TRUMP AIDE TESTIFIES BEFORE GRAND JURY
Patel questioned in Mar-a-Lago documents probe
Kash Patel, an aide to Donald Trump and former White House deputy, faced questions before a grand jury Thursday as part of a criminal investigation into the former president’s possession of classified records more than 18 months after he left office, according to a person familiar with the matter.
National security prosecutors asked Patel about his public claims this spring that Trump had declassified a large number of government documents before leaving office in 2021. Patel was also questioned about how and why the departing president took secret and top-secret records to Mar-a-Lago, his part-time residence and private club in Florida, according to the person with knowledge of the session, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about a grand jury probe.
Patel, a former federal prosecutor, is considered a key witness by the Justice Department in large measure because of what evidence he may provide in defense of Trump’s retention of the records, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss it.
Investigators did not expect Patel to offer evidence implicating Trump in possible crimes, these people said. But they added that the government wanted his firsthand account, under oath, of any declassification decisions made by Trump.
Patel declared in media interviews in May and June that he was present when Trump decided to declassify material — though he brought up the subject in the context of investigations of any connections between Trump and Russian election interference, or past investigations involving Hillary Clinton, and did not mention the Mar-a-Lago probe, then in its early stages.
While Trump has publicly said he declassified material he brought to Mar-a-Lago, his lawyers have studiously avoided making such a claim in court filings — arguing only that he might have done so.
Patel’s grand jury appearance marks his second in less than a month. At his first appearance in October, he asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Prosecutors argued he was not in legal jeopardy and therefore could not take the Fifth, but a federal judge disagreed with the government.
Prosecutors ultimately decided to grant Patel limited-use immunity, meaning he could not be charged for a crime based on what he said in the grand jury, as long as he didn’t lie.