According to reports, the Department of Justice believes they have enough evidence to charge former President Donald Trump with obstruction of justice in the Mar-a-Lago raid case.
On Wednesday (October 19), Bloomberg published a report citing sources “familiar with the matter” when revealing that the team probing the classified records “has not yet made a formal recommendation to Attorney General Merrick Garland” and that the “path to an actual indictment is far from clear.”
However, the report also revealed that it is “unlikely officials would bring only obstruction charges” against Trump as the former President faces a myriad of other investigations into potential crimes.
The report also details that while some in the Federal Bureau of Investigations support the move to charge the former President with obstruction, others oppose bringing a “politically charged as Trump considers a 2024 presidential bid.”
Yet Bloomberg emphasizes the decision on whether or not to charge Trump won’t be made by agents.
Instead, in the search warrant unsealed mid-August, the DOJ indicated that obstruction — in addition to violating the Espionage Act — is a part of its probe.
Then, in a separate filing in late August, the DOJ asserts, “the government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room [at Mar-a-Lago] and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.”
Last week, in a filing before the Supreme Court, the DOJ reiterated its obstruction argument, stating, “the FBI uncovered evidence that the response to the grand jury subpoena was incomplete, that additional classified documents likely remained at Mar-a-Lago, and that efforts had likely been undertaken to obstruct the investigation.”
In a statement to Bloomberg, former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi also refers to charging Trump with obstruction as a “slam dunk.”
Figliuzzi states, “Of all the things Trump is being investigated for around the country, obstruction of justice is a slam dunk and I think he’s going to be indicted.”
