According to reports, the U.S. Department of Justice is anticipated to indict former President Donald Trump for allegedly mishandling classified information in the Mar-a-Lago investigation.
“Special Counsel Jack Smith has all but finished obtaining testimony and other evidence in his criminal investigation into whether former President Donald Trump mishandled classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to people familiar with the matter,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
“Some of Trump’s close associates are bracing for his indictment and anticipate being able to fundraise off a prosecution, people in the former president’s circle said, as clashes within the Trump legal team have led to the departure of a key lawyer. In recent weeks prosecutors working for Smith have completed interviews with nearly every employee at Trump’s Florida home, from top political aides to maids and maintenance staff, the people said. Prosecutors have pressed witnesses—some in multiple rounds of testimony—on questions that appeared to home in on specific elements Smith’s team would need to show to prove a crime, including those that speak to Trump’s intentions, and questions aimed at undermining potential defenses Trump could raise, they said,” the outlet added.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation into Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort reported last week that prosecutors for Special Counsel Jack Smith have inquired about how surveillance footage was handled after the Trump Organization was subpoenaed for it last summer.
CNN reported in an exclusive that additional grand jury subpoenas have been issued to senior Trump employees in recent weeks as a result of concerns regarding how the organization handled the footage and responded to the Justice Department’s request for it.
Calamari Sr. is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Trump Organization, where he is predominantly responsible for supervising Trump’s and his properties’ security operations. CNN reported that his son serves as the Director of Security for the Trump Organization.
According to the report, the grand jury hearing scheduled for Thursday represents another significant development in Jack Smith’s investigation, as it involves securing the testimony of Trump’s closest associates as potential witnesses against him.
CNN added that the surveillance footage is believed to be an integral part of the Justice Department’s investigation into the possible mismanagement of classified documents at Trump’s Florida beach club after he left office, as well as possible obstruction of justice.
CNN previously reported that surveillance footage captured a former president’s close associate, Walt Nauta, and another Mar-a-Lago employee removing document-filled crates from a storage closet.
The report noted in addition:
The Calamaris are among the witnesses anticipated to testify on Thursday in Smith’s investigation, according to sources. Two sources told CNN this week that prosecutors have previously questioned lower-level Trump employees about the surveillance footage, including how it may have been handled in response to the subpoena for it and whether it could have been tampered with.
According to two of the sources, investigators have also previously requested a text message from Nauta to Calamari Sr. and subsequent conversations regarding the surveillance footage. CNN previously reported that the Justice Department questioned Nauta months ago about the management of the boxes, and he told the FBI that he was directed by Trump.
In August, the FBI conducted a search of Trump’s Florida estate after the Justice Department claimed he was not cooperating with the investigation into the possible return of classified documents.
A month later, a lawyer for Trump opposed the release of any security footage of the FBI scouring Mar-a-Lago.
A federal magistrate appointed a special master to review the documents seized by the FBI during their raid on Mar-a-Lago.
More on this story via Conservative Brief:
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.” CONTINUE READING…
