Documents indicate that the FBI took top secret data during a raid of the Florida resort of former US President Donald Trump this week.
Agents removed eleven sets of documents, some of which were labeled “TS/SCI,” a classification for information that could cause “exceptionally grave” harm to US national security.
Mr. Trump denied any misconduct and stated that the documents had been declassified.
It was the first time a former president’s residence was searched as part of a criminal investigation.
The list was made public Friday afternoon after a court unsealed a seven-page document containing the search warrant for Mr. Trump’s Palm Beach property, Mar-a-Lago.
More than 20 cartons of items were reportedly stolen on Monday, including a photo album, a handwritten note, unexplained information about the “President of France,” and a mercy letter written on behalf of Trump associate Roger Stone.
In addition to four sets of top-secret papers, the cache contains three sets of “secret documents” and three sets of “confidential” information.
The warrant reveals that FBI agents were investigating potential violations of the Espionage Act, which makes it illegal to possess or transmit potentially harmful national security information.
The law prohibits the removal of classified papers and materials. While in office, Mr. Trump doubled the maximum sentence for the offense, which is now punishable by up to five years in jail.
The order specifies that the areas examined at Mar-a-Lago include the “45 office” and storage rooms, but not the private guest suites utilized by Mr. Trump and his employees.
On Thursday, the justice department petitioned a court to make the document public, an extraordinary request during an ongoing investigation.
It was approved by a judge on August 5, three days before its execution on August 8.
Mr. Trump’s staff stated on Friday evening claiming that he had utilized his presidential authority to declassify the documents.
“He had a standing directive that any documents removed from the Oval Office and brought to the residence would be considered declassified,” the statement claimed.
“Only the President of the United States has the authority to classify and declassify documents.
It is ludicrous to believe that a paper-pusher bureaucrat with classification authority assigned by the president must authorize declassification.
According to legal experts quoted by U.S. media, it is uncertain if this argument would hold up in court. “Presidents can declassify information, but they must follow a system,” Tom Dupree, a former justice department attorney.
“They must complete forms. They must provide certain authorizations. They cannot simply assert that these materials have been declassified. They must adhere to a procedure, but it is unclear whether that was followed in this case.”
Taylor Budowich, a spokeswoman for Mr. Trump, stated that the government of President Joe Biden “is engaged in damage management following their disastrous raid.”
Mr. Budowich accused the administration of “leaking lies and innuendos in an attempt to justify the government’s weaponization against their major political opponent”
As Mr. Trump explores another run for president in 2024, his conservative backers have blasted the raid as a political assassination.
According to reports, law enforcement organizations around the nation are monitoring online threats against government officials that have appeared in the wake of the FBI investigation.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland, who approved the warrant personally, praised federal officers as “committed, patriotic public servants” on Thursday.
He told reporters, “I will not remain silent when their integrity is being assailed.”
