Raid on the ex-president
Donald Trump and Document 102-1: key takeaways from FBI release
With the publication of a document, the FBI is increasing the pressure on ex-President Donald Trump. It proves that Trump kept numerous secret documents in his private residence – without the necessary backup
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After the raid on Donald Trump’s mansion, the FBI releases an agent’s affidavit. This shows why the FBI was alarmed about the storage of classified documents and what led to the raid in early August.
It has the somewhat cryptic name “Document 102-1” and, despite many blacked out passages, contains a lot of explosive material: With the publication of an affidavit by an FBI agent that led to the search warrant of Donald Trump’s private home Mar-a-Lago in early August, Both the FBI and the Justice Department have given in to public pressure and a judge’s direction. 32 pages, about half of which have been blacked out, are the reasons given by an FBI investigator as to why investigators searched Trump’s property in southern Florida on August 8th. Detailed and sober, it provides a glimpse into what’s been going on since the beginning of the year and how alarmed officials have been about the situation. Key Findings: (you can view the document here)
The return of the documents dragged on for months
For months, the National Archives negotiated the return of the boxes of documents. A few months after leaving office and moving to Mar-a-Lago, the National Archives contacted Trump about the documents, which he initially did not release. Only on January 18, 2022, almost exactly a year after Trump left the White House, did the National Archives confirm receipt of 15 boxes of documents. Then in February, the National Archives told the FBI that in 14 of the boxes they found a total of 184 classified documents: 67 “confidential”, “92 classified” and 25 classified as “top secret”.
The FBI’s suspicions
Although several boxes were returned, the FBI did not believe early on that it was all the documents that Trump took to Florida, also because secret documents were found in the delivered boxes. “We have reason to believe that other classified national security documents and other Presidential records that require preservation are currently on the premises,” the affidavit reads at the beginning of the document.
The receipt for the confiscated documents, which was published shortly after the raid together with the search warrant in mid-August, showed that they were right. The investigators had found other documents classified as “top secret” that can only be viewed in government institutions. In total, Trump took more than 700 pages of confidential documents with him to Florida, according to a letter to Trump’s lawyers published mid-week.
What was stored with Donald Trump in Florida?
Of course, the FBI and the Justice Department do not comment on the exact contents of the secret documents, but the affidavit shows how explosive the documents were. The documents in Mar-a-Lage included, among other things, information about human sources of the US intelligence agencies abroad as well as files containing information about the agencies’ electronic surveillance practices abroad – and which can only be shared with people who are authorized to do so have the required clearance level.
The documents were not secured
The letter shows several times that Trump attached little importance to the safekeeping of the documents in Mar-a-Lago – let alone that there was a safe room in which they were stored. “Mar-a-Lago does not have a secure location authorized to store classified documents,” it says. The FBI was therefore under the impression that “since the documents were delivered to Mar-a-Lago from the secure environment of the White House, they have not been adequately stored or handled”. This is also confirmed by the way the documents were found in the boxes by the National Archives. Because the secret documents were mixed between newspaper articles, photos and Trump’s correspondence – which set off the alarm bells at the FBI: “It is of the greatest concern that top secret documents were mixed up with other documents unsorted and not appropriately marked.”
What is missing in the document?
A lot, because around half of the 32 pages have been blacked out. However, after a judge gave in to public interest and ordered publication, he also allowed passages to be redacted to protect sensitive information. This should primarily involve the naming of witnesses who were questioned before the search and are now to be protected from threats and intimidation. Recently there have been repeated speculations in the US media that the witnesses should also include people from Donald Trump’s closest circle – but there is no evidence of this so far.
Why did Trump want to take documents from the White House?
This question will remain unanswered for the time being, because the documents do not provide an answer. Trump’s lawyers repeatedly referred to the fact that the documents had been declassified by the ex-president himself and were therefore no longer subject to secrecy. This also emerges from a letter attached to the FBI’s justification. Trump’s lawyers have not yet provided any proof of this.
But there are explanations: In the “New York Times” Trump expert Maggie Habermann writes that Trump already had a kind of collecting mania before he became president. Among other things, a huge shoe from former basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal (shoe size 60) was found in his office in Trump Tower in New York. In the White House, Trump liked to show off letters and documents to guests – despite all the warnings from his advisers. So it’s quite possible that Trump also wanted to show off documents in Mar-a-Lago.
When asked by a reporter on Friday, President Joe Biden explained how the documents should actually be handled: I have a separate room at home that is completely secure. I’m taking home today’s PDB (“President’s Daily Brief”). It’s locked, one person is with me, the military, and I’m reading it. Then I’ll lock it up again and give it back.”
An incident from 2019 shows that Trump was not so particular about secret information during his tenure. At that time, Trump posted a classified satellite image on Twitter that showed a destroyed launch pad at the Iranian spaceport Semnan and caused a lot of fuss in the USA worried. (Read more about this here)
What could Donald Trump threaten now?
It is now up to the Justice Department to decide whether to continue investigating Trump. Already in the affidavit, the unnamed FBI agent refers to the violations of several US laws. These can be punished with fines or imprisonment. According to the “Spiegel” Trump is said to have asked friends several times in the past few days whether he is actually threatened with indictment.
Sources: “Washington Post“, “NYTimes“, “mirror“