Donald Trump has asserted that FBI officials who searched his Mar-a-Lago estate confiscated his passports, describing the incident as a "political assault."
A week after the federal agency attempted to collect sensitive materials from his Florida home, the former president posted on his Truth Social site, "they stole my three passports (one expired) along with everything else." This is an unprecedented degree of assault against a political opponent in our country. The Third World"
The agency did not immediately confirm the story, which seizes a person's passport if they are thought to be a flight risk or facing criminal charges that ban them from leaving the United States.
Trump, 76, most likely possesses both a standard blue passport provided to US residents and a diplomatic red passport issued for official government trips.
Trump would not be able to travel outside the United States without a valid passport.
The release of a search warrant by a court on Friday revealed that 11 sets of sensitive documents were confiscated from Trump's Florida property by agents. The contract was issued after the FBI presented evidence of suspected Espionage Act breaches.
The Justice Department opposed attempts to unseal the affidavit used to support the search because it contained "critically important and detailed investigative facts" and "susceptible information about witnesses, including witnesses interviewed by the government."
Multiple US media outlets and Republican members of Congress have requested that a Florida judge release the affidavit supporting the raid.
An increase in threats against law police has prompted calls for Trump to moderate his words.
On Monday, he pledged to do "whatever we can" to help "bring down the temperature" before renewing his assaults on the FBI.
After the FBI's investigation of Mar-a-Lago, which the former president described as a politically driven "witch-hunt." agents have been besieged by an unprecedented avalanche of threats.
In his first interview since purported White House sensitive materials were recovered from Trump's residence, he told Fox News, "Whatever we can do to help - because the temperature in the country must be lowered. If it is not the case, bad things will occur."
Thursday, Trump's administration contacted a Justice Department official to relay the message.
At the same time that he called for calm, however, Trump renewed his attacks on the FBI and defended his supporters' actions in the interview, stating that they were "not going to stand for another scam" and describing the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election as a "witch hunt."
"People are so angry at what is taking place," he stated.
On his social media platform TruthSocial, Trump, 76, branded the search an "abuse in law enforcement" and a "sneak attack on democracy" as recently as Sunday evening.
On Monday, he stated on his website that agents confiscated his three passports during the investigation last week. The FBI did not confirm the accusation immediately.
According to a bulletin, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security report an increase in "violent threats" against law enforcement, judiciary, and government personnel in the days following the execution of the warrant, including a threat to "place a so-called Dirty Bomb in front of FBI headquarters."
Recently, "General calls" for civil war and armed insurrection have also increased on social media.
Last Thursday's attempted attack on an FBI field office in Cincinnati, which resulted in the suspect's death after being shot, appeared to highlight the seriousness of the threats.
The raid has caused divisions within the Republican Party, with hardcore Trump supporters pushing to "defund" the "Gestapo FBI." In contrast, others have moved to distance themselves from the former president in light of claims that records recovered at Mar-a-Lago may have contained nuclear secrets.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, characterized Trump's remarks as "inflammatory."
"I don't want to put any law enforcement in the bull's-eye of a potential threat," the Texas representative told CNBC. "And that's someone who's worked with law enforcement most of my career."
Fox & Friends, primarily supportive of Trump, also urged the former president's followers not to target police enforcement with their fury.
"So many supporters of Donald Trump have used this opportunity to go against the FBI," stated anchor Steve Doocy. "They have the incorrect approach. Do not fault the FBI.
Everyone would benefit from toning down their rhetoric against the FBI, as the FBI was only carrying out DOJ directives.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's attorney, has been informed that he is a target of the criminal investigation into election tampering in Georgia.