Former President Donald Trump was advised that he should return the classified documents kept in his Mar-a-Lago estate almost a year before the FBI conducted its search, new court filings show.
An associate of Mr. Trump, only identified as “person 16” in the filings from the classified documents case that were unsealed Monday, told the former president in 2021 to “give it all back.”
“Whatever you have, give everything back. Let them come here and get everything. Don’t give them a noble reason to indict you, because they will,” person 16 told the FBI of the conversation.
The associate, who refused to have the interview recorded in fear of “the Trump world,” said Mr. Trump responded with a “weird ‘you’re the man’ type of response.”
The Trump associate also suggested that one of the former president’s children was asked to persuade Mr. Trump to give the documents back.
“There are issues with the boxes,” the associate said Mr. Trump’s children were told. “They belong to the government, talk to your dad about giving them back. It’s not worth the aggravation.”
The filings revealed that the classified documents probe was codenamed “Plasmic Echo” by the FBI.
The associate mentioned that Walt Nauta, Mr. Trump’s former valet who allegedly helped move boxes of classified documents, was told by those close to Mr. Trump that the classified documents investigation was “politically motivated and ‘much ado about nothing.’”
Mr. Nauta was also told that if he got charged with lying to the FBI Mr. Trump would pardon him after he’s elected president again.
The federal indictment in Florida accuses the former president of 40 counts of willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to object to justice, and false statements. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr. Nauta is charged with six counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Mr. Trump’s legal team has tried to argue that he cannot be prosecuted for having the documents in his Mar-a-Lago home because they were considered his personal property under the Presidential Records Act.
U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon rejected the claim earlier this month.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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