The document, unsealed Friday by a federal judge after Trump’s legal team refused to block its release, lists three federal laws Trump allegedly violated, including the Espionage Act, which prohibits the unauthorized possession of national information. security that could help a foreign adversary. harming the US The warrant seeks “all physical documents and records constituting evidence, contraband, proceeds of crime or other items illegally possessed” in violation of those laws. A proof of ownership containing all the items taken from Trump’s home and political offices in Palm Beach, Florida, reveals that FBI agents found and removed 11 sets of documents marked “top secret” or classified during their investigation. Monday, along with many other materials. Story continues below ad The document provided few details about what was recovered. Among the items not considered classified or classified were a clemency order for Trump adviser Roger Stone and unspecified material about French President Emmanuel Macron, along with handwritten notes and photo binders.
Read more: Donald Trump calls for ‘immediate’ release of Florida search warrant
In a statement on Friday, Trump claimed the documents seized by agents at his Florida club were “all declassified” and said he would have turned the documents over to the US Department of Justice if asked. While sitting presidents have the power to declassify information, that power ends once they leave office, and it was unclear if the documents in question had ever been declassified. Trump also kept the documents despite multiple requests from agencies, including the National Archives, to turn over the presidential records under federal law. Trump’s legal team filed a notice shortly before Friday’s 3 p.m. deadline. ET, informing the U.S. Department of Justice that it will not oppose unsealing the warrant, which was requested on Thursday. Trump had already said publicly that he would allow the release of the document, as well as a receipt for items taken by FBI agents from his Florida home on Monday. Story continues below ad Shortly after the Trump team filed, a federal judge in Florida ordered the warrant and proof of ownership unsealed. The department asked the court to unseal the warrant because of what Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday was a “substantial public interest” in the unprecedented search of a former president’s home. 1:42 House Republicans demand answers from Justice Department on FBI search of Trump’s home House Republicans demand answers from Justice Department on FBI search of Trump’s home Garland and the FBI have faced significant public and political pressure to reveal more about the investigation, which has sparked speculation on both sides of the political divide and a barrage of attacks from Trump’s Republican colleagues. Although warrants and other materials in an ongoing investigation are usually kept under seal, the move to release the documents appeared to acknowledge the void created by the agencies’ silence. Republicans are raising money from the investigation, which comes months before November’s midterm elections that will determine control of Congress. Story continues below ad The FBI and Justice Department have been investigating Trump’s withholding of presidential records — a federal crime if not cleared with the National Archives — since early this year. The National Archives asked the department to investigate after it said 15 boxes of records recovered from the estate in February contained classified records and the Trump team had yet to return everything it had requested.
Read more: US seeks to unseal warrant used to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, AG says
Monday’s search came three days after a federal judge in Florida signed the search warrant, which followed the standard process of documenting probable cause for crimes allegedly committed by Trump and his team to preserve the materials. Garland confirmed Thursday that he had personally approved the warrant request, adding that he “did not make such a decision lightly.” The move drew immediate condemnation from Republicans who accused Garland and President Joe Biden of weaponizing the Justice Department to hurt Trump, who is openly considering another run for the White House in 2024 but has yet to formally declare a run. of. Online death threats against Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, FBI agents, and the justice system in general increased after the investigation. A man was killed by police after he tried to break into an FBI field office in Ohio on Thursday, though officials have not yet said whether the incident was sparked by the Mar-a-Lago investigation. Story continues below ad The proof of ownership and warrant released Friday also refutes some of the accusations denied by Trump and his allies, including that his lawyers were not present during the search or did not receive copies of the warrant and proof of ownership as required by the law. The signature of Trump attorney Christina Bobb appears on both pages of the property receipt. With files from the Associated Press © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
