The ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) suggested on Sunday that Donald Trump took classified documents to Mar-a-Lago to write his memoir.
During an appearance on CBS News’ Face the Nation, Turner was asked: “What use could a former president have for classified or top secret information once he’s left office? Why bring it home with him to Florida?
“Well, I don’t know,” Turner responded. “I mean, you have to ask him. But certainly, we all know that every former president has access to their documents. It’s how they write their memoirs. They don’t have great recall of everything that’s occurred in their administration.”
Turner’s remarks come after the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this month and retrieved 11 sets of classified documents.
The congressman’s comment is the latest excuse put forward by Donald Trump and his allies to explain why top secret documents were found at his residence after he left office.
Since the search, Trump and his allies have accused the FBI of planting evidence. They’ve also said there were no classified documents since they would’ve handed them over when asked. The New York Times reported that Trump was subpoenaed for the documents after his attorneys signed a statement saying no classified materials were at Mar-a-Lago.
Once court documents were released showing that classified documents were seized in the search, Trump and his allies claimed he had a “standing order” to declassify. Trump also said the documents were covered by executive privilege and last week his former attorney Rudy Giuliani said he took the documents to Mar-a-Lago to keep them safe.
