The central reason that Donald Trump was indicted for retaining documents marked as classified but President Biden was not is that Trump tried to retain the documents once the government sought their return. This is not a matter of opinion; it is, instead, the distinction drawn by special counsel Robert K. Hur when he declined to seek charges against Biden. Trump was known to have documents and tried to keep them. Hence the indictment.
Washington
Analysis | There’s new reason to think Trump still has classified documents
On Monday afternoon, CNN published an interview with a former Mar-a-Lago employee that bolsters one of the lingering possibilities surrounding Trump’s action: that he may still have documents at one of his other properties.
You will recall that the FBI’s 2022 search for documents was limited to Trump’s Palm Beach estate. The FBI gathered scores of documents from a storage room near the pool and from Trump’s personal office.
It was the third tranche of documents the government had recovered.
After grudgingly leaving the White House in January 2021, Trump moved to Mar-a-Lago, bringing with him a number of documents and mementos that he helped pack up. He also oversaw the return of a number of boxes of material to the National Archives, allegedly returning 15 of more than 70 boxes he’d brought to Mar-a-Lago.
The Archives found material marked as classified among the contents of the boxes and alerted the Justice Department. This led to the issuance of a federal subpoena for any material marked as classified. In early June 2022, attorneys working for Trump handed a Justice Department official a package that they represented was the entirety of the classified or marked-as-classified documents still in Trump’s possession.
That was not true. That August, the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and found more than 100 more.
It has been understood for some time that the lawyers assembling the package of documents to be handed over in response to the subpoena were not given access to all of the boxes of material. Speaking to CNN, former Mar-a-Lago employee Brian Butler explained that, on the morning the Justice Department arrived to take possession of that package, he helped load boxes into Trump’s plane before the former president left for his home in Bedminster, N.J.
On June 2, the day before the Justice Department arrived, Mar-a-Lago employees including Trump’s valet Walt Nauta moved a number of boxes on the property, transporting more than two dozen to Trump’s residence before the attorneys began to search for responsive material.
Then, on June 3, Nauta reached out to Butler, who was in charge of vehicles at Mar-a-Lago.
“Walt had came up to me, and asked me if he could use one of our Escalades,” Butler told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “Since I ran the car service, I pretty much kept control over the vehicles. I had loaded a bunch of the family luggage into a minivan, and I was just going to drive it to the plane, load it up, and that’s it.”
Butler saw people he later recognized as Trump’s attorneys at Mar-a-Lago that day. The attorneys handed over the package of material and were allowed to look at the storage room where most of the material was stored. They signed a document attesting that no other material existed.
That same day, Butler headed to the airport to load the Trumps’ private plane for the flight to New Jersey. Nauta had already left, Butler told Collins, and had asked to be updated when Butler was on his way. He was waiting “at a nearby business,” Butler said.
“I texted him, hey, I’m on my way. He followed me. He pulled out and got behind me,” Butler told Collins. “We got to the airport. I ended up loading all the luggage I had. And he had a bunch of boxes.”
“You noticed that he had boxes?” Collins asked.
“Oh, yes, they were the boxes that were in the indictment,” Butler replied. “The white Bankers Boxes? That’s what I remember loading.”
Butler helped load those boxes, between 10 to 15 of them, onto the plane. He told Collins that he never saw them come back.
It is not necessarily the case that those boxes included classified material, certainly. But remember the context: This is the moment at which Trump’s attorneys were turning material over to the government that they’d plucked out of a subset of the boxes in Trump’s possession. Perhaps the movement on June 2 was simply about moving unrelated material to New Jersey when the Trumps left. Or perhaps material was transferred to Bedminster.
We know that there was probably at least one classified document at Bedminster after Trump left office: the one he had with him in 2021 when he was speaking to writers working on a book for his former chief of staff Mark Meadows. That document, mentioned by Trump in a recording that was later published by CNN, purportedly involved military plans. CBS News reported in June that the document was not among those mentioned in Trump’s later indictment. His lawyers indicated that they were unable to find any such document.
His lawyers had conducted a general search of Bedminster for any classified material in December 2022, without success. Perhaps this was because there were no classified documents on the property. Or, as was the case at Mar-a-Lago the prior June, they simply weren’t given the chance to look in the places where the documents were kept.
That’s the fundamental divide we’re asked to consider. Is it a coincidence that boxes were moved prior to the arrival of attorneys looking for classified material and that, the next day, boxes were flown to Bedminster? Or might Trump have lost that benefit of the doubt at some point over the past few years?
There’s one other element of the Butler interview worth mentioning. Some time later, he was speaking to a friend and colleague, Carlos De Oliveira. Last year, De Oliveira was added to the original indictment targeting Trump and Nauta. Butler said that he and De Oliveira were discussing the classified documents case when De Oliveira said, “You know, we’re all dirty, we all move boxes.”
Butler replied that the only time he’d moved boxes was to load them on the plane.
Incidents like the one in 2023 along the Baltimore Beltway — a crash that killed six highway workers — are the reason why officials gathered to stress the need for better work zone safety during National Work Zone Awareness Week.
This week, officials, workers and residents are calling for safer roads as they say there is still more work to be done when it comes to safety.
“It’s about understanding that each of us has a role to play in the safety and protection of one another,” William Pines from the Maryland State Highway Administration said.
With an active construction site as the backdrop — at the interchange between Pennsylvania Avenue and Suitland Parkway — roadway workers spoke up.
“We are not just workers, we are people — real people. We are parents, siblings, friends and neighbors. So when you see us out there, please pay attention to that.” Dawn Hopkins with Flagger Force Traffic Control Services said.
Hopkins says she’s had to sound an alarm to get her crew out of dangerous situations.
“Please slow down, stay alert…and watch out for us in the workzones,” Hopkins added.
While the number of crashes in Maryland work zones in 2025 remains concerning, it is lower than in 2024. In 2025, there were:
- 1,148 work zone crashes
- 9 work zone deaths
- 449 injuries
In 2024, there were:
- 1,302 work zone crashes,
- 12 work zone deaths, and
- 492 injuries
“While citations are down, we still had 19 citations that were issues where the automated system recorded drivers traveling in excess of 130 miles an hour in work zones,” Pines said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore has proclaimed April 22 as “Go Orange Day” in Maryland, urging everyone to wear orange in support of highway worker safety.
A moment of silence for road workers who have been killed will be observed at noon this Friday.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].
Question: How has the local real estate market performed so far this year?
Answer: After a year where market conditions softened in favor of buyers, the Northern VA real estate market became more favorable for sellers in the first quarter of 2026, while the Washington DC condo market continued to reel.
What is in this article:
- Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Absorption Trends (demand)
- Northern VA, Arlington, and Washington DC Inventory Trends (supply)
- Washington DC List Price Trends (market values)
Northern VA & Arlington Inventory is Being Absorbed Faster
After four straight quarters of double-digit decreases in year-over-year absorption, the Northern VA and Arlington markets saw a ~8% increase in absorption rate.
What this means: Demand increased in Q1
Northern VA & Arlington New Listing Volume is Declining
After a promising trend of six straight quarters of year-over-year increases in the number of homes listed for sale in Northern VA, new listing activity fell by ~1% each of the previous two quarters.
What this means: Sellers have less competition, buyers have fewer choices
Washington DC Condo Absorption is Plummeting
The absorption rate for DC condos has declined year-over-year for 16 quarters straight and 23 out of the past 26 quarters.
What this means: It is difficult to find buyers for DC condos
Washington DC Condo Inventory Declined Slightly
Total inventory declined by 3.4% year-over-year, the first quarterly drop since Q4 2023. Still, there were great than 2x more condos for sale in DC in Q1 2026 than Q1 2020
What this means: Motivated sellers must compete aggressively with each other for buyers
Washington DC Condos Keep Getting Cheaper
The average price of a DC condo listed for sale is 9.4% less than it was in Q1 2025 and ~9% less than it was ten years ago.
What this means: Even lowering the price won’t guarantee a buyer
If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].
We have access to the most pre and off-market listings across the DMV of any brokerage and are happy to share what’s available with anybody who asks.
Below are some of our team’s pre/off-market listings, details and additional listings available by request:
- Westover – 4BR/2BA/2,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2000) – 23rd St N Arlington VA 22205
- Green Valley – 5BR/4.5BA/3,000sqft – Detached Single Family (2020) – 24th St S Arlington VA 22206
- Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA/2,400sqft – Townhouse (2008) – N George Mason Dr Arlington VA 22203
- Ballston – 4BR/3.5BA+office/4,000 sqft – Four Townhouses (2026/2027) – 11th St N Arlington VA 22201
- Rosslyn – 2BR/2BA/1,800sqft – Condo (2021) – 1781 N Pierce St Arlington VA 22209
- Rosslyn – 3BR/2.5BA/2,400sqft – Condo (1986) – 1530 Key Blvd Arlington VA 22209
- Williamsburg – 6BR/5.5BA/5,500 sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – 27th St N Arlington VA 22207
- Yorktown – 6BR/6.5BA/6,000+ sqft – Detached Single Family (2026) – N Greencastle St Arlington VA 22207
Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), “on behalf of the Department of Education (ED),” on Monday released a Notice Inviting Grant Applications for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. Applications are due by May 29.
Last November, ED announced that it had entered into an interagency agreement with HHS to administer the CCAMPIS program. This is the first CCAMPIS competition conducted under this arrangement.
Approximately $73.5 million will go to institutions of higher education that awarded at least $250,000 in Pell grants to enrolled students in FY 2025. HHS will award about 148 grants, ranging from $150,000 to $1 million.
The terms of the grant competition are not significantly different than prior competitions. As before, there are two absolute grant priorities that every application must address – leveraging non-federal resources and utilizing a sliding-fee scale for low-income parents.
This year’s competition includes only one invitational priority that reflects the Trump administration’s general educational policy. The new priority, entitled “Expanding Education Choice in Early Learning Settings,” encourages applications that “expand access to education choice … including by empowering parents in choosing the early learning setting that best meets their family’s needs.” Flexible childcare programs that include drop-in care and care during nontraditional hours are also encouraged.
One other notable difference from prior competitions is an expanded “Terms and Conditions” section that not only requires compliance with applicable civil rights laws, but also refers to Trump administration Executive Orders and guidance on racial discrimination that clarify “the application of federal antidiscrimination laws to programs or initiatives that may involve discriminatory practices, including those labeled as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“DEI”) programs.” This includes any “discriminatory equity ideology [as defined in Executive Order 14190] in violation of a federal antidiscrimination law.”
The exact scope of these terms is unclear because courts have not found many of the practices described in these Executive Orders and guidance documents to be violations of federal law.
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