Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Unsealed; Trump Investigated for Potential Espionage Act Violations
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A federal judge unsealed the search warrant executed by the FBI at Mar-a-Lago following the Justice Department's request.
The warrant indicated that the FBI was investigating former President Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice and potential violations of the Espionage Act. The warrant authorized federal agents to seize “physical documents with classification markings,” documents “regarding the retrieval, storage, or transmission of national defense information,“ and “any evidence of the knowing alteration, destruction, or concealment of any government and/or Presidential Records.”
A receipt for property seized in the raid included “Info re: President of France,” a handwritten note, and several “miscellaneous” documents labeled “secret,” “top secret” and “confidential.”
Coverage was widespread and prominently featured across the spectrum on Friday. Most coverage on both sides highlighted the possibility of Espionage Act violations. Coverage from right-rated outlets often compared the Trump investigation to “Hillary Clinton's email scandal.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Trump under investigation for potential violations of Espionage Act, warrant reveals
Donald Trump is under criminal investigation for potential violations of the Espionage Act and additional statutes relating to obstruction of justice and destroying federal government records, according to the search warrant executed by FBI agents at the former president’s home on Monday.
The search warrant – the contents of which were confirmed by the Guardian – shows the FBI was seeking evidence about whether the mishandling of classified documents by Trump, including some marked top secret, amounted to a violation of three criminal statutes.
Most notably, the search warrant authorized FBI...
From the Right
FBI seized classified records from Mar-a-Lago during search of Trump residence
FBI agents seized classified records from former President Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago during the agency's unprecedented raid on Monday, including some marked as top secret, according to a warrant and property receipt unsealed Friday. The documents had earlier been reviewed and reported by Fox News Digital.
Former President Trump is disputing the classification, saying the records have been declassified.
According to the warrant, reviewed by Fox News early Friday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart signed the warrant on Aug. 5, giving the FBI authority to conduct its search "on...
From the Center
Trump suspected of violating Espionage Act, according to search warrant
Federal law enforcement suspected former President Trump had violated the Espionage Act and other laws when it sought and obtained a search warrant for his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to court records unsealed Friday.
The unsealed warrant shows that investigators were authorized to seize any documents or records with classified markings or related to the “transmission of national defense information or classified material.”
The warrant also authorized the seizure of “any evidence of the knowing alteration, destruction, or concealment of any government and/or Presidential Records, or of any documents with classification markings.”
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