RISKY BUSINESS

Intelligence Officials to Evaluate Risks From Missing Mar-a-Lago Docs

A letter sent to lawmakers appears to be the first acknowledgement by U.S. intelligence of the potential harm caused by the missing documents.

U.S. intelligence officials are evaluating the potential national security risks caused by former President Donald Trump keeping top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago home, according to a letter that POLITICO obtained. The letter, sent to top lawmakers by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, appears to be the first acknowledgement by U.S. intelligence of the potential harm caused by the missing documents. The letter also came on the same day a federal judge partially unsealed the affidavit revealing that prosecutors believed he was hiding top-secret documents. “It is critical that the IC [Intelligence Community] move swiftly to assess and, if necessary, to mitigate the damage done — a process that should proceed in parallel with DOJ’s criminal investigation,” said House Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-California) and House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) in a joint statement to POLITICO. As the Department of Justice and Office of the Director of National Intelligence review the materials, they will make sure that it does not interfere with the DOJ's ongoing criminal investigation of the former president.