Trump employees moved boxes at Mar-a-Lago day before FBI visit: report

Mar-a-Lago workers for former President Trump moved boxes of papers a day before federal authorities visited the residence last June to recover classified documents, The Washington Post reported.  

The Post also reported that people familiar with the matter said that Trump employees allegedly carried out a “dress rehearsal” for moving the documents even before they received a subpoena for documents last May. The Post reported that this new information could potentially extend the timeline determining whether the former president obstructed justice.  

Trump is facing a federal probe over the discovery of classified documents at his private residence at Mar-a-Lago last year. Federal authorities searched the residence last August, uncovering more than 100 classified documents during that search.  

Special counsel Jack Smith was appointed in the fall to oversee the Justice Department’s investigation into the documents, as well as a second investigation into Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. Lawyers for Trump asked earlier this week to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland, which is a sign that the investigation could be winding down.  

Trump is also facing an election probe in Georgia over his alleged attempts to overturn the state’s election results. He was also recently charged on 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to a hush money case in New York. 

The New York Times reported that a maintenance worker saw a Trump aide moving boxes into the storage area just one day before federal authorities visited the residence in June. A person familiar with the matter told The Times that the worker helped the aide move the boxes but did not know what the boxes contained.  

The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign and the Justice Department for comment.