investigation into Trump's handling of the documents.

The claims from the employee aren't the only piece of evidence federal investigators have, as they are also paired with security-camera footage of the action unfolding, showing the most direct account of the former president's actions before the FBI raided his home.

The report says that agents have spoken with witnesses who said that after Trump advisers were subpoenaed in May to return classified documents, Trump told people to move the boxes to his residence at the property.

The report from the witnesses was then corroborated by the footage caught on a security camera at the Florida residence. According to the source, people could be seen moving the boxes in the videos.

The Justice Department has declined to comment on the information.

When Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich was asked about the accounts in the report, he declined to address them in his answer, instead saying that the situation is a hoax.

"The Biden administration has weaponized law enforcement and fabricated a Document Hoax in a desperate attempt to retain political power," Budowich said in a statement. "Every other President has been given time and deference regarding the administration of documents, as the President has the ultimate authority to categorize records, and what materials should be classified."

However, the report stated that the employee who had worked at Mar-a-Lago is currently cooperating with the investigation and has spoken to federal agents multiple times.

While several witnesses have said they urged Trump to comply with the National Archives and return the documents, he stood by the claim that they were his, according to the Post.

Justice Department lawyers seemed to have alluded to the witness' story and the footage in a Supreme Court filing on Tuesday.

"The FBI uncovered evidence that the response to the grand jury subpoena was incomplete, that additional classified documents likely remained at Mar-a-Lago, and that efforts had likely been taken to obstruct the investigation," the filing said.

Now, Trump will have to face another subpoena, as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously to do so on Thursday.

"He is required to answer for his actions," Committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) Thompson said.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images