(NewsWorthy.news) – Newly unsealed filings have revealed that an associate of former President Donald Trump pressed him to return classified documents to the National Archives little over a year before agents conducted a raid at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
A summary of the unnamed associate’s interview with the FBI was among several documents released with redactions by the judge handling the former president’s classified documents case. The associate, identified only as “person 16” in the filings, told Trump while at his Florida home to give everything back and to not give the government a “noble reason” to indict him, stressing that they would do so otherwise.
According to the associate, Trump gave a strange “you’re the man” sort of response, leaving them with the impression that he would act on the advice and return all the documents to the National Archives. One of Trump’s children was also reportedly urged to talk to their father about returning the documents and told there were “issues” with them. The witness declined to have their FBI interview recorded out of fear of reprisal. The interview describes the person as an individual with security clearance who had daily access to the Oval Office. The interview contradicts Trump’s claims that a standing order existed to declassify anything he had, which the witness only heard for the first time after Trump was charged over the documents. The associate told Trump several times to return the document, saying it was not worth the “aggravation”. The witness added that Trump sometimes needed to be told the same thing from several people close to him.
After apparently ignoring the warnings, Trump was charged in June 2023 with violating the Espionage Act and allegedly holding onto over 30 highly classified documents illegally, in addition to obstructing repeated efforts by the government to obtain them. Walt Nauta, Trump’s valet, has been charged with lying to investigators and assisting the former president in moving the boxes. Addressing conversations with Nauta, the associate said that the valet was told that the charges against the former president were “much ado about nothing” and that even if Nauta were to face charges, he would be pardoned by Trump in the event he wins the presidential election.
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