When Donald Trump Said People Saw ‘Boxes of Documents’ Being Brought From the White House

Donald Trump has been involved in a myriad of legal troubles while also actively campaigning to run for President this year. The former President is still underway with his ongoing Civil Fraud Case Trial, which is being held in New York. But another case that his legal team is gearing up for is the Classified Documents Case Trial, which is said to be scheduled for this year.

The former President has long tried to delay the trial beyond the scheduled date however, on each attempt he’s been denied. There appear to be some new developments in the highly followed case as of recently. 

According to CNBC, the twice-impeached former President had pleaded not guilty to the charges above against him and argued that it was well within his right to “take whatever he wanted” from The White House. Nonetheless, on Friday, Trump made some rather astounding claims concerning the case.

He claimed that there were “various people” present in the vicinity of Mar-a-Lago [where the documents were found] who witnessed “papers and boxes” being transported to his residence in Palm Springs, Florida. The uncovered heaps of boxes as per prosecutors' claims contained about 1,545 pages worth of classified information completely concealed from the general public. 

He took to the popular platform Truth Social to shed light on the matter and further expressed his thoughts. “Of course they did! The boxes, etc., may have been openly brought from the White House.” He continued to highlight that it was his right and quoted the action under the “Presidential Records Act”.

The National Archives official website records what the quoted Act entails. It reads, “Any records created or received by the President as part of his constitutional, statutory or ceremonial duties are the property of the United States government and will be managed by NARA at the end of the administration.”

Contrary to Trump’s argument on Truth Social, it further notes, “Under the PRA, the official records of the President and his staff are owned by the United States, not by the President.” Furthermore, the website explained that when a President left the Office, any documents and records that were in possession by the person, by law needed to be taken into the custody of respective authorities. In short, when Trump’s term ended so did his ability to retain the said documents end.

The Act first became law back in 1978 and has ever since been in play and is valid regardless of the President in power. Concerning these facts, Trump or his representatives are yet to offer further clarification and comment on the matter. As per sources, the first hearing of the case is scheduled to commence on the 1st of March 2024 and will progress to deliver a final verdict soon after.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 11, 2023. It has since been updated.