A memo released to Congress alleges that former President Donald Trump showed a classified map to passengers on a private flight in 2022 and retained another record so sensitive that only six people in the U.S. government had access to it.
The 2023 document, prepared for Special Counsel Jack Smith, also claims Trump withheld certain records to advance personal business interests, according to Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.
“These new disclosures suggest that Donald Trump stole documents so sensitive that only six people in the entire U.S. government had access to them,” Raskin said in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, citing excerpts from the memo.
The memo reportedly identified Susan Wiles, now serving as Trump’s chief of staff, as being among those present on the private flight where the map was allegedly shown.
The document was prepared as part of Smith’s federal prosecution of Trump over the retention of classified materials after he left office. Trump has consistently denied wrongdoing, claiming the Justice Department under President Joe Biden was weaponized against him.
The case was later dismissed by a federal judge over concerns about Smith’s appointment, and Smith subsequently dropped his appeal following Trump’s re-election in 2024, in line with Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
A Justice Department spokesperson did not dispute Raskin’s quotes but dismissed the memo’s credibility, saying:
“We understand that Jamie Raskin, much like Jack Smith, is blinded by hatred of President Trump… so it is no surprise that his files contain salacious and untrue claims about President Trump.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson echoed the dismissal, stating:
“It’s pathetic that Democrats with zero credibility like Jamie Raskin are still clinging to deranged Jack Smith and his lies in 2026. President Trump did nothing wrong, which is why he easily defeated the Biden DOJ’s unprecedented lawfare campaign against him.”
The Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee is conducting its own investigation into Smith’s prosecution of Trump after he lost the 2020 election.
The memo’s full content has not been made public. Its release adds a new chapter to ongoing political and legal scrutiny over Trump’s handling of classified records, even after his return to political office.
