Florida: Here Are the Shocking Findings During the FBI Raid of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Home
U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon in West Palm Beach unsealed the inventory of what the FBI took during their August 8 search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. It was revealed that the FBI recovered over 11,000 government documents and photographs that have been taken by Trump from the White House. They also recovered about 48 folders labeled "Classified."
According to CNN, Judge Cannon is the same judge who heard arguments from Trump attorneys and Department of Justice counterintelligence prosecutors on whether or not a special master should review the seized materials at Donald Trump's request. She deferred the ruling on appointing the special master but said she agreed to unseal two records filed by the Justice Department.
Classified Documents Mixed in With Books and Magazines Inside Mar-a-Lago
The FBI released one of the records on Friday, and it provides more details on what Trump took after he left office. According to Reuters, documents with classification markings co-mingled with other items. These include books, magazines, and newspaper clippings. They also found unspecified gifts and items of clothing mixed in with those classified documents.
After the inventory was revealed, around 18 of the recovered documents had the "top secret" label, while 54 had the "secret" label. Another 31 documents were labeled "confidential." The highest classification found in the recently-released inventory was "top secret," and is only for the United States' most closely-guarded secrets.
FBI agents also found around 90 empty folders, 48 of which were "classified" folders. Others also indicated that they should have been returned to a staff secretary or military aide. It is still unclear why some of these folders were empty.
The other unsealed record is a three-page filing by the Justice Department. It updated the status of the investigative team's review of the documents. It said that the preliminary review of the materials seized has now been completed and it will be investigating the matter further.
Read also: Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Unsealed: Donald Trump May Have Violated Espionage Act, Committed Felonies
Trump Attorney General Bill Barr Says No Need for Special Master, Doubts Trump Declassified Documents
Donald Trump's former AG Bill Barr made an appearance on Fox News, and he said that his former boss may indeed be in trouble. He said that there is no "legitimate reason" for classified documents to have been at Mar-a-Lago in the first place. He also doubts if Trump even declassified those documents.
Barr said Trump might not even know what was inside those boxes in the first place. He stated that Trump declassifying documents without going through formal channels showed recklessness and is an abuse.
The former Justice Secretary also rejected the criticisms by Trump allies on the FBI for the search. He told Fox News that it was "unprecedented for a president to take all this classified information and put them in a country club."
Barr defended the FBI's actions, stating that Trump deceived the FBI when he voluntarily returned a few documents. This was when they had to get a subpoena.
As for the special master, Barr said it was unnecessary and a "waste of time," stating that the FBI would have already gone through the documents.
Read also: Donald Trump Fires Back at FBI Mar-a-Lago Raid Controversy: 'Nuclear Weapons Issue Is a Hoax'
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Bill Barr "skeptical" Trump declassified Mar-a-Lago papers
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