A US judge on Friday released a court document setting out the grounds for the recent federal police (FBI) search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home, but the content was largely redacted for the benefit of the investigation.
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Without offering explosive revelations because of the many redacted passages, the plea offers a glimpse into how Donald Trump kept top-secret documents at his home in Mar-a-Lago — and the concern raised by authorities’ recklessness. .
Investigators were particularly concerned about the unsecured storage of confidential documents, or the possibility that US intelligence agents could be hidden and endangered.
The National Archives Agency (NARA), which is responsible for recording the actions of the president, disclosed in February that the investigation began after the Justice Department said it received 15 boxes from Donald Trump’s teams, including “top secret. Documents”.
An investigation opened by the Federal Police has confirmed that these boxes contain 184 classified documents, including 25 classified documents. -A-Lago.
The problem: These highly sensitive archives were not “properly managed or stored (in an appropriate location),” according to part of a Justice Department letter to Donald Trump’s lawyers cited in a report released Friday.
On August 8, the FBI raided Donald Trump’s home and seized thirty new boxes containing classified documents.
public interest
During the operation, officials searched 58 bedrooms and 33 bathrooms, according to a search warrant, angering supporters of the former president.
Facing a political storm, the justice minister had to hold a rare press conference to confirm that he had “personally approved” the search.
Federal Judge Bruce Reinhardt ordered the department to release the documents, which were made public later Friday, citing overwhelming public interest in the unprecedented raid on the home of a former US president.
But the magistrate accepted the authorities’ request to redact key parts of the document – which might otherwise have revealed the identity of certain actors in the case – in the name of a “compelling” need to protect investigations.
Officials waited until the last minute on Friday to comply, releasing the 38-page document after the 12 noon deadline set by Judge Reinhardt.
They once opposed the release of the alleged document, arguing that “the rest of the leaked text is so extensive that it is devoid of any significant content.”
“Intrigue”
Responding to Friday’s release, Donald Trump once again denounced his truth on the social network as a “witch hunt” and a “Commander scheme,” noting that the court documents mentioned “nothing.” “Nuclear” was mentioned for a time in the American press.
“We live in a country without faith or law,” he fumed shortly before.
On Monday, the former US president called for an independent expert to be appointed to review documents seized by the FBI and determine which can be kept “secret” and not used in investigations.
A list of materials seized by the FBI, already made public, mentions several documents classified as “top secret.” The whole question is to know what these documents deal with.
Investigators suspect the Republican violated US espionage laws that strictly restrict the possession of classified documents. Donald Trump has assured that these documents are classified.
Donald Trump is also the target of investigations into his efforts to alter the results of the 2020 presidential election and his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by his supporters.
Donald Trump, who has flirted with the idea of a 2024 presidential run, has long condemned the search, which he sees as an illustration of a “witch hunt” targeting him.
He has not been prosecuted in any case at present.
