How An Intel Agency Handled ‘Damage’ Review in Trump’s Classified Records Case
Emails reveal the Office of the Director of National Intelligence tried to avoid conducting a full blown damage assessment of the hundreds of classified documents retained by then-former President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
This image, contained in the indictment against Trump, shows boxes of records stored in a bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.
Source: Justice Department/APWelcome back to FOIA Files! I’ve got another batch of emails to share with you this week. They center around the behind-the-scenes discussions that took place at the Office of Director of National Intelligence after lawmakers called on the agency to conduct a “damage assessment” in response to the discovery that President Donald Trump stockpiled hundreds of classified documents at his Florida mansion, Mar-a-Lago. If you’re not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here.
It’s been nearly a year since then-Special Counsel Jack Smith dropped the criminal case against Trump for removing classified documents from the White House after he left office in 2021 and concealing them around his home, including in his bathroom. (Smith dismissed the case after Trump won the presidential election.) A report Smith wrote about his investigation was submitted to the Justice Department. It remains shrouded in secrecy.