The ex-president kept top-secret documents in his private residence.
(Photo: AP)
A federal judge declassified the search warrant Friday after the unprecedented raid on former US President Donald Trump’s Florida home. Attorney General Merrick Garland had requested the search warrant be released, but Trump’s attorneys did not object, according to the Justice Department.
According to court documents, the FBI seized top-secret documents at the property. According to a paper released by the court, FBI officials took 11 sets of classified documents, including some marked “top secret.” The court documents did not provide any further details. The ministry also said it suspected Trump of violating the Espionage Act.
Trump said on Friday that the confiscated documents were no longer subject to secrecy. If the Justice Department had asked for it, he would have handed it over.
FBI agents searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla. Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into the potential mishandling of confidential material from his White House days.
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US federal law prohibits the taking and keeping of classified documents in unauthorized locations. Violations can result in imprisonment of up to five years. Improper handling of confidential files is also classified as a misdemeanor. On Friday, Trump said the confiscated documents were no longer subject to secrecy. Trump had previously received at least some of the documents the government wanted released, but he and his lawyers refused to release them themselves.
Contents of the files and reason for the search not publicly known
Trump dismissed a media report on Friday that the FBI had searched his home for documents related to nuclear weapons during their raid. “The nuclear weapons issue is a hoax,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “The same shoddy people are involved,” he said, referring to the two impeachment trials and the Mueller investigation. Trump did not provide any evidence for his statements. The Washington Post reported that the FBI searched for documents related to nuclear weapons during its raid earlier this week. Reuters was initially unable to verify the newspaper report.
Those involved in the raid said FBI officials were looking for evidence that Trump illegally took government documents from the White House when he left office in January 2021. On Thursday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said he personally authorized the FBI’s investigation into the ex-president.
At the beginning of the year, the National Archives, which is responsible for storing presidential correspondence, had 15 boxes containing documents, some of which were classified as secret, that had been brought from Washington to Trump’s private residence. Then the administration contacted the Justice Department.
The fact that the ministry requested the release of the search warrant is considered remarkable, since such documents are actually kept secret while investigations are ongoing. But the ministry seems to have realized that its silence since the raid has given the former president and his supporters scope for violent attacks. Public demands were made to give details about the background of the FBI action. The public interest clearly speaks for a release, the Ministry of Justice finally justified its request.
Neither Trump nor the FBI have disclosed what files the agents may have unearthed Monday or what exactly they were looking for.
Since the search operation, threats of violence against the Federal Police and the Ministry of Justice have increased. Trump supporters demanded the release of the search warrant – in the hope that an alleged unfair treatment of their idol would come to light. Some Republicans even called for the funds to be withdrawn from the FBI. Garland condemned the aggressive rhetoric.
A gunman attempted to break into an FBI field office in Cincinnati on Thursday. When officers opposed him, he fled and later engaged in a firefight with the police, during which he was killed.
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