(CNN) A government photographer told investigators that he intentionally cropped photos of President Donald Trump's inauguration to remove empty space and make the audience look larger, according to newly released documents.

The admission, contained in newly released records from a 2017 investigation, shed new light on what happened after the National Park Service shared a social media post comparing the crowds that attended the inaugurations of Trump and former President Barack Obama.

Trump claimed footage of the event did not jibe with the number of people he saw from the stage. His then-press secretary, Sean Spicer, gathered reporters the following evening and claimed, "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration -- period."

The identity of the photographer and many other government officials are redacted from the documents, which were first obtained by The Guardian

The documents recount the call Trump placed on his first full day in office to the then-acting park service director, Michael Reynolds.

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