Before the suit was filed and as the investigation was underway, the attorney general’s office served subpoenas to Mr. Trump seeking documents, saying their response was not fully forthcoming. A judge agreed, prompting Ms. Habba, a lawyer in the case, to file an affidavit saying that she had searched at Mar-a-Lago for the files that Ms. James sought and found none.
In that affidavit, she mentioned scouring areas that the F.B.I., while executing its search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, discovered held classified documents.
“On May 5, 2022, I diligently searched respondent’s personal office located at Mar-a-Lago, including all desks, drawers, file cabinets, etc.,” Ms. Habba wrote in the affidavit. “I was unable to locate any documents responsive to the subpoena that have not already been produced.”
She added that she had searched his residence at Mar-a-Lago and his club at Bedminster, N.J., as well as his office there.
Late last year, the Justice Department subpoenaed a number of people around Mr. Trump who might have information related to the documents case, according to three people briefed on the matter.
In some instances, the Justice Department is seeking to speak with people who told Mr. Trump that he should comply with the National Archives’ repeated requests.
One is Alex Cannon, a lawyer who used to work for Mr. Trump and was in touch with the archives as it sought to retrieve several boxes of material. After the archives recovered the initial 15 boxes, Mr. Trump told Mr. Cannon to relay that he had returned everything, according to a person briefed on the matter. Mr. Cannon refused.
Mr. Cannon declined to comment.
