While the felony charges against President Donald Trump regarding his alleged mishandling of classified documents were ultimately dismissed in 2024, newly released documents show that investigators had established a “motive” behind Trump’s actions — and one that was potentially tied to his “business interests,” MS NOW reported Wednesday.
Trump was indicted on 37 felony counts in 2023 after being accused of illegally possessing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. While Trump maintained his innocence, it has remained a mystery as to what may have motivated the then-presidential candidate to hold onto hundreds of pages of top-secret files.
A newly released 2023 progress memo from former Special Counsel Jack Smith, however, revealed for the first time what Trump’s motive may have been.
“Trump possessed classified documents pertinent to his business interests — establishing a motive for retaining them,” reads the memo, obtained and reviewed by MS NOW. “We must have those documents.”
The memo was made available to a select few members of Congress, including Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who lashed out at Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday in a scathing letter.
“These new disclosures suggest that Donald Trump stole documents so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them, that the documents President Trump stole pertained to his business interests,” Raskin wrote in a letter to Bondi, reviewed by MS NOW.
“This glimpse into the trove of evidence behind the coverup reveals a President of the United States who may have sold out our national security to enrich himself.”
In response, the White House slammed Raskin as having “zero credibility,” telling MS NOW in a statement that “President Trump did nothing wrong.”
Trump has attacked Smith since the criminal probe was launched against him, calling the former Justice Department official "deranged" and “a real sleazebag.” He’s also called for Smith to be jailed.