May 18, 2023
THE TIGHTENING NOOSE:
Exclusive: New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump's claim documents he took were automatically declassified (Jamie Gangel, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez and Paula Reid, 5/18/23, CNN)
The National Archives has informed former President Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records that show Trump and his top advisers had knowledge of the correct declassification process while he was president, according to multiple sources.In a May 16 letter obtained by CNN, acting Archivist Debra Steidel Wall writes to Trump, "The 16 records in question all reflect communications involving close presidential advisers, some of them directed to you personally, concerning whether, why, and how you should declassify certain classified records."The 16 presidential records, which were subpoenaed earlier this year, may provide critical evidence establishing the former president's awareness of the declassification process, a key part of the criminal investigation into Trump's mishandling of classified documents.
Posted by Orrin Judd at May 18, 2023 7:28 AM