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DOJ asks judge to hold Trump, team in contempt amid Mar-a-Lago documents probe

Trump accused of refusing to fully comply with subpoena to return classified documents
Trump Legal Troubles
Posted at 6:13 PM, Dec 08, 2022
and last updated 2022-12-08 18:41:08-05

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has put in a request with a federal judge asking that they hold former President Donald Trump in contempt for failing to fully comply with a subpoena, ordering the former president to turn over documents labeled classified.

The move comes after an investigation found, through searches by Trump's legal team at four locations just before the Thanksgiving holiday, a pair of documents marked classified at a storage unit in Florida, CNNreported.

U.S. District Court Judge Beryl Howell had not held a hearing to rule on the request as of late Thursday, according to the Washington Post.

As Reutersreported, a key issue in the case is focused on Trump's legal team and their refusal to choose a custodian of records to sign a document confirming all classified materials have been returned to the possession of the U.S. federal government.

The two documents found by Trump's legal team in a Florida storage facility were turned over to the FBI and announced to a federal judge in Washington, according to multiple reports. The former president's legal team said Trump is believed to now be in compliance with the months-old subpoena.

Trump still faces possibly criminal liability after in the ongoing Mar-a-Lago documents probe.

CNN reported that a source claimed the DOJ hasn't disclosed which materials it believes Trump has not returned.

It was still unclear which individuals in Trump's post-presidency office the DOJ is asking Judge Howell to hold in contempt. A hearing is set for Friday.