Donald Trump's own advisors were worried his refusal to hand over classified documents was essentially "daring" the FBI to come after him.
That dynamic was reported by The Washington Post on Tuesday under the headline, "FBI's Mar-a-Lago search followed months of resistance, delay by Trump."
"Donald Trump’s lawyers received ominous news in an April 12 email from the National Archives: The FBI would soon examine sensitive documents the former president had reluctantly returned to the government from his Florida club three months earlier," the newspaper reported. "The communication, which has been reviewed by The Washington Post, was a crucial pivot point in the probe of Trump’s handling of classified documents that led to the dramatic search of his Mar-a-Lago Club earlier this month."
Trump has reportedly displayed "anxiety" over his precarious legal position.
"In a legal filing on Monday, Trump’s lawyers insisted that he had been cooperating with Justice Department requests," the newspaper reported. "In fact, however, the narrative they laid out, as well as other documents and interviews, show that Trump ignored multiple opportunities to quietly resolve the FBI concerns by handing over all classified material in his possession — including a grand jury subpoena that Trump’s team accepted May 11. Again and again, he reacted with a familiar mix of obstinance and outrage, causing some in his orbit to fear he was essentially daring the FBI to come after him."
The newspaper described the situation before the search warrant as a "tortured standoff."
Read the full report.
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