Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Documents Had to Do With 'Russiagate,' Hilary Clinton Email Scandal, Ex-White House Aide Says

The top secret documents that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) seized during the raid at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home were about the Russia-Trump collusion investigation, among many others, former Defense Secretary Chief of Staff Kash Patel said.

Aside from Trump's "Russiagate," he also pointed out that the documents might have also contained records on the Hillary Clinton email scandal.

Information on the contents of the Mar-a-Lago documents is still blurry, and both the Department of Justice and the FBI are still investigating Trump's alleged unlawful withholding of these.

Mar-a-Lago Documents About 'Russiagate,' Hilary Clinton Email Scandal

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Kash Patel shed light on the actual classification state of the Mar-a-Lago documents seized by the FBI.

Contrary to information published widely, the former Pentagon Chief of Staff said the Mar-a-Lago documents were declassified when Donald Trump vacated the White House in January 2021.

Numerous outlets, including Bloomberg, reported that Trump pocketed classified documents from the White House after his term, possibly violating the Espionage Act for "unlawful" retention.

"The bottom line was he said this information has to get out to the American public," Patel pointed out Trump's reason for having the top-secret documents.

According to Patel, the Mar-a-Lago documents "had to do" with "Russiagate" and Hillary Clinton's email scandal, among many other important issues, citing that the former president said these were all declassified documents.

Patel's recent claims hold the heaviest weight so far on all the speculations. It has challenged the DOJ and the FBI's claims that these were top secret. Hence, the urgency to retrieve it.

Neither the FBI nor DOJ has reportedly offered a public explanation about why the FBI agents searched Trump's Florida home or what they were looking for.

Last August 11, insiders told The Washington Post that the FBI attempted to retrieve documents relating to nuclear weaponry on Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

Experts noted that the "unusual search" underscored the government's deep concern about the type of information that was alleged to have been on the Florida mansion.

Donald Trump Declassified FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation Docs

The Epoch Times reported that Donald Trump issued a memo before leaving in January 2021, declassifying documents relating to the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation.

Trump reportedly emphasized an archived version of the memo on Truth Social last week.

"I determined that the materials in [a Crossfire Hurricane] binder should be declassified to the maximum extent possible. In response, and as part of the iterative process of the declassification review, under a cover letter dated January 17, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation noted its continuing objection to any further declassification of the materials in the binder," Trump said in the memo in January 2021.

For context, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation in 2016 probed claims of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections.

Mar-a-Lago Raid Recovered 11 Boxes of Top Secret Documents

Last August 8, the FBI raided Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago mansion after securing a search warrant from U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart.

Per the affidavit and warrant unsealed last week, 11 boxes of top secret documents were seized from the mansion. Legal analysts said Donald Trump could face 10 years in jail if found guilty of violating the Espionage Act for allegedly obtaining top-secret White House documents.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Ivan Korrs

WATCH: FBI Seized Classified Documents in Trump Mar-a-Lago Search, Inventory Shows - From Wall Street Journal