Jack Smith Memo Suggests Trump Took Classified Documents Only 6 People Could Access, Raskin Says

The Justice Department released documents to Congress that included "damning evidence" astir President Donald Trump's procurement of highly delicate documents, including immoderate related to his business interests, erstwhile he near agency aft his first term, Rep. Jamie Raskin, nan apical Democrat connected nan House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday.

In a missive to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Raskin alleged immoderate of nan documents, which had been sought by then-special counsel Jack Smith successful his now-defunct classified documents lawsuit against Trump, were accessible only to six group successful nan government, and that nan documents seemed to beryllium applicable to nan then-former president's business interests.

"These caller disclosures propose that Donald Trump stole documents truthful delicate that only six group successful nan full U.S. authorities had entree to them, that nan documents President Trump stole pertained to his business interests, and that Susie Wiles, past nan CEO of Donald Trump’s ace PAC, witnessed President Trump showing disconnected a classified representation to passengers connected his backstage plane," wrote Raskin, D-Md.

The Justice Department's merchandise of documents from Smith's investigation to nan Republican-run House committee for its probe into nan past investigations into Trump mightiness person violated U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon's bid barring nationalist disclosure of materials from nan typical counsel probe, Raskin said.

Cannon issued nan bid aft she dismissed nan case connected nan grounds that nan DOJ’s assignment of Smith was "unlawful."

The Justice Department nether Biden appealed nan ruling by Cannon, who had antecedently been reversed connected entreaty aft she attempted to name a typical maestro to reappraisal nan classified documents seized from Mar-a-Lago; 3 Republican-appointed judges recovered Cannon “improperly exercised equitable jurisdiction” successful nan second issue.

Smith, who moved to disregard nan abstracted Jan. 6 related lawsuit against Trump aft Trump’s 2024 victory, told Congress that successful that case, his squad had gathered “proof beyond a reasonable doubt“ that Trump engaged successful a criminal strategy to overturn nan 2020 election.

In his missive to Bondi, Raskin accused nan Justice Department of being "blinded by nan frenzied hunt to find immoderate scrap of evidence" to onslaught Smith, adding that nan section has, "quite amazingly, missed nan truth that immoderate of nan documents you provided see damning grounds astir your boss’s behaviour and whitethorn good break nan gag bid your DOJ and Donald Trump demanded from Judge Aileen Cannon."

Rep. Jamie Raskinsa a DOJ merchandise of documents to his committee included materials related to Jack Smith's classified documents investigation.Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Justice Department said successful a station to X that Raskin, “much for illustration Jack Smith, is blinded by hatred of President Trump.”

The connection called Raskin’s allegations “baseless” and “a inexpensive governmental stunt,” saying “Smith’s squad was hopeless to prosecute [then-President Joe] Biden’s apical governmental opponent, truthful it is nary astonishment that his files incorporate salacious and untrue claims astir President Trump.” The Justice Department besides asserted that Cannon’s bid was not violated.

Reached for comment, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson echoed nan DOJ's post, saying it was “pathetic that Democrats pinch zero credibility for illustration Jamie Raskin” were “clinging” to Smith.

“President Trump did thing wrong, which is why he easy defeated nan Biden DOJ’s unprecedented lawfare run against him and past won astir 80 cardinal votes successful a landslide predetermination victory,” Jackson said.

NBC News has reached retired to Smith for comment.

Raskin said nan accusation released by nan Justice Department indicated Trump "apparently took classified documents connected a formation to his play nine successful Bedminster, NJ" successful 2022. Quoting from nan DOJ disclosures, nan lawmaker wrote that prosecutors believed Trump mightiness person shown a classified representation to group connected nan plane, noting that they believed this was witnessed by Wiles, who is now nan president's main of staff.

Cannon, a Trump appointee, blocked nan nationalist release of Smith's study extracurricular of nan Justice Department earlier this twelvemonth and specifically blocked it from being sent to Congress past year.

Raskin wrote that without entree to Smith's study aliases different investigative materials, lawmakers did not person specifications astir nan classified representation and different accusation disclosed by nan DOJ.

"Without entree to Volume II of nan Special Counsel’s last study aliases nan investigative files, we do not cognize what that classified representation contained, nor tin we find from this memo nan narration betwixt nan classified documents President Trump stole and their pertinence to his 'business interests,'" Raskin wrote.

Raskin submitted a bid of questions to Bondi, asking for further accusation astir who Trump allegedly showed nan classified representation to, what nan representation detailed, and accusation astir nan archive allegedly only accessible by six people. He besides requested specifications astir documents "improperly" retained by Trump that were "pertinent to his business interests."

Raskin asked that Bondi respond to nan questions by nan extremity of this month. He besides said that nan Justice Department "must cease cherry-picking investigative materials" and merchandise each accusation prepared by Smith's agency by April 14.