14 out of 15 boxes contain secret documents
FBI publishes documents: 32 pages heavily incriminate Donald Trump
Pages from the FBI affidavit justifying the search warrant for Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s home
© Jon Elswick/AP/dpa
The search of Donald Trump’s private property keeps bringing new details to light. Under great pressure and by order of a judge, the US Department of Justice published a reason for the search of the ex-president – and it does not reflect well on Trump.
Law enforcement officials have justified an unprecedented crackdown on the former US President by releasing new details about the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s home. The Justice Department in Washington released parts of a document on Friday, based on a court order, on the basis of which the searches in Trump’s private home Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach were approved three weeks ago. Among other things, it provides information about the initial suspicions of the Federal Police FBI against the Republican, who is flirting with a renewed presidential candidacy in 2024.
According to this, 14 of 15 boxes with documents that Trump had previously sent from Mar-a-Lago to the National Archives contained confidential and sometimes even top secret documents. 184 documents were classified – 67 as “confidential”, 92 as “secret” and 25 as “top secret”. According to the FBI, the documents classified as secret were found among other papers such as magazine articles and photos – some with handwritten notes. There was reason to believe that there were other classified documents on the property.
A judge in the state of Florida ordered the paper to be partially published on Thursday – because of the great public interest. Several media had applied for publication in court. About half of the 32 pages have been blacked out to protect sensitive information.
Donald Trump: FBI raided Mar-a-Lago in early August
On August 8, the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has often stayed since leaving the White House in January last year. Since he kept the records at his private estate, he may have broken the law. This is under investigation.
Trump reacted outraged and described the action against him as a “witch hunt”, as he had done in the past with other allegations. In a post on the online platform Truth Social, which he co-founded, he accused the FBI and the Justice Department of “total PR deception”. He also criticized that the procedural document, some of which was published, did not show that he had worked closely with the authorities in returning documents to the National Archives.
The search caused quite a stir. The fact that investigators search the house of a former president is considered a unique event in US history. In addition, Trump has been fueling speculation for weeks that he could soon announce a bid for the next presidential election in November 2024. The investigations are therefore doubly politically sensitive. The ex-president criticized the actions of the authorities as politically motivated and defended himself with a lawsuit.
White House stands back
The White House kept a low profile on the new developments. “This is an independent investigation led by the Justice Department. The President believes it is important that the Justice Department maintain that independence,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said at a news conference on Friday. When asked whether Trump had endangered national security, US President Joe Biden said that the Justice Department must now decide.
In view of the great pressure in the politically sensitive case, Attorney General Merrick Garland had previously worked to have the search warrant and evidence of the confiscated items released. According to this, the agents found, among other things, a set of documents classified as “Top Secret/SCI”, which are top secret and may only be viewed in special government institutions. Four of the confiscated sets of documents were classified as “Top Secret”, three more as “Secret” and the remaining three as “Confidential”.
When asked by a reporter about his own handling of classified documents, Biden said: “I have a separate room in my house that is completely secure. I’m taking today’s PDB (“President’s Daily Brief”) today ) to take home. It’s locked, one person is with me, the military, and I read it. Then I lock it again and give it back.”
The top secret report contains the most important current findings of the US secret services every day. It is recreated every morning and given to the President. When asked if it was appropriate to take classified papers home, Biden said it depends on the type of documents. However, unlike his predecessor who was voted out, the Democrat is also the current President of the United States.