General Discussion

Damning New Documents Obtained By Judiciary Democrats Reveal Trump Stole Classified Documents to Advance His Business Interests
Previously Unseen Docs Reveal That Susie Wiles Witnessed Trump Showing a Classified Map to Unnamed Plane Passengers, and President Took Sensitive Document Accessible to Only Six People in the U.S. Government

___Last week, the Department of Justice produced a January 13, 2023, memorandum to the Judiciary Committee, as part of its regular document production in service of Judiciary Republicans’ campaign to smear Special Counsel Jack Smith and the career prosecutors and agents who investigated Trump’s criminal conduct.

This particular production contained a memorandum detailing non-public information about the classified documents Trump stole when leaving office. The newly produced materials offer a startling view of evidence gathered by Special Counsel Jack Smith during his investigations into the criminal activity of President Trump, even as DOJ continues to suppress Volume II of his final report.

“These new disclosures suggest that Donald Trump stole documents so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them, that the documents President Trump stole pertained to his business interests, and that Susie Wiles, then the CEO of Donald Trump’s super PAC, witnessed President Trump showing off a classified map to passengers on his private plane. This glimpse into the trove of evidence behind the coverup reveals a President of the United States who may have sold out our national security to enrich himself,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

According to the newly disclosed records, federal investigators identified evidence that classified materials retained by President Trump “were commingled with documents created after Trump left office” and “would be pertinent to certain business interests.” DOJ prosecutors further assessed that these “classified documents pertinent to his business interests” established “a motive for retaining them. We must have those documents.”

Prosecutors also warned that some of the materials posed an “aggravated potential harm to national security,” including at least one document accessible to only six senior government officials, including the President.

The documents also reveal reckless handling of classified information, including scanning and cloud storage by unauthorized individuals—practices that significantly increase the risk of compromise. In another incident detailed in the disclosures, prosecutors “identified a classified map that we believe Trump may have shown to individuals on board” an airplane and wrote that their investigation “indicates that Susan Wiles, the CEO of Trump’s Super PAC was aboard that flight and witnessed this event.” DOJ has not disclosed who else may have seen the document and produced a map of the aircraft with all passenger names redacted. Public reports indicate that, around this time, Donald Trump was in close contact with Saudi officials and referenced “having classified records relating to the bombing of Iran” in an interview.

“If this map is related to our military posture in the Middle East, and it was in fact shown to any foreign official, Saudi or otherwise, that would amount to an unforgiveable betrayal of our men and women in uniform who are currently valiantly fighting in President Trump’s disastrous war against Iran,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.

DOJ’s hypocrisy in gagging Jack Smith is underscored by this latest disclosure. Special Counsel Smith remains barred from sharing information with Congress under a sweeping gag order imposed by Justice Cannon, at the request of Donald Trump, and enforced by DOJ. At the same time, DOJ has produced cherry-picked documents to aid Chairman Jordan’s vindictive campaign against Special Counsel Smith and his team, including some documents that appear to violate Judge Cannon’s order. DOJ appears to view the judicial order as rules for thee—Jack Smith—but not for me. However, it appears that the evidence against Donald Trump collected by Jack Smith and memorialized in his records is so damning, that even DOJ’s carefully curated production cannot fully excise findings that the President sold out national security to advance his own business interests.

Ranking Member Raskin is seeking information on who accessed the materials, what they contained, and whether any foreign actors were able to access or exploit the information. He also called for the release of all remaining investigative files, including the full, unredacted Special Counsel report.

https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/damning-new-documents-obtained-by-judiciary-democrats-reveal-trump-stole-classified-documents-to-advance-his-business-interests