A search warrant released by a court on Friday showed that 11 sets of classified documents were removed by agents from Trump’s Florida home. The warrant was issued after the FBI showed probable cause of possible violations of the Espionage Act. But the Justice Department objected to requests to unseal the affidavit used to justify the investigation, saying it contained “critically important and detailed investigative evidence” as well as “highly sensitive information about witnesses, including witnesses interviewed by the government.” . Several US media outlets and Republican members of Congress have asked a Florida judge to release the affidavit behind the raid. Trump has been urged to tone down his rhetoric amid a surge in threats against law enforcement. He promised on Monday to do “whatever we can” to help “turn the temperature down”, before repeating his attacks on the FBI. Agents have been inundated with an unprecedented avalanche of threats following the bureau’s investigation into Mar-a-Lago, which the former president called a politically motivated “witch hunt.” In his first interview after allegedly classified documents removed from the White House were recovered from Mr Trump’s home, he told Fox News: “Whatever we can do to help – because the temperature has to come down in the country. If it’s not, terrible things will happen.” Trump said his office contacted a Justice Department official to convey the message Thursday. At the same time, however, calling for calm, Mr Trump repeated attacks on the FBI and defended the actions of his supporters in the interview, saying they were “not going to put up with another fraud” and describing the FBI’s previous investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections as a “witch hunt”. “People are so angry about what’s going on,” he said. As recently as Sunday afternoon, the 76-year-old Trump called the investigation “an abuse of law enforcement” and a “stealth attack on democracy” on the social media platform TruthSocial. On Monday, he revealed on the website that agents took his three passports during last week’s search. The FBI did not immediately confirm the claim. In the days since the warrant was executed, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security say they have seen an increase in “violent threats” against law enforcement, justice and government personnel, including a specific threat to “plant a so-called dirty bomb in front of FBI headquarters,” according to a release. “General calls” for civil war and armed rebellion have also increased in recent days on social media. An attempted attack on an FBI field office in Cincinnati that ended with the shooting of the suspect last Thursday seemed to highlight the real danger behind the threats. The raid has created rifts in the Republican Party, with staunch Trump supporters calling for the “Gestapo FBI” to be “defunded” while others sought to distance themselves from the former president amid reports that nuclear secrets may have been among the documents found in Mar-a-Lago. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called Trump’s rhetoric “inflammatory.” “I don’t want to put law enforcement in the eye of a potential threat,” the Texas representative told CNBC. “And this is someone who has worked with law enforcement for most of my career.” Fox & Friends, which has generally supported Mr. Trump, also urged supporters of the former president not to direct their anger at law enforcement. “So many supporters of Donald Trump used this opportunity to oppose the FBI,” said host Steve Ducey. “They’re barking up the wrong tree. Don’t blame the FBI. “It would be great for everyone to tone down the anti-FBI rhetoric because the FBI was just doing what the Justice Department told them to do.” Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, has been told he is the target of a criminal investigation in Georgia for election interference.
