Fox News’ Lawrence Jones falsely claims Trump’s legal team wasn’t subpoenaed over Mar-a-Lago footage

A superseding indictment alleges that the DOJ sent Trump a draft subpoena on June 22, 2022, and an official version two days later

Written by John Knefel

Published

Fox News’ Lawrence Jones wrongly claimed on Friday morning that the Department of Justice did not send a subpoena to former President Donald Trump’s legal team regarding the investigation into classified materials stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

“There was never a subpoena for the footage,” Jones said on Fox & Friends.

According to a superseding indictment special counsel Jack Smith’s office released on Thursday, the DOJ provided Trump’s legal team with a draft subpoena on June 22, 2022, “requiring the production of certain security camera footage from The Mar-a-Lago Club, including footage from cameras ‘on ground floor (basement),’ where the Storage Room was located.”  

The next day, Trump contacted Carlos De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago property manager. The indictment alleges that Trump told De Oliveira to destroy the requested footage.

On June 24, 2022, the DOJ emailed Trump’s lawyer with a final, official subpoena.

From the July 28, 2023, edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends

LAWRENCE JONES (FOX NEWS HOST): It looks like, according to Jack Smith’s filings, the allegation is that President Trump attempted to destroy evidence. And it looks like the court attempted to get the video footage there, so there was never a subpoena for the footage. They’re saying that they were going to get the subpoena. I just think it’s a lot of spinning right there, because I know that the court, as well as the Department of Justice, wanted Hillary [Clinton]’s information that was on her server, and it was destroyed. And all those cell phones were destroyed. So I just want to understand the legalese around all of this.