DOJ Gets Ex-Trump Staff As ‘Insider Witness’ In Mar-A-Lago Documents Investigation

Federal prosecutors have found an “insider witness” in their ongoing investigation of former President Donald Trump‘s alleged mishandling of classified material, according to a report.

The unidentified person cooperating confidentially with federal prosecutors worked for Trump at Mar-a-Lago, The New York Times reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the inquiry.

Prosecutors obtained the cooperation of the insider witness and issued new subpoenas as part of an intensifying effort to figure out whether Trump personally ordered boxes of sensitive material to be moved out of a storage room at his Florida residence and private club and sought to hide them after the Justice Department issued a subpoena in May last year demanding their return, according to the report.

The witness reportedly provided authorities with a picture of the storage room where the confidential documents were kept. Other details about the witness’ testimony or information they provided to investigators are unclear.

But the Times report suggested that prosecutors are trying to fill in some of the gaps in their knowledge about the movement of the documents. They reportedly believe that Trump’s valet Walt Nauta, another potentially key witness, had not provided accurate information on his role in the movement of the boxes that contained classified material.

Four more Mar-a-Lago employees were subpoenaed in the past few weeks, including another person privy to Trump’s thinking when he first returned classified material to the National Archives, unnamed sources briefed on the matter told the Times. Two sources also said that nearly everyone who works at Mar-a-Lago has been subpoenaed.

The Trump Organization was served subpoenas by prosecutors to provide additional surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago, according to the report.

The report said the software company that handles all surveillance footage for Trump properties, including Mar-a-Lago, was also subpoenaed as part of efforts to seek clarification on why some footage from the camera in the storage room appears to be missing or unavailable.

Unnamed people familiar with the investigation told the publication that a number of witnesses were already questioned about the gaps in the footage.

Trump Organization’s longtime head of security and chief operating officer Matthew Calamari Sr. and his son Matthew Calamari Jr., the company’s corporate director of security, were subpoenaed as well. The father and son are expected to appear before the grand jury Thursday, CNN reported.

A Trump spokesperson said that the case against the former president is “a targeted, politically motivated witch hunt” to prevent him from returning to the White House.

The spokesperson also accused special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the documents probe, and his team of harassing “anyone who has worked for President Trump.”