A new report from CNN says the news outlet has heard from sources — who remain unnamed within the new reporting — that it’s likely (though not confirmed) that a variety of noteworthy figures among workers who’ve been at Mar-a-Lago will be called as witnesses in the classified documents trial against Trump.
That includes figures like a woodworker who did some installation work at the property. Prosecutors have already heard from some such individuals, having sought answers from a member of the cleaning staff who covered Trump’s bedroom suite at the property and a chauffeur, the latter of whom reportedly spoke about some of Mar-a-Lago’s high-profile guests. (This remains all per CNN.) These individuals, whose reported roles extend from there, can speak to not just circumstances directly connected to the disputed documents but also to the general atmosphere at the property, which could give prosecutors critical context.
The underlying case charges Trump with the mishandling of dozens of government documents. Trump has at times claimed an absolute right to the control of these materials, which is not borne out by the actual legal record. Even the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has refuted the idea, besides also refuting claims of other former presidents having behaved similarly to Trump, who harbored documents at that southern Florida resort. NARA isn’t normally even arguably political. (They’re the agency legally responsible for presidential administrations’ records.)
Besides the Mar-a-Lago staff members, CNN said further “likely witnesses also include Trump Secret Service agents, former intelligence officials, as well as people who were in the room with Trump when he was captured on multiple audio recordings referencing a military document.” Trump’s handling of the document, reportedly covering potential strategy, figured directly into his indictment.
“In all, prosecutors could use these witnesses to explain to a jury the free-wheeling environment presided over by Trump after he left the White House. The potential witnesses have already spoken — some multiple times — to federal investigators in detail about the level of security at the Mar-a-Lago resort,” CNN added Thursday.
