The FBI interviewed Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin, two top White House lawyers under former President Donald Trump, in connection to sensitive documents that were kept at the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence after he left office, according to reports.
Philbin, the former deputy counsel to the president, was interviewed by the agency sometime in the spring after the National Archives retrieved about 15 boxes of material from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence earlier this year, sources familiar with the situation told the New York Times. The National Archives contends those documents were presidential records that should have been given to the agency when Trump left office.
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It’s not clear when Cipollone was interviewed by the agency, the outlet reported. However, the two being interviewed marks the highest-ranking Trump officials to be interviewed by investigators since the documents were discovered.
The National Archives first contacted Philbin soon after Trump left office once the agency realized it did not possess certain White House documents required to be preserved under the Presidential Records Act, the sources said. Both Philbin and Cipollone were named to positions in January 2021, shortly before Trump left office, to work with the National Archives on such matters.
Philbin reportedly tried to get the documents returned to the National Archives, but Trump did not want to give them back, according to the outlet.
The National Archives recovered 15 boxes of documents, some of which were marked as classified, which prompted the Department of Justice to open a grand jury inquiry into the matter, according to reports at the time. This situation escalated last week when the FBI executed a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, recovering another 20 boxes of documents.
Philbin is among eight former or current Trump staffers who have been contacted by the FBI since the grand jury inquiry was formed earlier this year. Investigators have also interviewed Derek Lyons, former White House staff secretary.
The unsealed warrant that allowed FBI agents to execute a search of Trump’s home last week shows the former president is being investigated for a potential violation of the Espionage Act and possible obstruction of justice.
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FBI agents found several sensitive documents during their search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, with some documents being considered the highest level of classification, according to the warrant. In its search, the agency recovered 11 sets of classified documents among 20 boxes that were taken, including handwritten notes, binders full of photos, and the executive grant of clemency given to Trump ally Roger Stone.
Trump has not been charged in the incident, and officials are investigating the handling of White House documents.
