According to Mediate, former White House Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows, has reportedly provided a noteworthy testimony to federal prosecutors that poses a challenge to a pivotal element of Donald Trump’s defense in his ongoing trial concerning classified documents. According to sources, Meadows shared with investigators from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team that he could not corroborate a claim that Trump had issued orders or engaged in discussions regarding the declassification of significant quantities of classified materials before departing from office—an assertion frequently emphasized by Trump and his legal advocates.
Moreover, Meadows disclosed that he possessed no knowledge of any directive from Trump mandating the automatic declassification of materials sourced from the Oval Office, a statement that further undermines the narrative previously put forth by the former president and his supporters.
A new layer of intrigue has surfaced with regards to Meadows’ interactions and the narratives surrounding classified information. It has emerged that an earlier draft of a book attributed to Meadows, titled “The Chief’s Chief,” contained a passage that detailed an incident where Trump had reportedly displayed a classified war plan in his office at the Bedminster resort. This revelation, which Meadows’ ghostwriter and publicist were reportedly privy to, was subsequently omitted from the published version of the book.
Sources suggest that Meadows, in discussions with FBI investigators, expressed concern over the potential repercussions if this passage became widely known, given the implication that Trump had access to classified war planning material. However, in a curious twist, Meadows stated to Smith’s team that he did not confer with Trump regarding the removal of this section from the book.
The legal backdrop against which these revelations unfold is Donald Trump’s legal entanglements. Facing multiple criminal charges in Florida stemming from his post-White House handling of classified material, the former president maintains his plea of not guilty.
Meadows’ involvement, or lack thereof, in key events and decisions related to classified information is also being scrutinized. Meadows reportedly distanced himself from the process of packing boxes that Trump transported to his Mar-a-Lago residence after his exit from the White House. This distance extends to the removal of government documents, including classified materials, with Meadows reportedly stating that he did not personally witness Trump packing any boxes or removing government records.
Meadows also told investigators that he was not involved in packing the boxes that Trump took to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House, sources told ABC News, largely distancing himself from the removal of government documents, including classified materials. The sources said Meadows told investigators he did not witness Trump himself packing boxes and was unaware that Trump had taken any government records, including classified documents.
The former chief of staff also told investigators that shortly after the National Archives first requested the return of the official documents taken to Mar-a-Lago in 2021, he offered to Trump that he would go through the former president’s boxes to retrieve the official records and send them back to Washington. Meadows told investigators Trump did not accept his offer, according to sources.
