--- title: The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline description: The indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump marks the culmination of a two-year effort to figure out what government documents went with the former president when he left the White House — and whether any crimes were committed. canonical: https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-06-09T05:00:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:42:46.115Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline og:description: The indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump marks the culmination of a two-year effort to figure out what government documents went with the former president when he left the White House — and whether any crimes were committed. og:url: https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1142812606b591e/698a3dabcabb1d2bf1e517a5/Trump-Classified-Docs-indictment-federal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6276 og:image:height: 3530 og:image:alt: Trump FBI og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline twitter:description: The indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump marks the culmination of a two-year effort to figure out what government documents went with the former president when he left the White House — and whether any crimes were committed. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1142812606b591e/698a3dabcabb1d2bf1e517a5/Trump-Classified-Docs-indictment-federal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Special Counsel Makes Statement on Donald Trump Federal Indictment [Watch (HLS stream): Special Counsel Makes Statement on Donald Trump Federal Indictment](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/va9sypWH.m3u8) (2:32)  _Published 2023-06-09. Special Counsel Jack Smith made a statement on Friday after former President Donald Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate._ by [Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg Contributor Jun 9, 2023 5:00 AM UTC  Pages from a Department of Justice court filing on Aug. 30, 2022, in response to a request from the legal team of former President Donald Trump for a special master to review the documents seized during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago. Pages from a Department of Justice court filing on Aug. 30, 2022, in response to a request from the legal team of former President Donald Trump for a special master to review the documents seized during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago.Jon Elswick—AP by [Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg Contributor Jun 9, 2023 5:00 AM UTC The indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump marks the culmination of a two-year effort to figure out what government documents went with the former president when he left the White House — and whether any crimes were committed. Filed under seal in federal court in Miami, the indictment was announced by Trump in a post on his Truth Social platform Thursday evening and confirmed by people familiar with the matter. **Read More:** [_Donald Trump Was Just Indicted in the Classified Documents Case. Here’s What to Know_](https://time.com/6286042/donald-trump-indicted-classified-documents-updates/) The unprecedented FBI search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home on Aug. 8, 2022, came after National Archives officials spent months trying to claw back records still in his possession. Trump’s lawyers and the U.S. Justice Department then wrangled in court over whether prosecutors could use the seized materials at all. A federal appeals court ended the fight in December, siding with the government. --- ### More from TIME --- Trump’s campaign filing in November signaling a third White House run prompted Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint Smith as special counsel that month. As Smith settled in, the first half of 2023 saw a procession of grand jury witnesses, sealed subpoena fights and shakeups on Trump’s legal defense team. Here are key milestones leading up to the indictment filed in federal court in Miami Thursday, as documented in public court filings and previous reports by Bloomberg News: ## 2021 **Jan. 20**President Joe Biden is sworn in and Donald and Melania Trump depart Washington for their Mar-a-Lago resort home in Palm Beach, Florida.  President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania make their way to board Marine One before departing from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2021. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images **May 6**The National Archives [notifies former Trump White House lawyers](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-03/trump-correspondence-with-kim-missing-archives-tells-lawyers) of missing presidential records. **December**Trump representatives inform the National Archives that at least a dozen boxes of documents are ready to be picked up. ## 2022 **Jan. 18**National Archives staff receives 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago. **Feb. 9**A National Archives official alerts the Justice Department that documents marked as classified are mingled with other files in the boxes. **Feb. 18**The Archivist of the United States David Ferriero [notifies the House Oversight Committee](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-18/trump-took-classified-documents-from-white-house-archivist-says) of the discovery of classified records. **April 12**The National Archives tells a Trump representative of its intent to share records with FBI. **April 29**Trump attorney Evan Corcoran requests the National Archives delay providing material to the FBI. **May 10**The National Archives [rejects ](https://www.archives.gov/files/foia/wall-letter-to-evan-corcoran-re-trump-boxes-05.10.2022.pdf)the request by Trump’s counsel to postpone producing records to the FBI. **May 11**Trump, through his attorney Corcoran, [accepts service](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rUmVOoPjdDGY/v0) of a federal grand jury subpoena seeking any classified material in his possession. **May 16-18**FBI agents conduct a preliminary review of the 15 boxes retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in January, identifying 184 documents with classified markings.  An aerial view of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Aug. 10, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Steve Helber—AP **May 25**Trump lawyer Corcoran [writes a letter](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-26/trump-lawyer-unsuccessfully-pitched-doj-to-back-off-record-probe) to a DOJ official defending the former president’s “good faith” effort to work with National Archives and disputing the grounds for a criminal investigation. **Read More:** [_Classified Documents Get Misplaced All the Time. A Former National Archives Official Explains Why_](https://time.com/6249863/presidents-classified-documents-misplaced-history/) **June 3**Jay Bratt, the Justice Department’s counterintelligence chief, arrives at Mar-a-Lago with three FBl agents to retrieve a folder containing 38 more classified documents. They also tour a storage room, but aren’t allowed to look in boxes. **June 8**Bratt sends a letter to Trump’s counsel asking that the storage room holding the documents be secured. **June 24**The Trump Organization Inc., the former president’s company, receives a federal grand jury subpoena for surveillance camera footage from Mar-a-Lago. **Aug. 5**The Justice Department applies to U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart in Florida for a [warrant to search Mar-a-Lago](https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rG3kBD3YLIWI/v0). **Aug. 8**FBI agents [execute the warrant](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-08/trump-says-fbi-raided-his-florida-home-as-focus-escalates) at Mar-a-Lago, removing 27 boxes and several other document collections containing 11 sets of classified materials.  Documents seized during the Aug. 8, 2022, FBI search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Department of Justice via AP **Aug. 22**Trump [files a request](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-08-22/trump-plans-to-ask-for-third-party-review-of-seized-documents) in federal court in Florida for a third-party special master to review the seized materials. **Sept. 5**U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in Florida enters an [order](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-05/judge-grants-trump-request-for-special-master-records-review) temporarily barring DOJ from using the seized materials and granting Trump’s request for an outside review. U.S. District Judge Raymond Dearie in New York is later [named special master](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-15/trump-documents-will-be-reviewed-by-retiring-judge-court-rules). **Sept. 21**The 11th Circuit [partially lifts Cannon’s injunction](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-21/us-can-use-seized-classified-documents-in-probe-court-says), allowing federal investigators to regain access to the classified documents but not the rest of the seized material. **Nov. 15**Donald Trump [formally announces](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-16/trump-makes-his-2024-run-official-defying-calls-to-step-aside) he is running for president in the 2024 election.  Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home on Nov. 15, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla., where he announced the official launch of his 2024 presidential campaign. Joe Raedle—Getty Images **Read More:** [_A Defiant Donald Trump Enters the Arena for Another Fight_](https://time.com/6234285/trump-2024-announcement-analysis/) **Nov. 18**Attorney General Garland [announces the appointment](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-18/trump-criminal-probes-to-be-led-by-doj-special-counsel) of Jack Smith as special counsel to lead the classified documents probe and a separate federal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. **Dec. 1**The [11th Circuit reverses](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-12-01/trump-special-master-review-halted-by-court-in-mar-a-lago-fight) Judge Cannon’s appointment of a special master and lifts the remaining injunction on DOJ’s use of the material seized from Mar-a-Lago. **December 2022/January 2023**Trump attorneys [discover more documents](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-11/trump-team-handed-over-more-classified-documents-from-mar-a-lago) with classified markings and turn them over to the Justice Department. ## 2023 **January**Trump attorney Corcoran [appears before a federal grand jury](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-11/trump-lawyer-in-mar-a-lago-search-appeared-before-grand-jury) in Washington in connection with the classified documents probe. **Jan. 12**Following the discovery of classified records in Joe Biden’s Washington office and Delaware home, Garland [announces the appointment](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-12/merrick-garland-considering-special-counsel-appointment-in-biden-documents-probe) of Robert Hur as another special counsel. **Read More:** [_What to Know About the_ _Special Counsel Investigation Into Biden Over Classified Documents_](https://time.com/6245949/biden-classified-documents-investigation/) **March 22**The D.C. Circuit [rejects ](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-22/trump-attorney-ordered-to-turn-over-documents-to-special-counsel)efforts by Trump and Corcoran to block the special counsel’s requests for Corcoran’s testimony and written work product. **March 24**Corcoran [appears again](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-24/trump-lawyer-appears-to-testify-before-mar-a-lago-grand-jury) before a federal grand jury in Washington. He [recuses](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-15/trump-attorney-compelled-to-testify-recuses-from-mar-a-lago-work) himself from work for Trump related to the criminal probe of alleged mishandling of classified documents. **April 26**Trump’s attorneys [send a letter](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-27/trump-lawyers-lash-out-at-justice-department-over-documents-case) to the House Intelligence Committee requesting legislative intervention to halt the Justice Department investigation. **May 16**Trump attorney [Tim Parlatore leaves](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-17/trump-attorney-departs-defense-team-in-special-counsel-probes) the defense team. **May 23**Trump [shares a letter](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-24/trump-lawyers-seek-meeting-with-garland-on-special-counsel-probe) on his Truth Social platform from his attorneys requesting a meeting with the attorney general. **Read More:** [_Inside Trump’s Strategy to Turn Legal Woes Into a Political Advantage_](https://time.com/6278784/trump-carroll-verdict-campaign-strategy/) **June 5**Three of Trump’s lawyers — James Trusty, John Rowley, and Lindsey Halligan — go to the Justice Department headquarters in Washington for a [meeting with senior officials](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-06-05/trump-lawyers-meet-with-doj-officials-in-secret-documents-probe), including Special Counsel Jack Smith, to discuss the status of the classified documents probe. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco aren’t present. **June 8**Trump maintained his innocence in a Thursday night post on his Truth Social platform and said that he’s been summoned to appear at the federal courthouse in Miami on Tuesday. “I never thought it possible that such a thing could happen to a former President of the United States,” he wrote. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/"},"headline":"The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline","datePublished":"2023-06-09T05:00:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:42:46.115Z","description":"The indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith against Donald Trump marks the culmination of a two-year effort to figure out what government documents went with the former president when he left the White House — and whether any crimes were committed.","url":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/","keywords":["Donald Trump","wire"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1142812606b591e/698a3dabcabb1d2bf1e517a5/Trump-Classified-Docs-indictment-federal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zoe Tillman / Bloomberg"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta1142812606b591e/698a3dabcabb1d2bf1e517a5/Trump-Classified-Docs-indictment-federal.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Trump FBI","caption":"Trump FBI","creditText":"Jon Elswick—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/donald-trump/","name":"Donald Trump"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/","name":"The Trump Classified Documents Investigation: A Timeline"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Special Counsel Makes Statement on Donald Trump Federal Indictment","description":"Special Counsel Jack Smith made a statement on Friday after former President Donald Trump was indicted on 37 federal charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/va9sypWH/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-06-09T20:20:31.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/va9sypWH.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/","duration":"PT2M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/6286062/trump-classified-documents-investigation-timeline/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```