Stephanie Grisham, who served as Donald Trump’s White House press secretary and communications director, said she saw the former president show documents to guests at Mar-a-Lago.
During an MSNBC interview Saturday, Grisham said the allegations levied by federal prosecutors that Trump mishandled classified documents after departing the White House are entirely plausible.
“I watched him show documents to people at Mar-a-Lago on the dining room patio,” Grisham said. “So he has no respect for classified information, never did.”
The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in early June on charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents recovered from his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.
Trump pleaded not guilty in Miami federal court last month month. He is facing counts of willful retention of national defense information under the Espionage Act, making false statements and conspiracy to obstruct justice, in addition to other charges.
Trump has claimed the charges against him are a hoax and politically motivated, and has denied all allegations of wrongdoing. At times, he has also sought to use his legal troubles since leaving the White House as a way to garner support as he stages a bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
While some Republican and independent voters have said Trump’s indictments make them less likely to support the former president in 2024, Trump currently remains the frontrunner in a large Republican field.
Grisham also called the alleged mishandling of documents by Trump “offensive” to those who respect their high-level security clearances.
“I can’t stress enough how by being so loose with this stuff, he’s potentially putting people in danger,” she said. “It’s vital to our country and our national security that only people with these clearances have access to any of these documents.”
