Mar-a-Lago Raid

New York Times reports discovery of more than 300 classified documents related to the NSA, CIA, FBI at Mar-a-Lago

Mar-a-Lago one day after the FBI raid. Photo: Kimberly Leonard/Insider

The New York Times reported Monday that former President Donald Trump kept more than 300 secret documents at his property in Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House.

The government retrieved the records, which included FBI, CIA, and National Security Administration-related information, in three consecutive batches, according to The Times.

The Times stated that the first tranche of documents, a batch of 15 boxes collected by the National Archives in February, contained more than 150 classified files and helped spark the inquiry that led to this month's raid on Mar-a-Lago.

According to The Times, Trump's aides submitted the second batch to the Justice Department in June. On August 8, FBI investigators searched for a Florida country club and seized 11 sets of classified papers, among other documents.

The unknown is the precise content of the records. Still, a source knowledgeable on the situation told The Times that the files include "a variety of topics of national security interest."

The FBI and Trump's representatives did not reply quickly to Insider's requests for comment.

Trump has decried the inquiry as an "unthinkable violation" of his rights, despite his contradictory statements regarding the documents' classification.

The search of Mar-a-Lago was conducted after Bruce Reinhart, a federal magistrate judge, signed an unsealed warrant indicating that federal officials were seeking evidence connected to national defense. The warrant is based on evidence referenced in an affidavit, the release of which is the subject of judicial challenges.

Publish : 2022-08-23 10:21:00

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