ex-president
US secret services are said to be evaluating Trump documents
Former US President Donald Trump delivers a speech at his Mar-a-Lago estate, which has been searched by the FBI. photo
© Evan Vucci/AP/dpa
Did Trump jeopardize national security by taking home classified documents from the White House? This question should now apparently be clarified by US secret services. The ex-president once again wants to take action against the investigations of the FBI.
The secret documents that former US President Donald Trump took with him after the end of his term in office are to be evaluated by the US secret services. This was reported by the magazine “Politico” and other US media over the weekend, citing a letter from US intelligence coordinator Avril Haines to high-ranking employees. This should clarify whether there were any national security risks arising from the storage in Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida.
The document, which was released in part, shows that confidential and sometimes even top secret documents were found in 14 of 15 boxes with documents that Trump sent from Mar-a-Lago to the National Archives in January. 184 documents were classified – 67 as “confidential”, 92 as “secret” and 25 as “top secret”. There were handwritten notes on some – probably by Trump himself.
Investigations revealed that classified documents, which appeared to include national defense-related information, were being held at an unauthorized location at Trump’s home. The FBI argued there was reason to believe other classified documents were at the property. That’s why Trump’s villa was searched.
Did unauthorized persons have access to the documents?
“The Department of Justice and the Office of the US Intelligence Coordinator are working together to facilitate a classification review of relevant materials, including those found in the search,” Intelligence Coordinator Haines wrote, according to Politico. The secret services could deal with the question of the extent to which unauthorized persons had access to the documents in the villa. Haines is an intelligence coordinator in the government of Trump’s successor, Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, after the new details became known, Trump again called for independent oversight of the investigation. The US government should not look further into the documents until an independent examiner has been appointed, according to a motion filed by his lawyers late Friday evening (local time). Already last Monday he had filed a lawsuit in a court in the US state of Florida to defend himself against the actions of the authorities.
Judge wants to use special commissioners
A judge in the US state of Florida announced on Saturday (local time) that she would like to use a special representative. “The Court hereby announces its preliminary intention to appoint a special counsel in this matter,” Justice Aileen Cannon said. She also ordered the US Department of Justice to tell the court what other items had been confiscated during the FBI raids in early August. Cannon was appointed a judge by Trump during his 2020 presidency.
Trump, who has ambitions to run in the 2024 presidential election, says law enforcement’s actions are politically motivated. On Saturday, he again described the searches as an “unprecedented, unnecessary and unannounced break-in” at his home in Mar-a-Lago. “This attack was made for political purposes just before the midterm elections (and 2024, of course!),” the 76-year-old wrote on the online platform Truth Social, which he co-founded. The Republican was president from 2017 to 2021, he could run for a second term.
The fact that investigators search the house of a former president is considered a unique event in US history. The publication of essential procedural documents, even if largely blacked out, is unusual. In view of the great pressure in the politically explosive case, US Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed for the publication of the search warrant and proof of the confiscated items.