(GoRealNewsNow.com) – NEWS NOW: In a late-in-the-day breaking exclusive, The Washington Post reports that the United States Department of Justice is preparing an obstruction case against former President Donald Trump as part of its investigation into the classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago.
Specifically, according to the Post, the Justice Department and FBI are investigating Trump for possible obstruction in the case of top-secret documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home.
Investigators have obtained new evidence, such as emails and text messages, to understand key moments in the case.
Special Counsel Jack Smith is focusing on whether Trump took or directed actions to impede government efforts to collect all sensitive records. This is a significant difference from a separate investigation into classified documents found in President Biden’s possession, which is less advanced.
The Trump investigation team is trying to determine if Trump or others mishandled national security documents and if there’s enough evidence to charge him with obstructing the investigation. This is one of four separate criminal probes involving Trump, who is campaigning for another term in the White House.
Trump’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, denies any wrongdoing and calls the investigations “witch-hunts” with no basis in facts or law. He also points to the Biden classified documents probe and the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server, suggesting their conduct was worse than anything that happened at Mar-a-Lago.
Investigators suspect that after receiving a subpoena to return all classified documents, Trump personally examined some of the boxes containing classified material. Some documents were returned, but the FBI later found more than 100 additional classified items that had not been turned over.
Prosecutors must prove intent to charge someone with obstruction, meaning they must show that actions were taken to hinder or block an investigation. They are gathering evidence to determine Trump’s motivations in this case.
The investigation has collected evidence that Trump ignored requests to return documents to the National Archives, asked advisers and lawyers to release false statements, and grew angry after being subpoenaed for the documents. They also have evidence that Trump sought advice on how to keep documents after being warned it could be legally dangerous.
As investigators piece together events, they are asking witnesses if Trump showed classified documents to political donors, which could demonstrate his habits with classified material and motivations for wanting to keep the papers.
The case goes back to efforts by Archives officials to retrieve documents from Trump in 2021 when they believed some presidential records were unaccounted for and possibly in Trump’s possession.
When Trump eventually turned over 15 boxes of material, archivists found 184 classified documents, including 25 marked top secret. This suggested he had not turned over all classified documents when he left the White House.
The Mar-a-Lago prosecutors continue questioning witnesses and gathering evidence, but the investigation’s pace and expected completion date are not public.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS REPORT FROM REAL NEWS NOW.
