According to the Washington Post, the US Justice Department and FBI investigators have collected new evidence suggesting potential obstruction by former President Donald Trump in an ongoing investigation into classified documents discovered at his Florida estate. The report cited sources familiar with the matter.
In August, FBI agents confiscated thousands of government records, some marked as highly classified, from Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Special Counsel Jack Smith is leading the investigation, one of two criminal inquiries targeting the former president.
Trump, who was indicted in a separate inquiry in New York on Thursday, denies any wrongdoing in both cases, claiming they are politically motivated.
The Post reported that after his advisors received a subpoena in May demanding the return of classified records, Trump, seemingly intent on retaining certain items, personally examined some of the boxes of government documents in his home. The information comes from individuals familiar with the investigation.
Investigators have also reportedly found evidence that Trump instructed others to deceive government officials in early 2022, before the subpoena was issued. At the time, the US National Archives and Records Administration was working to retrieve documents from Trump's presidency.
The Justice Department, which the FBI referred questions to, has not immediately responded to requests for comment.
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told the Post that the "witch-hunts against President Trump have no basis in facts or law." He also accused Special Counsel Smith and the Justice Department of leaking information in an effort to sway public opinion.
Smith's investigations are just a portion of the increasing legal concerns facing Trump, who announced a campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination in November.
Apart from the New York investigation, Trump is also facing a Georgia inquiry regarding allegations that he attempted to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state.
