Fitton, the longtime head of the legal activist group Judicial Watch, had a simple message for Trump — it was a mistake to give the records to the Archives, and his team should never have let the Archives “strong-arm” him into returning them, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
Those records belonged to Trump, Fitton argued, citing a 2012 court case involving his organization that he said gave the former President authority to do what he wanted with records from his own term in office.
The Judicial Watch president suggested to Trump that if the Archives came back, he should not give up any additional records, according to sources with knowledge of their conversations, which have not been previously reported.
While Trump continued to publicly tout his cooperation with the Archives, privately the former President began obsessing over Fitton’s arguments, complaining to aides about the 15 boxes that were handed over and becoming increasingly convinced that he should have full control over records that remained at Mar-a-Lago, according to people with knowledge of his behavior at the time.
Trump even asked Fitton at one point to brief his attorneys, said a person familiar with the matter.
“The moment Tom got in the boss’ ear, it was downhill from there,” said a person close to the former President, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.
In a phone interview with CNN, Fitton would neither confirm nor deny conversations he’s had with Trump, but noted that he has been vocal on social media and television that Trump had the right to keep the documents he took with him at the end of his presidency because they inherently were personal.
A similar dissonance has emerged between Trump’s private and public response to the FBI’s search of his Mar-a-Lago resort.
Publicly, Trump and his allies have celebrated the surge in enthusiasm and fundraising among Republicans — with the former President painting himself as a victim of the “deep state.” Some in Trump’s orbit have even gone so far as to indicate that a potential indictment would give Trump a political boost as he mulls another presidential run.
But privately, the former President and his allies have become increasingly concerned. One source close to the former President told CNN that Trump has posed questions about a potential indictment to members of his inner circle. Another adviser acknowledged that while Trump has certainly been in legal peril before, including while he was president, this seems different and potentially more dangerous, particularly because the former President no longer has the legal protections afforded to the executive office.
A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Trump’s team seems to be primarily concerned with the public relations fight — and Trump’s political prospects. While Trump has publicly called for the release of the affidavit justifying…
Read More: Inside Trump’s public bravado and private resistance over Mar-a-Lago documents