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FBI sought nuclear documents in search of Trump's home -Washington Post

Published 08/11/2022, 03:14 PM
Updated 08/12/2022, 08:54 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland takes questions following the announcement of the Justice Department's first affirmative litigation to protect access to reproductive healthcare following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wa

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland takes questions following the announcement of the Justice Department's first affirmative litigation to protect access to reproductive healthcare following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wa

By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents were looking for documents relating to nuclear weapons when they raided former President Donald Trump's home in Florida this week, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.

It was not clear if such documents were recovered at the former president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, the Post said. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

The U.S. Justice Department asked a judge on Thursday to make public the warrant that authorized the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, after Trump, a Republican, portrayed it as political retribution.

The request means the public could soon learn more about what investigators were looking for during the unprecedented search of a former president's home.

The search was part of an investigation into whether Trump illegally removed records from the White House as he left office in January 2021, some of which the Justice Department believes are classified.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, the top law enforcement officer and an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, told a news conference that he had personally approved the search. The Justice Department also seeks to make public a redacted receipt of the items seized.

"The department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search, and to narrowly scope any search that is undertaken," Garland said.

His decision to publicly confirm the search was highly unusual. U.S. law enforcement officials typically do not discuss ongoing investigations in order to protect people's rights. In this case, Trump himself announced the search in a Monday night statement.

Garland said the Justice Department made the request to make public the warrant "in light of the former president's public confirmation of the search, the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter."

A source familiar with the matter said the FBI retrieved about 10 boxes from Trump's property during the search.

Trump was not in Florida at the time of the search.

Late on Thursday, Trump called for the immediate release of documents related to the search.

"Not only will I not oppose the release of documents related to the unAmerican, unwarranted, and unnecessary raid and break-in of my home in Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago, I am going a step further by ENCOURAGING the immediate release of those documents, even though they have been drawn up by radical left Democrats and possible future political opponents, who have a strong and powerful vested interest in attacking me, much as they have done for the last 6 years," he said on his Truth Social platform.

The government has until 3 p.m. (1900 GMT) on Friday to let the court know whether Trump's attorneys will object to unsealing the warrant. The case is before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who reviewed the warrant to ensure the Justice Department had sufficient probable cause for the search.

While seeking to unseal the warrant, the Justice Department has not asked the judge to unseal the sworn statement in support of the warrant, the contents of which could potentially include classified information.

Two of Trump's attorneys, Evan Corcoran and John Rowley, did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement earlier on his Truth social network, Trump said: "My attorneys and representatives were cooperating fully, and very good relationships had been established. The government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it."

LOCKED STORAGE ROOM

The unprecedented search marked a significant escalation in one of the many federal and state investigations Trump is facing from his time in office and in private business, including a separate one by the Justice Department into a failed bid by Trump's allies to overturn the 2020 presidential election by submitting phony slates of electors.

The investigation into Trump's removal of records started this year, after the National Archives made a referral to the department.

Former Archivist David Ferriero has previously said that Trump returned 15 boxes to the government in January 2022. The archives later discovered some of the items were "marked as classified national security information."

A couple of months before the search, FBI agents visited Trump's property to investigate boxes in a locked storage room, according to a person familiar with the visit.

The agents and Corcoran spent a day reviewing materials, the source said. A second source who had been briefed on the matter told Reuters the Justice Department also has surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago in its possession.

Garland's Justice Department has faced fierce criticism and online threats since Monday's search. Trump supporters and some of his fellow Republicans in Washington accuse Democrats of weaponizing the federal bureaucracy to target Trump.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, on Thursday, an armed man suspected of trying to breach the FBI building died following an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement officers, an Ohio State Highway Patrol official said.

© Reuters. Donald Trump departs Trump Tower two days after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York City, New York, U.S., August 10, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado

Garland condemned the threats and attacks against the FBI and Justice Department. "I will not stand by silently when their integrity is unfairly attacked," he said.

Some Democrats have criticized Garland for being overly cautious in investigating Trump over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden.

Latest comments

bull
Biden and the rest of the congress dems are getting desperate.
What a liability this guy is to his country...
Unfortunately for the trump psykofants evidence is there that he has stolen national us secrets and not just 1 document but 11 sets were found. If you choose to deny these facts and create conspiracytheories to defend their master of lies you are as unamerican you can be. He wil be convicted for this and there is no way he will be able run for any public office. I suggest the psykofant find another master to worship, because this guy will not be around for long…sorry
JB with FBI in hand could convince US guys as Trump is brushing his teeth daily with uranium he stolen from Whitehouse secret garage.
Meanwhile, back in the real world.
Only total Libtaaarrrds would believe and follow the FBI this far again.
Trumps simps and cuckholds willBe biggly triggered but will stay on their knees ready to service their lord
You seem obsessed man parts. Are you fagadoizackle?
because the fbi decided it was finally important enough to pursue 2 years after being out of office. hmmm
An insider in trumps orbit informed the fed about this which is why trump is now busted with stolen CIA documents all he can try and do I lie his way out as he normally do, but the difference is government now have clear evidence of breach of espionage act. Who knows what he has been selling of our nation security information
The FBI gives him like months to return the documents, Trump refused to return it for some reason, so they have to raid his place to get it. If he was a normal person the FBI wouldn't even wait a month lol
Dems are proven liars and cheaters. They themselves know exactly what they are. Not even the average dem voter can be that Stu. Pid.
you 💩
FBI took way too long before taking those documents back. I hope Trump didn’t share with his buddy Putin!!!
Espionage!
If these documents was not insurance sales to the russians why else steal them?
Also trump seems to like putin enough so maybe he wanted to update him on our national secrets so that putin can compare notes. Trump does not believe our intelligence agencies anyway
Without knowing exactly what the documents are, its hard to know what possible good explanation Trump could come up with, but it looks really bad and I just hope they put a stop to whatever that traitor was up to before he put the US at some keep and of security risk.
Jackpot…11 sets of stolen topsecret CIA files found in trump home in Florida…arrest should be imminent
Hope the Americans are clever this time , never believe a ice cold business mann please USA never again
Yes I admit democrats are patriots trying to fight for freedom and democracy and we want lockup liars like trump who tries to make US a dictatorship where peoples votes have no meaning and a decision to remain president lies solely with the vicepresident as suggested by trump during his january 6th speech.
And some Republicans too. Its the alternative facts crowd, Republican or otherwise, that alleviate themselves of any personal responsibility by not applying some critical thinking to filter out the nutty.
Trump is a corrupt person he will sell his family if price was hign ,of course he will steal a documents but trump is a clever thief shame on him adisgrace to the Americans
Nice! They only dug them futher into a hole.
The only Putin lovers and traitors in US are Trumplicans..not republicans. Those who say that Trump never lies and did not encourage the attack on our capitol on Jan 6th are our true enemies of the people and our freedom. They prefer Russian style of government with a dictator like Trump who would have no problem in selling Top secret data as an insurance to Putin whom he believes are more trustworthy than our own US intellegence community. He said so himself.
@Christopher: The US is turning it's back on the know-nothing. Its time to learn how to reason and think critically -- or continue to wallow in the ever more irrelevant and shrinking pool of kooks.
Ken your full of ******* You guys are trying to play the Patriot card and have a compleat disregard of the country's constitution. The only ones your fulling is your selvs.. Classical Democrat, when you cant get what you want you disregard the system.
A little tip: The effectiveness of this kind of fact-free alternate reality stuff is coming to an end in the US. We see how close a lack of reasoning and judgement brought us to the end of American Democracy and people are rejecting it. The audience of know-nothing kooks is shrinking. Reason and facts are required now. Come visit and see for yourself.
Fk Investing.com too, Communists
We knew all along heads would explode when reality became inescapable for the authoritarian know-nothing kooks. This will be amusing.
Reminder for you little tree huggers, all American Communists(Russian types) are in the Democrat party. Example; Bernie Sanders your little crown jewel of a Russian type communist that honey moons in Moscow. Every lady’s dream to honeymoon in Moscow.
rediculous...you must have little knowledge of democrat policy..or are you working for an enemy state like Russia?
In other words, you do not think it is in America's interests for US politicians to cozy up to Russia?
All you little Democrats are too thick to see this is all normal politics by US communists( liberals/deep state). Democrats have no limits to seek and destroy any Republican trying to upset the apple cart. March on little sheep.
My friend, Republicans criminally plotted to subvert the will of the people in the 2020 presidential election. The plot culminated in a violent attack on the Capital building as the votes were being counted within. And now we learn that the head of it all, Donald Trump, took and refused to return sensitive documents that did bit belong to him. If this does not comport with your knowledge, then it is you who is woefully ignorant.
Ashely Babbit's family will be surprised to hear that, as well as the families of the cops who died in the aftermath. Now, back to your cave know-nothing kook.
Know we know why Trump took the classified documents he wanted to sell information to the Putin about our Nuclear arsenals. He probably figured he ows Putin for not publisizing the ******video of Trump in Moscow.
Trust is gone, what next USA, liss of Saudi to China
You assess the situation incorrectly: trust is being restored. The US is supposed to be a nation of law, not ruled by mobs or the whims of any one man. And no person is outside the bounds of the law. What you are seeing are those principles being asserted once again.
PSYOP’s
I HAVE A CAT, SO ********YOU ALL!😺🖕
So what he wants to do?trying to have a war with China or dem?
perfectly clear now why putler has such a h(a)rdon for this degenerate criminal
Except it was HiIIary and the democrats that conspired with Russia
Todd, did you forget that Paul Manafort, the disgraced former Campaign Manager for Trump, was actually supplying Russian operatives with polling data? You don't find it strange that a presidential campaign manager shared data with foreign adversaries?
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