Intelligence officials are planning to assess whether classified material stashed by former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago poses a national security risk.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) that her office is reviewing whether the “disclosure of the relevant documents” could harm national security.
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“The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) are working together to facilitate a classification review of relevant materials, including those recovered during the search,” Haines wrote in the letter to the pair, which was dated Friday.
Haines said that her office is working to collaborate with the Justice Department to “facilitate a classification” review of the documents and stressed that she wants to ensure the review “does not unduly interfere with DOJ’s ongoing criminal investigation.”
The FBI’s Aug. 8 raid at Mar-a-Lago came as the DOJ was investigating obstruction of justice and possible violations of the Espionage Act, according to revelations from the unsealed search warrant and heavily redacted affidavit.
“We are pleased that in response to our inquiry, Director Haines has confirmed that the Intelligence Community and Department of Justice are assessing the damage caused by the improper storage of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago,” Schiff and Maloney told Politico.
In the other chamber, the Senate Intelligence Committee also asked for an assessment of how much damage to national security Trump’s handling of the material presented, according to Politico.
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Trump has claimed that he had a standing order to declassify the material he brought with him to Mar-a-Lago. The former president’s claim, however, has faced skepticism from critics such as President Joe Biden.
“As we can all relate to, everyone ends up having to bring home their work from time to time. American presidents are no different,” a statement from Trump’s office read, according to Just the News. “He had a standing order that documents removed from the Oval Office and taken into the residence were deemed to be declassified.”
