The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who searched former president Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August seized a document shedding light on a foreign government’s military defenses and its nuclear capabilities, The Washington Post reported.
According to government court filings cited by the outlet, the FBI has recovered more than 300 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago: 184 in a set of 15 boxes sent to the National Archives and Records Administration earlier, in January, with 38 more handed over by a Trump lawyer to investigators in June.
The court-approved FBI raid on August 8 seized a batch of more than 100 additional documents, which, purportedly, contained the information about a foreign government’s nuclear-defense readiness, sources were cited as revealing.
The foreign government in question has not been specified, nor has there been clarification as to where at Mar-a-Lago the document was found.
Among the over 100 classified documents taken in August, some detail US operations that require not just top-secret clearance to access, but ‘special clearances on a need-to-know basis,’ the report stated. Only the American president, individual members of his Cabinet or a near-Cabinet-level official could authorize anyone to know the details of these special-access programs, insiders added.
These docs were marked “HCS,” a category of highly classified government information that refers to “HUMINT Control Systems,” used to protect intelligence gathered from secret human sources, according to a court filing.
According to insiders, documents pertaining to such programs are always kept in a secure compartmented information facility, with a designated control officer aware of their location at all times.
However, over 18 months after Donald Trump left the White House, such documents were stored at Mar-a-Lago, with “uncertain security,” added the report.
There has been no comment on the report from either the Justice Department or the FBI.
Currently, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is conducting a risk assessment to determine the extent of potential harm posed by the removal from government custody of the classified documents.
A Hoax, Like the Russia Hoax’
Ex-president Donald Trump has since slammed the raid carried out by the FBI at his Mar-a-Lago resort as something that is typical of a third world country.
"The entire world is watching, and they are shocked. South American countries, numerous of them, their leaders said, could you imagine if that was ever done in our country, what the United States would be saying about us," Trump said at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
After an earlier report by The Washington Post claiming that FBI agents who raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort had been looking for classified documents relating to nuclear weapons, the 45th POTUS compared it on social media to previous government probes into his conduct.
“Nuclear weapons issue is a Hoax, just like Russia, Russia, Russia was a Hoax, two Impeachments were a Hoax, the Mueller investigation was a Hoax, and much more. Same sleazy people involved,” he wrote.
As part of the investigation into possible mishandling of classified information, as well as possible hiding, tampering or destruction of government records, on September 5 a federal judge in Florida granted Trump’s request to appoint a Special Master to review the material seized in the August 8 search.
“A special master shall be appointed to review the seized property, manage assertions of privilege and make recommendations thereon, and evaluate claims for return of property," Judge Aileen Cannon said in the ruling.
The appointment of a Special Master may prolong the investigation into why the former president allegedly kept the docs.
Donald Trump has denied having classified documents and together with many of his Republican allies repeatedly lambasted the FBI raid, accusing the Justice Department of acting with political malice against a past president who may seek the office again in 2024.
Judge Approves Trump Team Request for Special Master to Review Docs Seized in FBI Raid on Mar-a-Lago
5 September 2022, 15:58 GMT