Special Counsel Looking At Trump’s Handling of Mar-a-Lago Security Footage
Special Counsel Looking At Trump’s Handling of Mar-a-Lago Security Footage: Report
According to several sources familiar with the investigation into the Mar-a-Lago resort owned by former President Donald Trump, prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith have reportedly been asking how surveillance footage was handled after the Trump Organization was served with a subpoena for it last summer.
According to an exclusive report by CNN, more grand jury subpoenas have recently been issued to high-ranking Trump associates due to worries about how the company handled the video and handled the Justice Department’s request for it.
Letters to Trump Hardcover – April 25, 2023 “#1 Best Seller in US Presidents“
Buy Now (Best sell Amazon)
As the Trump Organization’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Calamari Sr. has been primarily in charge of managing the security operations for Trump and his properties. His son serves as the Director of Security for the Trump Organization, CNN reported.
Another key development in Jack Smith’s probe is the grand jury hearing on Thursday, according to the article, which entails getting the testimony of some of Trump’s closest allies as prospective witnesses against him.
Read More: Supreme Court Delivers A Big Win To Donald Trump
The Justice Department’s probe into suspected mishandling of confidential records at Trump’s Florida beach club after he left office and potential obstruction of justice is thought to be heavily reliant on the surveillance footage, CNN reported.
According to a recent CNN report, the security film showed a Mar-a-Lago employee and an assistant known to be close to the former president, Walt Nauta, hauling boxes of paperwork out of a storage cupboard.
The report noted further:
The Calamaris are among several witnesses expected to testify in Smith’s investigation on Thursday, sources said. Prosecutors have previously brought in lower-level Trump employees for questioning about the surveillance footage, including how it may have been handled in response to the subpoena for it and if it could have been tampered with, two sources told CNN this week.
Investigators also have previously asked about a text message from Nauta to Calamari Sr. and subsequent conversations about the surveillance footage, according to two of the sources. The Justice Department questioned Nauta months ago about the handling of the boxes, and he told the FBI about being directed by Trump, CNN previously reported.
Since the Justice Department stated that Trump was not cooperating over the potential return of classified papers, the FBI conducted a raid on his Florida residence in August.
Read More: ATTACKS CONTINUE ON JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS
The release of any security footage of the FBI searching Mar-a-Lago was quashed by a Trump lawyer the following month.
Attorney Alina Habba stated that Trump would probably not disclose the video because he “cares too much” about the federal officers in an interview with Fox News anchor Sean Hannity.
Hannity asked Habba if Trump planned to release the security footage from Mar-a-Lago showing the FBI carrying out the search.
Habba said the legal team would discuss what the footage shows, but said “I don’t know” if they will release the videos.
“The truth is, unlike some of these federal agencies, we don’t leak. We follow the rules,” Habba said.
“You know why we wouldn’t honestly, Sean, because the president cares too much about the agents and the enforcement that were just doing their job,” Habba said. “And we have been told that their lives could be put at risk.”
Her remarks follow the appointment of a special master by a federal court to review records collected by the FBI during a raid on Mar-a-Lago.
Former chief federal Judge Raymond Dearie, appointed by U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in September 2022, directed attorneys for Trump and the Justice Department to come to New York City for a “preliminary conference.”
Lawyers for the two parties were asked to submit “proposed agenda items” to discuss by a date established during the same month, the outlet added.
Read More: ATTACKS CONTINUE ON JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS
During the operation, according to FBI sources, officers found about 100 items marked “classified,” despite the fact that Trump has claimed he declassified every material in his possession before to leaving office in accordance with his presidential powers.