Donald Trump Held Classified Documents in Trump Tower and His New Jersey Home, Lawyer Claims in Court Filings

In a recent court filing, former President Donald Trump's lawyers disclosed that the former president kept classified documents not only in his Florida estate but also in other locations such as Trump Tower in New York and his estate in New Jersey.

The revelation comes amid an ongoing trial in Florida where Trump is accused of unlawfully retaining classified materials from his presidency.

The filing also shed light on an incident involving Trump's former valet Brian Butler, who assisted in transporting boxes of presidential records on the former president's private plane.

The timing coincided with a meeting between the ex-president and his lawyer at Mar-a-Lago, where the missing documents were reportedly discussed.

Butler, identified as "Trump Employee 5" in earlier court filings, is expected to testify against Trump in the trial. His firsthand account of handling the classified documents adds weight to the prosecution's case.

Butler told CNN last month that the plane was loaded on June 3, 2022, which was the same day Trump and his lawyer met with the Justice Department at Mar-a-Lago to discuss the missing classified documents.

Butler said he later realized the white boxes of documents were at the center of the federal indictment against Trump.

Butler is expected to testify against Trump in the Florida trial. His version of events may have been bolstered by the latest filing in the case.

In response, Trump's legal team has proposed to the jury that the documents in question were lawfully designated by the former New York businessman as personal items before his departure from the White House. This argument forms a crucial part of Trump's defense strategy in the classified documents case.

The case has seen its share of legal challenges, with U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon receiving criticism from chief prosecutor Jack Smith. Cannon's suggestion that the jury consider Trump's possession of presidential records as personal belongings has raised eyebrows.

Trump's attorneys have doubled down on their stance, arguing that Trump had the authority to treat the classified documents as his personal property post-presidency. The proposed instructions to the jury aim to clarify Trump's perspective on the classification and ownership of the documents.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!