Donald Trump answers questions from reporters after making a video call to the troops stationed worldwide at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach Florida, on December 24, 2019.
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump may be shifting his approach toward the DOJ amid its probe into his handling of records.
CNN reported that Trump’s legal team is considering inviting federal agents back to Mar-a-Lago.
Justice Department officials believe there are still missing records from Trump’s time in office.
More than two months after FBI agents seized hundreds of sensitive government documents from Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home, the former president is considering inviting federal investigators back to his South Florida residence, according to CNN.
As court proceedings in the case drag on, Trump’s legal team is weighing whether to allow Justice Department officials back to Mar-a-Lago to conduct a supervised search amid concerns of remaining documents, the outlet reported Wednesday.
The DOJ previously said it believes Trump may still have missing government documents and accused Trump of failing to fully comply with a May subpoena to return his stache of records.
A repeat of the August raid — this time with Trump’s personal lawyers overseeing a search — is only one suggestion among many as the former president’s attorneys work to keep him from further legal trouble, according to CNN. But the fact that the option is even on the table signals an apparent shift in Trump’s approach to the probe.
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Trump and his legal team had opted to take a more combative approach toward the Justice Department after the agency suggested Trump is still in possession of documents from his time in the White House.
But CNN reported Wednesday that the former president has begun hinting that he could be open to a less adversarial approach in hopes of getting the case wrapped up quickly.
“The general belief in Trump World is that this is much ado about nothing and the sooner we get past it the better,” an anonymous person familiar with the matter told the outlet.
People close to Trump, however, said his legal team is still trying to decide how accommodating or aggressive they should be. Some close to Trump reportedly disagree with the Justice Department’s suggestion that Trump is still holding government records.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Trump’s apparent change of heart could be contributed in part to the upcoming midterms and his own political future, sources told CNN.
“He is worn down,” one person close to Trump said. “Getting one thing off his plate” would help him move forward.