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The Walls Could Finally Be Closing in Donald Trump

A Donald Trump insider at Mar-a-Lago appears to be cooperating with prosecutors in the classified documents case against the former president. 

Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Image Credit: Gage Skidmore.
Donald Trump speaking with supporters at a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

An insider appears to be cooperating against Donald Trump: A Donald Trump insider at Mar-a-Lago appears to be cooperating with prosecutors in the classified documents case against the former president

Donald Trump: A New Legal Issue

Reporting earlier this week stated that Special Counsel Jack Smith’s probe into the former president’s handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago was intensifying, with longtime Trump staffer Matthew Calamari and his son, Matthew Calamari, Jr., were both scheduled Thursday to testify before the grand jury in the case, part of what CNN described as a “new round of grand jury subpoenas.”

Now, there’s more big news: It appears that someone within Trump’s orbit at Mar-a-Lago is cooperating with prosecutors, and has provided the special counsel’s office with a picture of the storage room were the relevant documents were kept. 

According to The New York Times, Smith’s office has “obtained the confidential cooperation of a person who has worked for him at Mar-a-Lago.” That witness’ identity has not been disclosed. The story added that “nearly everyone who works at Mar-a-Lago” has been subpoenaed in the case. 

The probe is looking to “develop a fuller picture of how the documents Mr. Trump took with him from the White House were stored, who had access to them, how the security camera system at Mar-a-Lago works and what Mr. Trump told aides and his lawyers about what material he had and where it was,” sources told the Times. 

Smith’s office is looking into whether Trump tried to hide documents after subpoenas were issued at the start of the investigation. 

The Times story also reported that among the documents sought are records involving Trump’s relationship with LIV Golf, the golf tour that is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. 

A Trump spokesperson told the Times that the investigation was “a targeted, politically motivated witch hunt,” which was “concocted to meddle in an election and prevent the American people from returning him to the White House.” 

The Special Counsel’s office is also looking into the election interference case, with recent reporting indicating that Smith’s office is looking specifically at fundraising claims made by Trump’s operation stating that the election was stolen. 

The Washington Post reported last month that Smith’s office “sought a wide range of documents related to fundraising after the 2020 election, looking to determine if former president Donald Trump or his advisers scammed donors by using false claims about voter fraud to raise money.” 

The New York Times, around the same time, reported that prosecutors are “drilling down on whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but still raised money off claims that they were fighting widespread fraud in the vote results, according to three people familiar with the matter.” 

More Bad News for Trump

In another Trump legal case, the New York Attorney General’s office is alleging that Trump, the Trump Organization, and the former president’s three oldest children “ failed to turn over emails and other communications,” in connection with the civil fraud suit against them in that state, Forbes reported. 

Attorney General Letitia James wrote a letter to the judge in the case in late April, also noting an “unexplained drop-off” in emails from Ivanka Trump specifically. The former president’s daughter recently switched attorneys in the case, although her two brothers are still represented by Ivanka’s former lawyers. 

“AG believes this proposed order is necessary given Defendants’ failure to preserve, collect and produce documents and materials in a timely and transparent fashion. While we have recently begun receiving documents responsive to our discovery demands, Defendants have provided no timeline for the completion of their production, and more concerningly have not answered questions about the custodians, sources and means used to undertake their production,” James wrote in the letter. “For months OAG has been seeking an explanation for gaps in the productions made by the Trump Organization. Many of these issues date back to the underlying investigation that preceded this action and involved the collection and search of devices and databases.”

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Expertise and Experience

 Stephen Silver is a Senior Editor for 19FortyFive. He is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Written By

Stephen Silver is a journalist, essayist, and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

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