Today, Friday, the U.S. judiciary released a court document outlining the reasons why federal police raided former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, which has been largely revised in favor of an investigation.
Without revealing dangerous information due to several redacted passages, the move provides insight into how Donald Trump keeps top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence, as well as how his apparent recklessness causes authorities to worry.
Investigators were particularly concerned about the storage of classified documents in an unsecured room, which could pose a danger to undercover US intelligence agents.
A document released on Friday indicated that the investigation began when the U.S. National Archives informed the Justice Department on Feb. 9, 2022 that it had received 15 boxes of “classified” documents from Donald Trump’s team, the agency said.
An investigation launched by the Federal Police confirmed that the boxes contained 184 classified documents, 25 of which were highly classified, leading investigators to believe that “other documents containing highly classified national defense information” were still in Mar. -a-Lago.
The problem is that these very important documents “were not handled properly and kept in the proper place,” according to excerpts from a Justice Department letter to Donald Trump’s lawyer, contained in a report released Friday.
On August 8, the FBI raided Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida residence and confiscated boxes of classified documents that the Republican did not return after leaving the White House despite repeated requests.
– Public interest. During the raid, agents searched 58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms, according to a search warrant, which angered supporters of the former president.
In the face of the political storm caused by the raid, the Justice Minister was forced to hold a press conference and confirm that he “personally approved” the operation.
Federal Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the Justice Department to release this landmark document, which should detail the reasons that led to the investigation into Donald Trump, citing public interest in the unprecedented raid on the former US president’s home.
But the judge accepted the ministry’s request to redact important parts of the document that could reveal the identities of some of the perpetrators in the case, in the name of the “urgent” need to protect the investigation.
Authorities waited until the last minute and released the 38-page document shortly after the 12:00 (16:00 GMT) deadline set by Judge Reinhart.
She opposed the publication of the aforementioned document, arguing that it requires editing “so substantial that it will purge the leaked text of any important content.”
– “Trick,” Trump repeated Friday on his Truth Social network ahead of the release of these court documents, that “amateurs and thugs in politics (…) have no right to attack Mar-a-Lago and steal whatever they find on his way”.
“We live in a country where there is no law,” he said angrily.
On Monday, the former US president asked for an independent expert to review the documents seized by the Bureau of Investigation and determine which ones can remain “secret” and not be used in investigations.
The list of items seized and released by the FBI includes several “top secret” documents. The question is what is the content of these documents.
Investigators suspect that the Republican violated the US espionage law, which clearly regulates the storage of classified documents. Donald Trump has confirmed that the documents have been declassified.
Trump has also been investigated for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and his role in the January 6, 2021 attack by his supporters on the Capitol building.
Donald Trump, who intends to run in the 2024 presidential election, has long criticized the process, which he sees as an example of a “wild campaign” aimed at him.
So far, he has not been prosecuted in any case.