Former President Donald Trump needs to show evidence that he declassified records found at his Mar-a-Lago resort, a top House Republican said on Sunday.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee, was asked point-blank by Fox News host Maria Bartiromo whether the documents, which have raised national security concerns, were declassified, as Trump and his allies claim.
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“This is going to be a fact-based issue. Certainly, there’s going to have to be some substantiation of this,” the congressman said on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that “no one is questioning that President Trump had full authority to do that as president. The question is going to be, how can they document that it occurred?”
The FBI conducted a search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago private club in Florida earlier this month, escalating what has been revealed to be a monthslong back-and-forth in which the federal government has sought to recover documents, including some that have been deemed classified.
An unsealed warrant showed the former president is being investigated for possible violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice. An underlying affidavit, which featured many redactions, noted the “government is conducting a criminal investigation concerning the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces, as well as the unlawful concealment or removal of government records” and said there is “probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found.”
Trump claims he declassified all the documents stored at Mar-a-Lago after he left office and has denied any wrongdoing. His legal team seeks a special master to review the documents seized from his residence. A federal judge in Florida announced the court’s “preliminary intent to appoint a special master” to review the documents, per a filing on Saturday.
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines informed leaders in Congress last week her office will provide an “assessment” to top lawmakers about “the potential risk” to national security posed by Trump’s handling of the records.
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Turner noted that he has called for all the relevant documents to be given to the House Intelligence Committee so lawmakers can review them for themselves.
“We have to be very cautious as we go through this process,” the congressman said. “There’s a lot more to learn. I certainly think that the court’s order to initially indicate that they have the inclination to issue a special master for the president, so President Trump’s documents would go to this special master for review and for disposition, I think that that certainly helps the former president.”
