Donald Trump took to social media to make yet another accusation against the FBI after a raid on his Mar-a-Lago home resulted in the seizure of several classified documents. This time, the former US president claims that the federal police stole three passports from him.
Trump, who once again characterized the authorities’ intervention as a political attack, used the “Truth Social” network, much admired by the American far-right, to demand the return of the documents. Officials later said three passports, including an expired one, were stolen from him.
However, the Department of Justice has already confirmed that it does not have Donald Trump’s identity documents.
In addition to Espionage Act violations, Trump is being investigated for obstruction of justice and destroying federal government records, the newspaper said after a Florida judge released documents with that information.
On Monday last week, a warrant issued by the FBI (US Federal Police) to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida shows agents looking for evidence of mishandling of classified documents by a section of the Republican politician. Classified as “top secret”, it violated three criminal statutes.
Conviction under these laws can result in imprisonment or fines.
So, the search warrant authorized FBI agents to seize items from Trump’s home to investigate crimes related to the Espionage Act, which prohibits the unauthorized possession of national security information that could harm the United States or aid an adversary.
Donald Trump, who characterizes the searches of his residence as “un-American, unreasonable and unnecessary,” has already demanded the “immediate” disclosure of the federal warrant used by the FBI.
Hours earlier, the Justice Department also asked the court to vacate the warrant, citing “substantial public interest in this matter,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Justice Department’s request is surprising, given that such documents are traditionally sealed during an ongoing investigation.
However, the department recognizes that the public has a right to know the FBI’s side of what prompted Monday’s action because the searches have opened up a space for verbal attacks from Trump and his allies. House.
“The public’s clear and powerful interest in understanding what happened in this situation weighs heavily in favor of opening,” said a motion filed Thursday in federal court in Florida.
Now, in addition to the warrant that authorized the search, a long list of documents seized by FBI agents on Monday has been released.
The Wall Street Journal reported that agents recovered classified documents, including some “top secret” that should only be kept in special government facilities.
The newspaper, which has access to a list of seized items, explains that the FBI took a total of 20 boxes, including 11 packages of classified material, from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion.
The Wall Street Journal also says some of the documents are labeled “top secret,” the highest level of classification applicable to information within the United States (US) intelligence community.
Among the materials recovered by the FBI are files related to the presidential pardon of former Trump aide Roger Stone, information on French President Emmanuel Macron, and documents related to nuclear weapons.
To obtain a search warrant, federal authorities must prove to a judge that they have probable cause to believe a crime has been committed.
Garland said he personally authorized the warrant, which he said was not taken lightly, as standard practice is to choose less intrusive tactics than searching the home whenever possible.
The move, which was carried out at Donald Trump’s home, sparked outrage among loyal Republican supporters, calling it “political harassment.”
