The heavily redacted affidavit about government documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate released Friday contained some new details, though it did not reveal any major revelations. But the affidavit could explain why the Justice Department sought court approval for an Aug. 8 search of the Florida resort. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The FBI probe marked a major escalation in one of several federal and state probes Trump has faced since his time in office and into private businesses. The Republican former president has suggested he may run for the White House again. He described the search as politically motivated and on Friday, again called the court-authorized search a “burglary.” The FBI action was part of a federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed documents when he left office in January 2021 after losing the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden and whether he tried to obstruct the government’s investigation. According to the document released Friday, an unnamed FBI agent said the FBI reviewed and located 184 “classified” documents containing “national defense information” after Trump returned 15 boxes of government records in January in the US National Archives. The agent who drafted the affidavit said that after the FBI reviewed the initial batch of files, it believed there was probable cause to believe more documents were still at Mar-a-Lago. “There is also probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction will be found at the facility,” the agent added. The Justice Department also said Friday in a separate batch of unsealed records that it has a “significant number of civilian witnesses” helping its investigation, a rare disclosure for an investigation in such early stages. Like much of the 32-page affidavit, many pages in those other unsealed files were also redacted.
TRUMP’S REACTION
Trump complained on social media on Friday that the affidavit was “heavily convoluted” and asked the judge in the case to recuse himself without providing any apparent basis — a request that Trump’s legal team has not formally submitted to the court. . “Judge Bruce Rinehart should NEVER have allowed my home to be invaded,” Trump wrote. The records unsealed Friday also showed how Trump’s lawyers tried to persuade the Justice Department not to pursue a criminal investigation, arguing that Trump had the authority to declassify documents. In one section, it cites an article published in May by former Trump administration official Cash Patel, who claimed media reports about the National Archives locating classified material at Mar-a-Lago were “misleading.” . Brandon Fox, a former federal prosecutor now with Jenner and Block, said he believes the references to Trump’s claims about the documents being declassified are significant, even though much of the material is redacted. “They probably point to the proof that the Justice Department believes it has that Mr. Trump had not declassified the documents,” he told Reuters. The newly released files also showed how Trump’s lawyers tried to play down the Justice Department’s concerns about the records. “Any attempt to hold a President or former President criminally liable involving his actions with respect to documents marked as classified would raise serious constitutional separation of powers issues,” Trump’s lawyer Evan Corcoran wrote in a letter dated 25 May to the head of the Ministry of Justice. of counterintelligence. “Furthermore, primary criminal law governing the unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material does not apply to the President,” he added. The FBI agent said a preliminary examination of the records received by the Archives in the 15 boxes, conducted between May 16 and 18, found 184 “unique documents” marked as classified. Of these, 67 were classified as “confidential”, while 92 were classified as “confidential” and 25 as “top secret”. Other defense-related files, meanwhile, contained references to things like confidential sources helping the United States gather intelligence, as well as details about how the U.S. conducts foreign surveillance and information it collected using the law on foreign intelligence surveillance. law that established the country’s domestic surveillance program. The agent added that there was probable cause to search several rooms inside Mar-a-Lago, including a storage room and Trump’s home suit, as well as “Pine Hall” and “45 Office.” Asked by reporters Friday whether it is appropriate for a president to bring classified material home, President Joe Biden said it depends. “It depends on the document and it depends on how secure the location is,” he said. He added that he has an “absolutely secure” location at his home and was taking home a copy of his daily intelligence briefing on Friday, but said those files would later be returned to the military. Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Friday’s documents underscored the need for the committee to get a bipartisan “damage assessment of any national security threat arising from the mishandling” of the information. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Sarah N. Lynch? additional reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen, Mike Scarcella, Karen Freifeld Richard Cowan, Alexandra Alper and Moira Warburton. Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
