The president said he had secret documents at Mar-a-Lago.
The ex-aide told NBC News that he had no interest in the library.
It's one of many explanations that Trump has given.
Former aides told NBC News that Donald Trump didn't show much interest in the project he claimed was destined for his presidential library.
After the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, Trump and his attorneys offered a variety of explanations for why they were there.
Trump has claimed that he broadly declassified the documents before leaving office, while his lawyers have focused on the idea that he was entitled to keep hold of them after leaving office.
Insider has been told by national security attorneys that there is no evidence to support the claim that he declassified the records.
In an August 22 statement, Trump claimed that the documents were destined for his library.
According to former and current advisers cited by NBC, Trump had little interest in the idea of a presidential library and devoted little time and energy to it.
They said that the former president was more interested in regaining power than cementing his legacies.
It wouldn't have made sense to hold onto the records even if Trump wanted to put them in his library.
In order to feature government records in a presidential library, a president must first hand all records from their administration over to the National Archives, which then sort through them and give them to the library.
Barb McQuade, a former federal prosecutor, said that highly classified information retrieved from Mar-a-Lago would not be eligible for public display.
An independent official known as a special master is currently being sought by Trump's attorneys. The DOJ argued that the motion would hurt national security.
Representatives for Trump have been contacted.
Business Insider has an article on it.
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