Trump search warrant: FBI took top secret files from Mar-a-Lago
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62527628
The FBI took 11 sets of classified files in a search of ex-US President Donald Trump's estate in Florida this week, according to a search warrant.
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The warrant was for ANY papers from the time Trump was President.
As for the "top secret" papers, the President is the arbiter of document classification.
As we now know, the FBI took stuff they had no legal right to take and are now "offering" to return it.
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@raphjd To each of your points:
(1) The warrant was only necessary because Trump ignored and/or failed to comply with the subpoena.
(2) Whether all of the documents were declassified while Trump was still President is yet to be determined. Trump doesn't retain the power to classify or declassify documents after he's left office, and it isn't something he can just say, "If I brought it home, then ipso facto I declassified it." He will have to have done the official act.
(3) As far as I am aware, the only "documents" being returned are the three passports that were seized amongst the other documents.
And the thing which must be stated is that the potential crimes which may or may not be brought against Trump don't require the documents to have been classified. The fact that he has documents in his possession that belong to the People (i.e., the National Archives), then he's still committed a felony. A felony, by the way, that he strengthen while in office during his "Lock Her Up" frenzy.
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Seems like you are an insider.
From what I have seen, he's been working with the National Archives to get the things back. Hillary refused to hand over the 33k emails that were still under subpoena, but no one raided her house. She smashed the harddrives and cell phones with hammers. The DOJ/FBI said she didn't have intent to break the law, so she didn't commit any crimes. Their sole contention is that crimes are only committed if you intend to break the law, not simply whether or not you actually broke the law, which the DOJ/FBI admits she did.
AGREED, he can't declassify stuff once out of office.
The 3 passports are being offered for immediate return. They are offering to return stuff they have no legal right to, at some future time (unspecified). My guess is they want to make copies of absolutely everything before they return it, even if it's privileged.
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It just keeps getting worse for Trump, and this time it's his own fault. In an attempt to tie Joe Biden to Trump's claims of a witch hunt, Trump's camp released a copy of the letter received from the National Archives, related to the documents turned over by the Trump camp from his private residence back in January. (NOTE: The only tie to Biden is that Biden refused to assert his executive privilege to prevent release of the boxes of documents from the National Archives over to the Justice Department; the National Archive refused to recognize Trump having executive privilege after leaving office).
We now know that it was the 100 classified documents (comprising 700 pages of classified, top-secret information) and the willy-nilly, cavalier way in which those documents were handled/stored by the former president, that lit a fire under the executive agencies to raid Trump's Mar-A-Lago resident this month.
Interestingly, neither the National Archives nor Trump's representatives at that time made any mention of the alleged claim that Trump de-classified the documents prior to leaving office. That legal argument is currently being alleged by Trump's lawyers in the court in Florida; however, they have not, and apparently cannot, produce any actual documentary evidence to support that de-classification order. If it existed, this order would be easily obtainable by Trump's attorneys.
Doesn't look like ya boi Trump is doing so hot right now @raphjd
