Jump to content

FBI investigation into Donald Trump's handling of government documents

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Plasmic Echo)

"FBI investigation into Donald Trump" redirects here. For the counterintelligence investigation into links between Trump associates and Russian officials, see Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation discovered classified documents at Trump's residence, the Mar-a-Lago.
This article is part of
a series about
Donald Trump
Business and personal
45th & 47th President of the
United States
Tenure
Policies
Appointments (first  · second)
Presidential campaigns
Impeachments
Civil and criminal prosecutions
COVID-19 pandemic
Donald Trump's signature
Seal of the President of the United States
Donald Trump's handling
of government documents
Classified intelligence material found during the FBI's search of Mar-a-Lago
Criminal laws and handling of government documents
Related groups and persons
Investigations
Events
Reactions

Plasmic Echo[1] was the codename for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump's handling of classified and national defense-related government documents beginning in 2022, looking for possible violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice.[2][3]

In November 2022, a special counsel investigation was launched to take over the FBI investigation, under the direction of Jack Smith, a special counsel appointed by United States Attorney General Merrick Garland.

On June 8, 2023, Trump was indicted on charges related to the documents in the Federal District Court in Miami. It was the first time a former U.S. president had faced federal charges.[4] Trump was arraigned at the federal courthouse in Miami on June 13, 2023, on 37 criminal charges, pleading not guilty to all charges.[5]

On November 25, 2024, Smith announced that he was seeking to drop all charges against Trump in the aftermath of Trump's victory in the 2024 United States presidential election.[6]

Background of Trump's handling of records

[edit]
See also: Donald Trump's disclosures of classified information and National Archives and Records Administration § Trump administration

During his term in office, Trump's attitude toward and handling of classified information had worried U.S. federal intelligence officials.[7][8][9] His behavior led to mistrust in intelligence and law enforcement agencies who were also alarmed by Trump's mixing with guests during his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago, viewing the practice as "ripe to be exploited by a foreign spy service eager for access to the epicenter of American power".[7]

In December 2019, Trump spoke to Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward privately in the Oval Office. Trump showed a photograph of himself with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, telling Woodward: "This is me and him. That’s the line, right? Then I walked over the line. Pretty cool." Trump also showed Woodward letters that Kim had written to him, which the U.S. government had classified,[10] adding: "And don’t say I gave them to you, okay?"[11] Woodward dictated the letters into his tape recorder, and in 2020, CNN published a transcript of two of these letters.[12]

In 2021, Trump reportedly told close associates that he regarded some presidential documents, such as the correspondence with Kim, to be his personal property.[13]

Destruction of presidential records

[edit]

Trump illegally and regularly shredded "both sensitive and mundane" papers while at the White House, at Mar-a-Lago, and on Air Force One,[14][15] despite repeated admonishments from at least two of his chiefs of staff and from White House counsel.[14] His aides had developed special practices and protocols early in his presidency to retrieve the piles of torn paper and attempt to tape documents back together with the help of staffers from the Office of the Staff Secretary or the Oval Office Operations team.[14][16]

Not all materials were recovered; Trump White House staffers frequently used "burn bags" to destroy documents.[14] On at least two occasions, Trump allegedly flushed documents down the toilet at the White House residence.[17][18]

Departure from office

[edit]

Trump's presidential term ended at noon on January 20, 2021.[19] His departure from the White House was "rushed and chaotic". In the last weeks of the Trump presidency, White House staff quit and aides resigned, leaving an increasing amount of work to a decreasing number of staff. A former Trump aide said they were "30 days behind what a typical administration would be", with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump taking little interest in the preservation of presidential records.[20] The Wall Street Journal quoted a former aide as saying: "If you only start packing with two days left to go, you're just running low on time. And if he's the one just throwing things in boxes, who knows what could happen?"[21]

The day before he left office, Trump designated seven senior Trump administration officials, including Meadows, White House counsel Pat Cipollone, and Deputy White House Counsel Patrick F. Philbin, "as his representatives to handle all future requests for presidential records" for compliance with the Presidential Records Act.[22][23] Trump subsequently notified NARA to add Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official, and journalist John Solomon as "representatives for access to Presidential records of my administration".[24][25]

Two years later, Trump admitted to taking classified documents from the White House during a televised response to a CNN reporter's questions. Trump said he had "every right" to take the documents and that he "didn't make a secret of it" at the time. "I took what I took," he said, falsely claiming that "it gets declassified". He also said that he "would have the right" to show the documents to others, but he claimed that he had not done so and could not recollect doing so.[26]

Inter-presidency

[edit]

The US head of state does not hold a formal security clearance, and is neither "read in" nor "read out" of classified matters, but according to former chief of staff John F. Kelly, Trump should have received an exit briefing "in some hopes that he would not violate all these rules on classified materials. The important message would have been, 'Once you're not the president anymore, all the rules apply to you'".[27]

At the beginning of his term in office, President Joe Biden barred Trump from receiving the courtesy intelligence briefings traditionally given to former presidents, citing Trump's "erratic behavior". This is the first time a former president's access to the classified briefings has been denied.[8][28]

Origin and presidential transition

[edit]
See also: Donald Trump's disclosures of classified information

Following Trump's loss in the 2020 United States presidential election, talks began between the Trump administration and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) regarding transferring documents related to the Trump administration. Under the Presidential Records Act (44 U.S.C. §§ 2201–2209), any presidential documents under the current administration must be transferred to the Archivist of the United States by the end of their term. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows informed the National Archives during this period that he would take care of the documents.[29] On January 18, 2021, at least two moving trucks were spotted outside Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Pictures were taken on the day of his departure showing boxes of materials that he had taken with him.[30]

In May 2021, the National Archives became aware of missing documents. Among the missing material were correspondence letters with Kim Jong-un and a congratulatory letter from former President Barack Obama. On May 6, Gary Stern—the general counsel for the National Archives—emailed Trump's representatives, including Patrick F. Philbin, to inform them that such material was missing. In the email, Stern named Pat Cipollone as a witness to the documents, identifying two dozen boxes that were in the White House but had not been transferred to the National Archives. Scott Gast, a representative for Trump, responded to Stern by giving him a note informing him that Trump would return his correspondence letters with Kim, although Trump was unclear on how to proceed. An archive official recommended FedEx as a method of transferring the documents; Trump aides objected to this idea, and Trump did not return the letters. Trump displayed these letters to people in his office, leading to Meadows contacting Philbin in an effort to figure out how to facilitate the return of these documents.[29]

Trump's lawyers informed the National Archives in December that they had found 12 boxes of documents at the Mar-a-Lago.[29]

NARA retrieval of documents

[edit]
Document boxes in Mar-a-Lago bathroom

In January 2022, the National Archives had begun a process to retrieve 15 boxes that were taken from the White House at the end of Trump's term to his private Mar-a-Lago estate, and successfully negotiated with Trump's lawyers in retrieving the documents. Among what was contained in the documents was classified information.[31]

Following the discovery, the National Archives notified the Justice Department and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform began an investigation into the documents. The Justice Department instructed the National Archives not to share any more details about the documents to the committee, implying that the FBI was beginning a separate investigation.[32] Of the documents retrieved by NARA from Mar-a-Lago, archivists and federal agents determined that 184 unique documents had classification markings, of which 25 were marked "top secret", 92 "secret" and 67 "confidential".[33][34] Some materials were governed by special access programs (SAP), a type of protocol reserved for extremely sensitive U.S. operations conducted abroad, intended to significantly limit access to the information.[35][36][37]

Investigation

[edit]

Justice Department documents subpoenas

[edit]

In May 2022, the Justice Department subpoenaed the National Archives in an attempt to obtain the documents, and had interviewed several White House officials who were present in the days leading up to Trump's departure from the White House, seemingly confirming that the Justice Department was beginning a grand jury investigation into the documents.[38] The Justice Department also subpoenaed Trump in May 2022 to return all documents with classification markings.[39] Between May 11 and June 3, one of Trump's attorneys, Evan Corcoran, took detailed notes of conversations in which he explained to Trump that he would indeed have to turn over all documents with classification markings.[40]

On June 3, the Justice Department sent counterintelligence chief Jay I. Bratt and three FBI agents to Mar-a-Lago to retrieve the documents requested in the subpoena and meet with Trump's legal team.[41] At the meeting, Christina Bobb, the Custodian of Records for purposes of the subpoena, gave a signed letter to the Justice Department certifying that a diligent search had been conducted and all documents responsive to the subpoena were being turned over.[42] Trump's lawyers also claimed that all the documents were stored in a single basement storage room on the property.[41]

On June 8, Bratt emailed Trump's lawyers, telling them to put a stronger lock on the basement and to keep all documents "preserved in that room in their current condition until further notice".[24]

On June 19, Trump wrote to NARA, telling them that former Trump administration official Kash Patel, as well as journalist John Solomon, should be considered "representatives for access to Presidential records of my administration".[24]

Mar-a-Lago security footage subpoena

[edit]

On June 22, the Justice Department subpoenaed Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage, which reportedly showed people putting boxes into other containers and moving them out of the basement storage room.[3]

The FBI suspected violations of the Espionage Act and obstruction of justice due to information from "a significant number of civilian witnesses", as stated in an affidavit.[3] This affidavit was used to obtain a search warrant.[43]

FBI search of Mar-a-Lago

[edit]
Main article: FBI search of Mar-a-Lago
In response to a lawsuit by Donald Trump, the National Security Division and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida submitted a filing containing this image.

Having uncovered multiple sources of evidence that more classified documents remained at Mar-a-Lago and "government records were likely concealed and removed from the storage room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government's investigation," the Justice Department sought a warrant to search Mar-a-Lago from a federal magistrate judge in early August 2022.[41]

On August 8, 2022, the FBI executed the search warrant on Mar-a-Lago.[44] Thousands of government documents were seized, some with classification markings: top secret/sensitive compartmented information (TS/SCI), top secret, secret, and confidential.[45][46][47] TS/SCI is the highest possible classification and is supposed to be read exclusively in secure government facilities.[3]

On August 26, 2022, the FBI released a redacted affidavit into its search of the Mar-a-Lago.

Across three interactions with Trump in 2022, including the August search of Mar-a-Lago, the government recovered approximately 13,000 documents[48] totaling 21,792 pages.[49][50] Some of the recovered classified documents, including top secret documents, had been stored in boxes with personal effects such as press clippings, clothing, magazines and gifts.[51][52][53] The government also recovered dozens of empty folders that carried classified markings.[51]

Trump's response

[edit]

Trump claimed he made a "standing order" to declassify all material brought to Mar-a-Lago, though there is no known documentation of the order, and no former Trump administration official defends Trump on this point. Only one former Trump administration official, Kash Patel,[54] initially agreed with Trump's claim that such an order existed; later, however, Patel refused to answer most questions when he went under oath before the grand jury in October[55][56] and it is unknown how he answered when he went under oath in November.[57] Even had the information been declassified, it would have remained illegal for Trump to take and keep documents that belong to the government.[58][59][60]

In a November 2, 2022 interview, a former Trump White House employee told the FBI that they had been unaware of any such standing order during Trump's presidency and that the first they heard of it was from 2022 media reports.[61][62]

In a June 2023 FOIA response, both the Justice Department and the intelligence community said they could not find any standing order.[63]

Despite not turning over all the requested material during his previous interactions with the government, Trump has said that the search warrant was unnecessary, claiming: "the government could have had whatever they wanted, if we had it."[64]

Special master

[edit]
Main article: Trump v. United States (2022)

Trump's legal team sued to request a "special master" whose review would identify any privileged material or material not covered by the search warrant to ensure that the Justice Department return that material to Trump.[65] Federal judge Aileen Cannon granted Trump's request and appointed Raymond Dearie as special master,[66][67] a person suggested by Trump's legal team.[68] Dearie was required to complete his review by November 30, 2022, and Trump was required to pay the costs.[69][70]

On September 21, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that the Justice Department could resume using the classified documents and that neither Special Master Dearie nor Trump's team needed to review the documents with classification markings.[71]

Early in the investigation, Trump informally suggested, without evidence, that the FBI planted classified documents taken during the search.[64] Dearie asked Trump's team to certify (or formally dispute) the inventory and to state in court filings whether they believed the FBI had lied about what they seized.[72][73][74] Trump's team objected that they wouldn't be able to meet the deadline.[75] Dearie also asked Trump to identify which documents he believed were protected from disclosure to people outside the executive branch (like Congress) and which were protected from review within the executive branch.[76] On September 29, 2022, Judge Cannon invalidated both of Dearie's requests.[76] In the same decision, Cannon also extended Dearie's overall deadline to December 16, citing issues in finding a vendor to scan the 11,000 documents he was required to review.[77]

On December 1, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta overruled Judge Cannon's appointment of a special master.[78] In its ruling, the court wrote: "We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so."[78] Trump did not appeal.[79] On December 8, 2022, Dearie's review officially ended and the Justice Department regained the right to access the documents.[79]

On December 12, 2022, Judge Cannon dismissed Trump's Mar-a-Lago lawsuit due to "lack of jurisdiction".[80] This nullified Trump's request for access to the unredacted affidavit used to obtain the Mar-a-Lago search warrant.[79]

Additional missing documents

[edit]

Even after the Mar-a-Lago search, the Justice Department stated in court filings that it was still determining whether more government documents remained missing.[81] The search of Mar-a-Lago had retrieved empty folders with classification markings, raising the question of whether Trump still had documents.[82] In September 2022, Jay I. Bratt informed Trump's lawyers that the Justice Department believed Trump had still not returned all the government documents in his possession.[81][83] NARA also informed Congress that Trump had still not turned over all presidential records.[84]

In early December 2022, it was reported that Trump's attorneys had hired a search team to look for any classified material still in his possession, after being pressed by a federal judge to search more thoroughly for any remaining documents.[85] Two documents with classified markings were found in a storage unit in West Palm Beach, Florida and were given to the FBI[86][85] along with a laptop onto which they had been digitized.[87] The storage unit had been arranged by the General Services Administration in coordination with Trump's team to store items from a North Virginia office that had been used by Trump's staffers.[86] Three other locations were also searched — Trump Tower in New York, Trump's Bedminster Golf Club, and a Florida office — but no additional classified documents were found.[88][86][85] Trump's lawyers said this satisfied the subpoena for classified documents issued six months earlier; the DOJ disagreed and asked DC District Chief Judge Beryl Howell to hold Trump in contempt of court.[89][42][90] Though the court proceedings are officially sealed and not public, Judge Howell reportedly decided not to hold Trump in contempt of court, instead urging the Justice Department and Trump's team to resolve the matter of any remaining documents privately.[91][92][93] Federal investigators reportedly suspect Trump had been playing a "shell game with classified documents", according to one of CNN's sources.[87]

Court proceedings

[edit]

On October 13, 2022, Kash Patel appeared before the grand jury.[94] He chose to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer most questions.[55][56] The Justice Department asked a federal judge to compel his testimony; the judge declined, saying the Justice Department would first have to promise him immunity. The Justice Department then gave Patel limited-use immunity, meaning he would lose the immunity if he lied under oath, and he testified on November 3.[95]

On October 27, Trump's legal team and federal prosecutors came for a hearing at a federal courthouse in Washington, DC. The hearing was sealed, but it is known that it was at least partly related to whether all classified material in Trump's possession has been returned to the government. Previous court appearances by Trump's legal team had been in Florida; this was their first appearance in Washington, DC for this case.[96] In late October, it was reported that the Justice Department had brought on federal prosecutor David Raskin. Raskin has worked on international counter-terrorism cases and, more recently, on the investigation of the January 6 attack, and he gradually began working on the Mar-a-Lago document case.[97]

Special counsel investigation

[edit]
Main article: Smith special counsel investigation

On November 18, Attorney General Merrick Garland named Jack Smith as independent special counsel to lead the investigation of the classified material case, and to review Trump's role in the January 6 United States Capitol attack, with specific focus on any potential obstruction to the transfer of presidential power that may have occurred following the 2020 U.S. elections.[98][99] In December, Smith and his team of 20 prosecutors filed subpoenas targeting Trump allies who worked at the local and state government levels during the 2020 elections in Georgia, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.[100][101]

Indictment

[edit]
Main article: Federal prosecution of Donald Trump (government documents case)

On June 8, 2023, Trump was indicted on 37 counts related to the documents.[4] This was the first time a former U.S. president was indicted on federal charges. On June 13, 2023, Trump was arrested, booked, and processed after surrendering himself into federal custody prior to his arraignment in the U.S. District Court of South Florida.[102][103] Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges.[104] As part of the conditions for his release, Trump avoided paying bond, but was barred from discussing the case with witnesses and with Walt Nauta, his aide and co-defendant in the matter.[105][106][107] On July 15, 2024, Judge Aileen Cannon annulled the entire procedure on the grounds that the appointment of special prosecutor Jack Smith was illegal.[108]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Feuer, Alan (April 22, 2024). "Trump Was Warned to Return Records to Archives, Unsealed Documents Say". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 22, 2024. Some of the exhibits revealed, for instance, that the F.B.I. used the code name 'Plasmic Echo' for its initial investigation of the classified documents that Mr. Trump took to Mar-a-Lago.
  2. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Cohen, Zachary; Murray, Sara; Cohen, Marshall (August 12, 2022). "FBI took 11 sets of classified material from Trump's Mar-a-Lago home while investigating possible Espionage Act violations". CNN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Thrush, Glenn; Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie (August 26, 2022). "Trump Search Live Updates: Documents at Mar-a-Lago Included Top Secret Information". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie; Rashbaum, William K.; Protess, Benjamin (June 8, 2023). "Trump Indicted: Trump Is Charged in Classified Documents Inquiry". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Trump Pleads Not Guilty in Documents Case". New York Times. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on June 13, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Reid, Paula; Sneed, Tierney; Cole, Devan (November 25, 2024). "Special counsel Jack Smith drops election subversion and classified documents cases against Donald Trump | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Mazzetti, Mark (August 11, 2022). "The Poisoned Relationship Between Trump and the Keepers of U.S. Secrets". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Haberman, Maggie; Thrush, Glenn (August 13, 2022). "Trump Lawyer Told Justice Dept. That Classified Material Had Been Returned". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Liptak, Kevin (August 14, 2022). "Mar-a-Lago – and its owner – have long caused concerns for US intelligence". CNN. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  10. ^ Parker, Ashley (October 18, 2022). "New Woodward audiobook shows Trump knew Kim letters were classified". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on October 18, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022. ... the comments by Trump show he was well aware that the 27 letters exchanged between himself and Kim were classified ... Woodward also said he observed no classified markings on any of the letters he was given, though U.S. officials have indicated that they were classified documents.
  11. ^ Gangel, Jamie; Stuart, Elizabeth; Herb, Jeremy (October 18, 2022). "Exclusive: Bob Woodward releasing new audiobook 'The Trump Tapes' with eight hours of recorded interviews". CNN. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  12. ^ "Transcript: Kim Jong Un's letters to President Trump". CNN. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on September 9, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Thrush, Glenn; Savage, Charlie (August 12, 2022). "Files Seized From Trump Are Part of Espionage Act Inquiry – The materials included some marked as top secret and meant to be viewed only inside secure government facilities, according to a copy of the warrant". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b c d Parker, Ashley; Dawsey, Josh; Hamburger, Tom; Alemany, Jacqueline (February 5, 2022). "'He never stopped ripping things up': Inside Trump's relentless document destruction habits". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  15. ^ Dawsey, Josh; Helderman, Rosalind S.; Alemany, Jacqueline; Barrett, Devlin (August 13, 2022). "Trump's secrets: How a records dispute led the FBI to search Mar-a-Lago". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  16. ^ Karni, Annie (June 10, 2018). "Meet the guys who tape Trump's papers back together". Politico. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  17. ^ Shelton, Shania (August 8, 2022). "Photos show handwritten notes that Trump apparently ripped up and attempted to flush down toilet". CNN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  18. ^ Allen, Mike (August 8, 2022). "Exclusive photos: Trump's telltale toilet". Axios. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  19. ^ Lybrand, Holmes; Cohen, Marshall; Rabinowitz, Hannah (August 12, 2022). "Timeline: The Justice Department criminal inquiry into Trump taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago". CNN. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Lippman, Daniel; McGraw, Meridith; Lemire, Jonathan (August 16, 2022). "Inside the frantic, final days of record-keeping that landed Trump in hot water". Politico. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 17, 2022. Some aides recalled that staff secretary Derek Lyons attempted to maintain a semblance of order in the West Wing despite the election uncertainty. But he departed the administration in late December, leaving the task of preserving the needed records for the National Archives to others. The two men atop the office hierarchy – then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump – took little interest in it, aides and advisers recalled. Meanwhile, responsibility for overseeing the pack up of the outer Oval and dining room, an area where Trump liked to work when not in the Oval Office, was left to Trump's assistants, Molly Michael and Nick Luna, according to multiple former aides.
  21. ^ Ballhaus, Rebecca; Salama, Vivian; Leary, Alex (August 14, 2022). "Trump's Final Days Draw Scrutiny as Handling of Documents Investigated". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  22. ^ Montague, Zach; McCarthy, Lauren (August 12, 2022). "The Timeline Related to the F.B.I.'s Search of Mar-a-Lago". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  23. ^ Trump, Donald J. (January 19, 2021). "White House letter to the Archivist of the United States: Updated Trump Designation of PRA Representatives" (PDF). Archives.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 29, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  24. ^ a b c Bump, Philip (August 15, 2022). "The curious timing of Trump naming two allies to access his records". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Trump, Donald J. (June 19, 2022). "Former President Trump's Letter to the Acting Archivist of the United States, Designating PRA Representatives" (PDF). Archives.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  26. ^ Dilanian, Ken (May 11, 2023). "Trump's comments on Mar-a-Lago documents 'like red meat to a prosecutor'". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  27. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Nakashima, Ellen; Dawsey, Josh (August 25, 2022). "Trump's secret papers and the 'myth' of presidential security clearance". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  28. ^ Sanger, David E. (February 6, 2021). "Biden Bars Trump From Receiving Intelligence Briefings, Citing 'Erratic Behavior'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c Broadwater, Luke; Benner, Katie; Haberman, Maggie (August 26, 2022). "Inside the 20-Month Fight to Get Trump to Return Presidential Material". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  30. ^ "Moving Trucks Spotted At Mar-a-Lago". CBS Miami. January 18, 2021. Archived from the original on December 6, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  31. ^ Lybrand, Holmes; Cohen, Marshall; Rabinowitz, Hannah (August 12, 2022). "Timeline: The Justice Department criminal inquiry into Trump taking classified documents to Mar-a-Lago". CNN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  32. ^ Montague, Zach; McCarthy, Lauren (August 9, 2022). "The Timeline Related to the F.B.I.'s Search of Mar-a-Lago". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  33. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Stein, Perry (August 26, 2022). "Mar-a-Lago affidavit says many witnesses interviewed, 184 classified files returned in January". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  34. ^ Sneed, Tierney; Cohen, Marshall (August 26, 2022). "Takeaways from the Mar-a-Lago search warrant affidavit". CNN. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  35. ^ Bender, Bryan (August 12, 2022). "Need to know: The rarified world of the government's most closely guarded secrets". Politico. Archived from the original on August 20, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  36. ^ Perez, Evan; Orr, Gabby; Brown, Pamela (August 11, 2022). "Feds removed documents from Mar-a-Lago in June with grand jury subpoena". CNN. Archived from the original on August 11, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  37. ^ Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie; Protess, Ben (August 11, 2022). "Trump Search Said to Be Part of Effort to Find Highly Classified Material". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 12, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  38. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Schmidt, Michael (May 12, 2022). "Prosecutors Pursue Inquiry Into Trump's Handling of Classified Material". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  39. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan; Perez, Evan; Cohen, Zachary (December 8, 2022). "Justice Department seeking to hold Trump in contempt over classified documents". CNN. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  40. ^ Reid, Paula; Collins, Kaitlan; Polantz, Katelyn; Holmes, Kristen; Murray, Sara (May 22, 2023). "Trump's attorney took notes that say the former president wanted to fight subpoena for classified docs". CNN Politics. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  41. ^ a b c Legare, Robert; Quinn, Melissa (August 31, 2022). "Justice Dept. alleges "obstructive conduct" occurred at Mar-a-Lago after request for classified documents". CBS News. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  42. ^ a b Hsu, Spenser S.; Dawsey, Josh; Alemany, Jacqueline; Barrett, Devlin; Helderman, Rosalind S. (December 8, 2022). "Justice Department asks judge to hold Trump team in contempt over Mar-a-Lago case - The request came after months of mounting frustration from the Justice Department with the former president's lawyers". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  43. ^ "Over 180 classified docs removed by National Archives from Mar-a-Lago, affidavit says". NPR. August 26, 2022. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  44. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Thrush, Glenn; Savage, Charlie (August 12, 2022). "Files Seized From Trump Are Part of Espionage Act Inquiry". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  45. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Dawsey, Josh (August 12, 2022). "Agents at Trump's Mar-a-Lago seized 11 sets of classified documents, court filing shows". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  46. ^ Leary, Alex; Viswanatha, Aruna; Gurman, Sadie (August 12, 2022). "FBI Recovered 11 Sets of Classified Documents in Trump Search, Inventory Shows". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  47. ^ Davis, Wynne (August 16, 2022). "TS/SCI: What an abbreviation reveals about the files seized from Mar-a-Lago". NPR. Archived from the original on August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  48. ^ Wire, Sarah D. (October 14, 2022). "Justice Department appeal contends special master review of Mar-a-Lago search records is unnecessary". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  49. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan (October 18, 2022). "In Documents Review, Special Master Tells Trump Team to Back Up Privilege Claims". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  50. ^ Lowell, Hugo (October 18, 2022). "'Where's the beef?': special master says Trump's Mar-a-Lago records claims lack substance". The Guardian. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
  51. ^ a b Sneed, Tierney; Lillis, Katie Bo (September 2, 2022). "Mar-a-Lago search inventory shows documents marked as classified mixed with clothes, gifts, press clippings". CNN. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  52. ^ Jansen, Bart; Johnson, Kevin; Meyer, Josh (September 2, 2022). "Classified documents were mingled with magazines and clothes at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  53. ^ Gonzalez, Juan Antonio; Bratt, Jay (August 30, 2022). "Document 39" (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach Division. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  54. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (September 23, 2022). "Special Master Calls Out Lawyers On Trump's Claim That FBI 'Planted' Mar-A-Lago Records". HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022. Only Trump's staunch ally and former Pentagon official Kash Patel has publicly backed Trump's claim that he had issued a 'standing order' to declassify anything removed from the White House.
  55. ^ a b Lee, Lloyd (October 24, 2022). "An aide who once claimed he was with Trump when the former president declassified government records pleaded the fifth for the DOJ's Mar-a-Lago documents probe: report". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  56. ^ a b Schmidt, Michael S.; Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (October 24, 2022). "Prosecutors Pressure Trump Aides to Testify in Documents Case". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  57. ^ Leonnig, Carol; Barrett, Devlin; Dawsey, Josh (November 4, 2022). "Trump loyalist Kash Patel questioned before Mar-a-Lago grand jury". Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  58. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan; Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie (September 9, 2022). "Justice Dept. and Trump Legal Team Clash Over Special Master Candidates - The two sides had sharply diverging views of who could serve as a special master and what that person would do". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  59. ^ Savage, Charlie (August 14, 2022). "Presidential Power to Declassify Information, Explained". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  60. ^ Savage, Charlie (August 12, 2022). "Trump claims he declassified all the documents at Mar-a-Lago. Even if that's true, it probably doesn't matter". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  61. ^ "Interview of Person 16" (PDF). storage.courtlistener.com. April 23, 2024. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 22, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  62. ^ Visser, Nick (April 23, 2024). "Trump's Valet Promised Pardon Even If He Lied To FBI In Classified Docs Case, Witness Claims". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  63. ^ Leopold, Jason (June 29, 2023). "Trump 'Standing Order' to Declassify Not Found by DOJ, Intelligence Agency". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  64. ^ a b Thompson, Stuart A. (August 16, 2022). "A Timeline of Trump's False and Misleading Statements on the Mar-a-Lago Search". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  65. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan; Sneed, Tierney (August 22, 2022). "Trump's legal team asks for 'special master' to go through Mar-a-Lago evidence and determine if some should be returned". CNN. Archived from the original on August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  66. ^ Shivaram, Deepa; Johnson, Carrie (September 5, 2022). "Federal judge grants Trump's special master request to review Mar-a-Lago materials". NPR. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  67. ^ Cheney, Kyle; Gerstein, Josh (September 15, 2022). "Judge appoints special master, rejects DOJ bid to delay Mar-a-Lago ruling". Politico. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  68. ^ Legare, Robert (September 10, 2022). "Special master candidates submitted by Trump and Justice Dept. in Trump documents case". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  69. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan; Trush, Glenn (September 15, 2022). "Judge Keeps Block on Inquiry Into Mar-a-Lago Files and Names Special Master". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 16, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  70. ^ Haroun, Azmi (September 16, 2022). "A judge swiftly appointed a special master to review documents taken by Trump from the White House – but Trump will have to pay for it". Business Insider. Archived from the original on September 25, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  71. ^ Savage, Charlie; Thrush, Glenn; Feuer, Alan (September 21, 2022). "Appeals Court Frees Justice Dept. to Use Sensitive Files Seized From Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  72. ^ Stein, Perry (September 22, 2022). "Dearie asks Trump lawyers whether they believe FBI lied about seized documents". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  73. ^ Cohen, Marshall (September 23, 2022). "Mar-a-Lago special master orders Trump team to back up any claims of FBI 'planting' evidence". CNN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  74. ^ Dearie, Raymond J. (September 22, 2022). "Trump v. USA, No. 22-81294-CIV-CANNON, Case Management Plan" (PDF). pp. 1–2. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  75. ^ Sneed, Tierney; Polantz, Katelyn (September 29, 2022). "Trump pushing back on special master's request for him to declare in court whether DOJ inventory is accurate". CNN. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  76. ^ a b Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan (September 29, 2022). "Judge Overrules Special Master's Demands to Trump in Document Review". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  77. ^ Tillman, Zoe (September 29, 2022). "Trump special master deadline extended until Dec. 16 by judge". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  78. ^ a b Feuer, Alan; Savage, Charlie (December 1, 2022). "Appeals Court Scraps Special Master Review in Trump Documents Case". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  79. ^ a b c Quinn, Melissa (December 12, 2022). "Judge formally dismisses Trump's case over Mar-a-Lago search after special master review ends". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  80. ^ Epstein, Jack; Leonard, Kimberly (December 12, 2022). "The federal judge who appointed Trump's special master just threw out his lawsuit against the FBI's raid of Mar-a-Lago". Business Insider. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  81. ^ a b Schmidt, Michael S.; Haberman, Maggie; Benner, Katie (October 6, 2022). "Justice Dept. Is Said to Believe Trump Has More Documents". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  82. ^ Savage, Charlie; Feuer, Alan (September 2, 2022). "F.B.I. Found 48 Empty Folders That Had Contained Classified Documents at Trump's Home". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 11, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  83. ^ Gurman, Sadie; Leary, Alex (October 6, 2022). "Trump Hasn't Returned All Documents, DOJ Officials Believe". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on June 9, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  84. ^ Broadwater, Luke (October 1, 2022). "Records From Trump White House Still Missing, National Archives Says". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  85. ^ a b c Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (December 7, 2022). "Classified Documents Found in Trump Search of Storage Site". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  86. ^ a b c Alemany, Jacqueline; Dawsey, Josh; Hsu, Spencer S.; Barrett, Devlin; Halderman, Rosalind S. (December 7, 2022). "Items with classified markings found at Trump storage unit in Florida". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  87. ^ a b Polantz, Katelyn; Reid, Paula; Herb, Jeremy (February 24, 2023). "Exclusive: How a box with classified documents ended up in Trump's office months after FBI searched Mar-a-Lago". CNN. Archived from the original on May 19, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  88. ^ Collins, Kaitlan; Murray, Sara (December 7, 2022). "Trump team finds two documents with classified markings in a Florida storage unit". CNN Politics. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  89. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan (December 8, 2022). "Justice Department seeking to hold Trump in contempt over classified documents". CNN Politics. Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  90. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Rabinowitz, Hannah; Gannon, Casey; Koenig, Lauren (December 9, 2022). "DOJ prosecutors and Trump attorneys arrive for closed-door hearing on request to hold ex-president in contempt over classified documents". CNN Politics. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  91. ^ Mangan, Dan (December 9, 2022). "Judge does not hold Trump office in contempt of court despite DOJ request". CNBC. Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  92. ^ Feuer, Alan; Haberman, Maggie (December 9, 2022). "Judge Declines to Act on Justice Dept. Contempt Request in Trump Documents Case - The department had asked a federal judge to force a representative of Donald J. Trump to swear under oath that there are no more classified documents at any of his properties". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  93. ^ Hsu, Spencer S.; Alemany, Jacqueline; Dawsey, Josh (December 9, 2022). "U.S. judge won't hold Trump's office in contempt, people familiar say - Justice Department sought contempt order from chief judge over whether all classified documents have been recovered". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  94. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Cohen, Zachary; Gannon, Casey (October 20, 2022). "Exclusive: Trump adviser Kash Patel has appeared before grand jury in Mar-a-Lago document probe". CNN. Archived from the original on June 11, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  95. ^ Leonnig, Carol; Barrett, Devlin; Dawsey, Josh (November 4, 2022). "Trump loyalist Kash Patel questioned before Mar-a-Lago grand jury". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
  96. ^ Polantz, Katelyn; Collins, Kaitlan; Hannah Rabinowitz; Gannon, Casey (October 27, 2022). "Trump lawyers and DOJ met in sealed court hearing related to Mar-a-Lago investigation Thursday". CNN. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  97. ^ Barrett, Devlin; Stein, Perry; Dawsey, Josh (October 28, 2022). "Top national security prosecutor joins Trump Mar-a-Lago investigation". Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  98. ^ Gerstein, Josh; Cheney, Kyle (November 18, 2022). "Garland names Jack Smith special counsel for Trump criminal probes". Politico. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  99. ^ Thrush, Glenn; Savage, Charlie; Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (November 18, 2022). "Garland Names Special Counsel for Trump Inquiries". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  100. ^ Cohen, Zachary; Murray, Sara (December 14, 2022). "Special counsel Smith has subpoenaed officials in all 7 states targeted by Trump allies in 2020 election". CNN. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  101. ^ Cohen, Zachary; Morris, Jason (December 13, 2022). "Nevada, New Mexico and Georgia officials subpoenaed by DOJ for records related to 2020 election". CNN. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  102. ^ Allen, Jonathan; Gregorian, Darah; Seitz, Alex (June 13, 2023). "Trump surrenders to federal custody; is booked ahead of arraignment". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  103. ^ "Trump booked and processed at Miami federal court". NBC News. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on August 6, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  104. ^ Herb, Jeremy; Lybrand, Holmes (June 13, 2023). "Donald Trump pleads not guilty to classified documents charges". CNN. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  105. ^ "Trump stops at Cuban eatery after court". Associated Press. June 13, 2023. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  106. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Feuer, Alan (June 13, 2023). "Trump Ordered Not to Discuss Case With His Aide and Co-Defendant". New York Times. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  107. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (June 13, 2023). "Trump ordered to not speak with Walt Nauta, witnesses about documents case: reports". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 13, 2023.
  108. ^ Lowell, Hugo (July 15, 2024). "Florida judge dismisses criminal classified documents case against Trump". The Guardian. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.riteme.site/w/index.php?title=FBI_investigation_into_Donald_Trump%27s_handling_of_government_documents&oldid=1260085737"