Trump loyalist Kash Patel appeared before grand jury in Mar-a-Lago document probe: Report

The federal grand jury looking into the handling of documents at Mar-a-Lago recently heard testimony from Kash Patel, a top adviser to former President Donald Trump who has been deeply involved in disputes over classified records Trump kept from his presidency, according to sources familiar with the situation, CNN reported.

Also read: Who is Kash Patel?

Patel appeared before a grand jury at the US courthouse in Washington, DC, for a good portion of the morning of October 13. But it’s unclear whether Patel responded to the grand jury’s inquiries or chose not to, in which case he was free to do so and could have used his Fifth Amendment rights.

According to court documents and the sources, he is one of only a small number of Donald Trump’s aides who may face legal repercussions relating to the Mar-a-Lago raid after the president took office. It is unknown, however, whether the Justice Department is investigating him specifically.

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Patel worked in national security and military during the administration, and this summer he was appointed by Trump to work with the Justice Department and the National Archives as both organisations attempted to seize classified documents Trump had saved from his time in office.

He has asserted in media appearances that he personally saw Trump declassifying documents before he stepped down as president, and he has argued that he ought to be permitted to make confidential information public.

Patel’s attorneys declined to comment. He is not facing any criminal charges.

According to one of the individuals, Patel was also served with a grand jury subpoena weeks ago, asking him for any papers he may have relating to communications regarding the handling of Trump records. It is unknown how Patel replied to this request.

Also read: Donald Trump considering supervised FBI search of Mar-a-Lago: Report

The Justice Department is still actively pursuing a potential indictment in the Mar-a-Lago case, as seen by the most recent behind-the-scenes activity. Particularly, the Patel grand jury hearing demonstrates how aggressively the prosecution is continuing to gather information on what has occurred thus far.

Over the past few months, the grand jury investigating Mar-a-Lago has subpoenaed additional witnesses, including during a flurry of activity on the day of the FBI’s August search, according to one source.