The secret documents that contained information about Russian interference in the election in 2016 went missing in the final days of Trump's presidency.
This is stated in a CNN investigation.
A 25 centimeters-thick binder contained intelligence data, collected by the United States and NATO allies regarding Russian agents. Among other things, they included information about Russian influence methods and sources that gave the CIA reason to say Russia attempted to interfere in the election in Trump's favor.
As CNN notes, the data in the binder was so secret that congressmen were only allowed to view it at the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, 13 kilometers from Washington.
The documents were kept at the intelligence center in a locked safe. But the last time the binder was seen at the White House during Trump's final days as president. On his orders, the documents were brought to his Pennsylvania Avenue residence so he could declassify a host of documents related to the FBI’s Russia investigation. Trump hoped to prove that it was actually directed against him and had no real basis in fact.
Under the supervision of then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, the binder's contents were reviewed by Republican aides and determined what information could be released and what information should remain "off-limits to the general public".
The White House created several copies of the "original" binder with redacted data, which they planned to distribute to Republican Congressmen and loyal journalists. Eventually they were withdrawn because the data required additional approval.
Meanwhile, the original documents have disappeared and the intelligence services are unable to find them. According to one version, the document could be in the possession of Trump aide Meadows, but he categorically denies it.
They also didn't find it during searches of Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Miami, where a number of other classified documents were found.
CNN sources note that the disappearance of the documents has caused very great concern. Intelligence officials informed Senate Intelligence Committee leaders about the missing materials and the government's efforts to retrieve them.
Recall that the U.S. Congress approves bill barring any president from unilaterally withdrawing from NATO.