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Criminal Justice

Photo: The 'My Boxes' Theory of Trump's Records Case

"I don't want you looking through my boxes," Donald Trump told his lawyers, according to court documents.

C.J. Ciaramella | From the January 2024 issue

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Boxes of documents taken from former President Donald Trump | Photo: Department of Justice
(Photo: Department of Justice)

There have been several theories floated about why former President Donald Trump refused to hand records back to the National Archives, choosing instead to keep sensitive government documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in what has become Palm Beach's most famous bathroom. But the simplest and most durable explanation is the viral "my boxes" theory, which I initially hatched on Twitter: Trump likes boxes of stuff, and he wants to keep them. According to the federal indictment filed against Trump, he told one of his attorneys: "I don't want anybody looking, I don't want anybody looking through my boxes, I really don't, I don't want you looking through my boxes."

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NEXT: Infographic: Who's Moved to Florida Since COVID Started?

C.J. Ciaramella is a reporter at Reason.

Criminal JusticeTrump AdministrationFloridaPhotoDonald Trump
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