An associate of former President Donald Trump warned him to take the request to return documents to the National Archives seriously, according to released FBI filings on Monday regarding Trump’s case. “Don’t give them a noble reason to indict you, because they will,” the associate warned Trump, according to the filing.
The identity of the associate who made these claims was redacted in the documents. He/she is only identified as “Per. 16” throughout the FBI filing, “Exhibit D.”
The associate claimed Trump was advised to return the classified documents he had at his residence approximately a year before FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, according to “Exhibit D.” They listed multiple incidents, including phone calls, conference calls, and in-person meetings in which they encouraged Trump to return the documents.
“There are issues with the boxes,” the unnamed associate claimed they said in an apparent conversation with one of Trump’s children. “They belong to the government, talk to your dad about giving them back. It’s not worth the aggravation.”
There were several other important revelations from “Exhibit D.”
On page seven of the report, the associate claimed they also made another appeal “in late October/early November” while on a conference call with the former president to return all documents.
“Whatever you have, give it all back,” the associate allegedly implored Trump.
Trump, who was identified as FPOTUS in the document, allegedly inquired how it was known that he had any documents, according to “Exhibit D.” The associate informed the former president that the information was documented in writing.
“The response was essentially, ‘we’ll check and think about it,’” the associate claimed.
During another meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the associate again claimed he encouraged Trump to return all requested documents.
“Whatever you have, give everything back,” the associate claimed. “Let them come here and get everything. Don’t give them a noble reason to indict you, because they will.”
The associate claimed to have left Trump’s meeting with the feeling that he was going to “return the records to NARA.”
The associate also noted in the interview that, according to the filing, they were initially unaware that the boxes contained important or classified documents, thinking they only contained personal stuff such as clothing or “swag.”
“Was not aware during the 2021 meeting with FPOTUS that the boxes contained classified records, but it did not make any difference because they all need to go back,” the associate claimed in the report. They later said they were “not surprised to learn the boxes contained classified documents.”
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The associate also noted that at this particular time (in 2021), Trump had “not once during any of these discussions did FPOTUS or anyone else say these records had been designated as personal records or had been declassified by POTUS.”
The associate also claimed that when it was reported that 15 boxes had been returned, they knew there were 50 boxes at Trump’s property.
“So a decision was made not to return all of them,” the associate claimed in the report.
