This inventory list contradicts the attorney’s letter. The removal of that classified information after the letter was sent could explain why prosecutors cited an obstruction law in their request for a search warrant. The sources did not specify when the letter was signed or by whom. It was part of an ongoing correspondence with the Department of Justice on the matter. The New York Times first reported the existence of the letter. CNN previously reported that after a June meeting at Mar-a-Lago where Justice officials walked away with classified information, investigators developed evidence, including from a witness, that led investigators to believe there was even more classified information. information in documents stored in the complex. Court documents unsealed and released Friday identify three federal crimes the DOJ is looking into as part of its investigation: violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice and criminal manipulation of government records. The inclusion of the crimes indicated that the department had probable cause to investigate these offenses as it gathered evidence during the investigation. No one has been charged with a crime. The June meeting was attended by Trump lawyers Evan Corcoran, Christina Bobb and federal investigators, including Jay Bratt, the head of counterintelligence and export control at the Justice Department, CNN previously reported. A separate source claims Trump representatives told investigators at the June meeting that Trump had declassified all the documents. Trump spokesman Taylor Budowitz said in a statement to CNN: “Like every Democratic witch-hunt made before it, the water in this unprecedented and unnecessary raid is being carried by a media willing to run with suggestive leaks, unnamed sources and without hard evidence. .” The National Archives, which is charged with collecting and sorting through presidential material, has previously said at least 15 boxes of White House records were recovered from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort — including some that were classified. The warrant released Friday capped an unprecedented week that began with the search of the former president’s home — an evidence-gathering step in a national security investigation. The FBI’s search of the Palm Beach, Fla., resort on Monday followed days of silence from the Justice Department, as is the department’s standard practice for ongoing investigations. Then on Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the department had moved to unseal the search warrant and two attachments, including an inventory list, but also stressed that some of the department’s work must be done out of public view. “We are doing this to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans and to protect the integrity of our investigations,” Garland said, explaining that he would not elaborate on the basis of the investigation. Trump’s legal team had agreed to issue the historic search warrant earlier Friday, the Justice Department told a federal court. This story has been updated with additional background. CNN’s Katelyn Polantz, Zachary Cohen and Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
