As disgraced former president Donald Trump and his allies continue to demand that the Justice Department release the affidavit used to obtain the search warrant executed by the FBI last week at the ex-president’s Mar-a-Lago resort, a new report from The New York Times makes it clear that multiple people in Trump’s orbit are sharing everything they know with federal investigators.
According to The Times:
(Former Deputy White House Counsel Patrick Philbin) is among eight people who currently or used to work for Mr. Trump who have been contacted by the F.B.I. since a grand jury was formed this year. Investigators also interviewed Derek Lyons, a former White House staff secretary.
Mr. Lyons’s last day at the White House was Dec. 18, 2020, meaning he did not know how the last boxes were packed as Mr. Trump prepared to leave. But he had information about paper flow in the White House and how the former president handled material.
The F.B.I. has reached out to about a half-dozen people who currently work for Mr. Trump and who might know what documents he may still have in his possession.
A half-dozen people! That’s a lot of witnesses who could potentially testify against Trump at a trail if the DOJ decides to indict the former president for violating the Espionage Act and obstructing justice. The charges under the Espionage Act carry penalties as high as 10 years for every classified or top secret document that may have been improperly handled.
Meanwhile, Trump’s minions in right-wing media continue to press for the names of who “the informant” might be. But it looks like they (and he) have set their sights too low, as at least six employees are gladly informing on their boss, probably because they know he’s gone too far this time and has to be brought to justice for his crimes.
