Federal prosecutors conducted a detailed investigation into whether former President Donald Trump disclosed a classified map to passengers aboard his private aircraft in June 2022, an incident that included his now White House chief of staff, Susie Wiles, according to justice department materials provided to the House judiciary committee.
Incident Details and Legal Context
The alleged disclosure was outlined in a briefing memo dated 13 January 2023, prepared for then Attorney General Merrick Garland. This occurred approximately six months before special counsel Jack Smith filed charges against Trump for retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
If confirmed, this event would represent the second known instance where Trump reportedly displayed a classified map in front of Wiles. A prior indictment described a similar incident at his Bedminster club in New Jersey, where he showed a military map of Afghanistan to associates while criticizing President Joe Biden over the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Uncertainties and Legal Implications
It remains unclear whether the map allegedly brandished on the plane in 2022 and the one at Bedminster were identical. The Afghanistan map from Bedminster was used by Trump to critique Biden's handling of the withdrawal, but prosecutors did not charge the in-flight disclosure as a separate count in the indictment.
This decision likely stemmed from the timing of the event, which occurred after the withdrawal was completed, meaning the information on the map might not qualify as national defense information under legal standards.
Documentation and Witness Accounts
The 11-page memo, reviewed by sources, explicitly stated: "We have identified a classified map that we believe Trump may have shown to individuals on board an airplane after he left office." It further noted that Susan Wiles, CEO of Trump's Super PAC, was aboard the flight and witnessed the event. Additional bullet points regarding "The Map" were redacted in the released version of the document.
The memo also highlighted the sensitive nature of the documents Trump retained at Mar-a-Lago, describing them as some of the most protected materials in the federal government. It emphasized that prior to the investigation, access to one compartment housing a particularly sensitive document was restricted to only about six individuals, including the president.
Congressional Inquiry and Judicial Actions
In response to the memo and related documents, Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House judiciary committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday demanding further information. The letter inquired about the specifics of the map disclosure, including who else was on the plane and which documents Trump retained that pertained to his business interests.
Attached to the letter was a schematic manifest of the flight from Palm Beach International Airport in Florida to LaGuardia Airport in June 2022, listing 14 individuals on board, excluding pilots. Raskin's inquiry also raised concerns about potential violations of a court order restricting the release of case files.
Legal Developments and Case Dismissal
Last month, federal judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump, permanently barred the justice department from releasing Smith's final report on Trump's mishandling of classified materials. Cannon dismissed the documents case in July 2024, a decision that Smith challenged in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Following Trump's election to a second term, Smith opted to drop the appeal and resigned from his position, marking a significant turn in the legal proceedings surrounding these allegations.
