Lawyers reportedly found more classified government documents in Trump's Florida storage units alongside 'swords and wrestling belts'
Evan Vucci/AP
- A search team found more classified documents in Trump's possession.
- Trump hired the team himself to do a more thorough search pursuant to a subpoena request.
- The documents were found with suits, swords, and wrestling belts, a source told the Washington Post.
A law firm hired by former President Donald Trump found at least two additional classified documents in a storage unit of his belongings in Florida, according to government emails first reported by the Washington Post.
The documents were found as part of an additional search to fully comply with a subpoena issued by the Department of Justice in May, according to emails from the General Services Administration.
In addition to the search at West Palm Beach, Florida, the outside legal team hired by Trump also searched his properties in Bedminster, New Jersey, as well as Trump Tower in New York, according to the emails obtained by the Post. Trump's lawyers conducted the search at the government-run facility around Thanksgiving, according to the New York Times.
The FBI executed a search warrant at Trump's Mar-a-Lago country club estate in August, believing Trump's lawyers didn't comply with the earlier subpoena. According to the Post, Trump hired an outside law firm to conduct additional searches to comply with instructions by Chief US District Judge Beryl A. Howell.
The West Palm Beach facility is maintained by the General Services Administration, which assists in presidential transitions. The boxes were previously held at an office in Northern Virginia in the months after the Trump presidency. In September 2021, the GSA and Trump staffers coordinated to move them to the Florida facility, according to the Post.
A person familiar with the search told the Post that the Florida storage unit was not cataloged and contained an assortment of gifts and clothing.
"It was suits and swords and wrestling belts and all sorts of things," the person told the Post. "To my knowledge, he has never even been to that storage unit. I don't think anyone in Trump world could tell you what's in that storage unit."
Trump sued the Department of Justice following the search warrant execution in August, leading to a contentious legal fight that publicized how Trump took with him numerous government documents when he left the White House, including ones with classification markings.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland last month announced that Special Prosecutor Jack Smith would oversee a criminal investigation related to the documents, as well as a separate investigation related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.