Trump took documents from White House clearly marked as 'classified': Washington Post

The Washington Post is reporting that some of the documents former President Donald Trump removed from the White House were clearly marked as classified, with even getting the highly sensitive "top secret" label.

Two sources tell the Post that "while it was unclear how many classified documents were among those received by the Archives, some bore markings that the information was extremely sensitive and would be limited to a small group of officials with authority to view such highly classified information."

As president, Trump had the power to order declassification of any intelligence he desired. However, it's less clear whether that gave him the power to smuggle out classified documents marked "top secret" to keep at his residence when he is no longer president.

READ MORE: Arizona GOP candidate's Super Bowl ad features him firing a gun at likenesses of Biden and Pelosi

"The existence of clearly marked classified documents in the trove — which has not previously been reported — is likely to intensify the legal pressure that Trump or his staffers could face, and raises new questions about why the materials were taken out of the White House," notes the Post.

The Post's sources claim that the classified labels on the documents were discovered by the National Archives and Records Administration, and their presence was a major factor in the agency's decision to refer the matter to the United States Department of Justice.