Former President Donald Trump should probably prepare for extensive testimony in his forthcoming trial on federal criminal charges related to his handling of classified documents from his time in office. A new report from CNN says even Secret Service agents who’ve served around the ex-president are likely to be summoned for testimony, though the precise list of witnesses for eventual trial is not yet confirmed.
The agents could speak to either the general security situation involving the ex-president, which could have had bearing on the reach of those protected documents, or specific details involving the materials themselves. Trump has at times claimed the documents were broadly declassified, but he’s also run with the attempted excuse that he has supposedly absolute rights to control the materials — something that federal law refutes. Even the normally apolitical National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has issued public commentary shutting down the notion that the law provides for anything other than giving that very agency a presidential administration’s official records.
Trump has also tried to point to the supposedly broad security at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago where documents were found, but clearly that wasn’t enough for federal prosecutors. And Trump is alleged, both in his charges and in media reports, to have glibly discussed sensitive details with unauthorized figures.
“Other 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 about potential plans to bomb Iran, according to the sources,” CNN reported last week. The government may also call various individuals who have worked at Mar-a-Lago, including figures both on staff and who’ve simply done some work at the property. Trial is currently slated for May, but the scheduling could change. Trump’s January 6 trial remains scheduled for months earlier, in March.
