Donald Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago. Photo / AP
Donald Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago. Photo / AP
A Times investigation shows how Donald J. Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago, where guests may have been within feet of the materials.
Mar-a-Lago, in Florida, is the primary home of former President Donald Trump. It is also a private club reserved for 500 members and avenue for parties and fundraisers that are frequently attended by hundreds of people at a time.
With the exception of the Trump family suite, members and their guests have access to much of the 20-acre property.
Since January, the federal government has retrieved three batches of classified documents from Mar-a-Lago. In a search in August, the FBI seized the third batch — more than 13,000 items, including 103 classified documents — from a storage area and Trump’s office.
Classified documents are supposed to be turned over to the National Archives at the end of a presidential term. But at the end of his term in 2021, Trump stored materials at Mar-a-Lago.
A New York Times investigation reveals how easily accessible classified documents may have been to the thousands of guests who visited Mar-a-Lago in the months after Trump left office.
Documents in storage area
Most of the classified documents in August were found in a storage area, which is accessible through two sets of arched doors, people familiar with the property told the Times. The doors are near the pool area, a popular event space.
Highly sensitive materials such as the documents found at Mar-a-Lago are usually viewed inside a secure, enclosed area with a safe built to meet strict guidelines. Periodic inspection is also required. But the Justice Department had noted that Mar-a-Lago did not have a “secure location authorised for the storage of classified information.”
Trump has said that before leaving office he had declared the documents declassified, but so far, no credible evidence was found to support this.
“Declassification is based on the determination that the information no longer would cause harm to national security if it were disclosed to people not otherwise entitled to access it,” said Mary McCord, a former acting assistant attorney general at the Justice Department.
Federal agents seized documents, including ones labelled “Top Secret,” from a small room within the storage area, a space where cleaning supplies, beach chairs and umbrellas were kept. Investigators had been concerned about material from “special access programmes,” a designation typically reserved for extremely sensitive operations carried out by the United States or for closely held technologies and capabilities.
After visiting the property in June, federal prosecutors had asked the former president’s counsel that “the room at Mar-a-Lago where the documents had been stored be secured.” Trump’s team responded by getting an additional lock for the room.
A New York Times investigation shows how Trump stored classified documents in high-traffic areas at Mar-a-Lago, where guests may have been within feet of the materials. Graphic / The New York Times
Security-camera footage from the hallway outside had captured a Trump aide moving boxes from the storage area, both before and after the Justice Department subpoenaed Trump and demanded the return of classified records. Security footage also showed employees circulating through the busy hallway.
The Times found that just outside the arched doors leading to the storage area, there were many large-scale gatherings near the pool area and outdoor patio, during the time the documents were on the property.
Nearby, campaign events and fundraisers were hosted in the White and Gold Ballroom. The Times confirmed that about 50 political events were held at Mar-a-Lago in the first 19 months after Trump left office.
Although most events at Mar-a-Lago tend to be by invitation only, hundreds of people attend and spill onto a large part of the property. For example, the “Palm Event,” a three-day vintage car show, provides wide access to the property — with 800 tickets sold.
Despite this, Christina Bobb, a lawyer of Trump’s and who had signed a letter in June attesting that the former president had returned all classified documents, told Fox News that only certain staffers could access the storage area. “You can’t just walk down there,” she said.
More files in Trump’s office
In the August search, the FBI found more classified documents in Trump’s office, known as 45 Office, above the Grand Ballroom.
Federal agents seized documents from a container in a closet and from a desk drawer. It is unclear if the container or drawer was locked. This FBI photo from the office, above, showed documents and cover sheets labelled “Secret” and “Top Secret.”
Since leaving the White House, Trump has had scores of visitors to his Mar-a-Lago office, and the guests have shared the images here on their social media accounts. Trump has essentially transformed a onetime bridal suite into a key stop for Republicans.
The office is reachable from a staircase right off the main entrance to the Grand Ballroom. It is unclear what additional security separates ballroom guests from Trump’s office.
The staircase leading to the office has no obvious permanent barriers.
Many galas, weddings and parties have been held in the ballroom since the classified documents were moved to Mar-a-Lago.
They include an event for a dog rescue group, a fundraiser for a Republican Senate candidate and the Lincoln Day Dinner for the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, which was attended by hundreds.
Mar-a-Lago is no fortress; it sits in a densely populated area in Palm Beach.
There have long been security concerns at Trump’s residence. Even during his presidency, the Secret Service relied on the club’s security to determine who could access Mar-a-Lago.
In total, more than 300 classified documents have been recovered from Mar-a-Lago so far, including during the August search. The criminal investigation, which now has a special counsel, is ongoing, and it is unclear whether or with what Trump would be charged.
“But certainly, intentional and knowing mishandling of classified information is a federal crime,” McCord said.
