Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Public House › Trump’s adventures with the law
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August 10, 2022 at 11:41 am #140005JackPMillerParticipant
FBI search at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home tied to classified material, sources say
MIAMI — Former President Donald Trump said Monday that the FBI had “raided” his home at Mar-a-Lago in Florida and even cracked his safe, with a source familiar with the matter telling NBC News that the search was tied to classified information Trump allegedly took with him from the White House to his Palm Beach resort in January 2021.
Trump also claimed in a written statement that the search — unprecedented in American history — was politically motivated, although he did not provide specifics.
“These are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-A-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in a lengthy email statement issued by his Save America political committee.
“After working and cooperating with the relevant Government agencies, this unannounced raid on my home was not necessary or appropriate,” Trump said before bemoaning: “They even broke into my safe!”
Trump lawyer Christina Bobb, who said she was present for Monday’s search, told NBC News that Trump and his team have been “cooperative with FBI and DOJ officials every step of the way,” while adding that the bureau “did conduct an unannounced raid and seized paper.”
A senior government official told NBC News that the FBI was at Mar-a-Lago “for the majority of the day” and confirmed that the search warrant was connected to the National Archives.
Trump this year had to return 15 boxes of documents that were improperly taken from the White House, the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA, said in February.
“In mid-January 2022, NARA arranged for the transport from the Trump Mar-a-Lago property in Florida to the National Archives of 15 boxes that contained Presidential records, following discussions with President Trump’s representatives in 2021,” the National Archives said in a statement Feb. 7.
The same month, the National Archives and Records Administration asked the Justice Department to examine whether Trump’s handling of White House records violated federal law, a story first reported by The Washington Post and subsequently confirmed by NBC News sources.
Just hours before agents searched Trump’s residence, the FBI notified the Secret Service about the bureau’s plans to execute the warrant, according to a Secret Service official. The Secret Service facilitated access to the property, the official said, but did not participate in any aspect of the search.
At Justice Department headquarters, a spokesperson declined to comment. Officials at FBI field offices in Washington and Miami also declined to comment.
A senior law enforcement official in Florida confirmed that there was “law enforcement activity” at Mar-a-Largo on Monday.
The White House said it was not given a heads-up.
“We did not have notice of the reported action and would refer you to the Justice Department for any additional information,” a White House official said.
DA on Trump attacking Bragg: Other criminal offenses could ‘change the jury’s mind’
The FBI search came days after Attorney General Merrick Garland told NBC News that the “most wide-ranging investigation” in Justice Department history was examining not only the rioters who invaded the Capitol and physically attacked officers, but also whether anyone was “criminally responsible for interfering with the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to another.”The search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate came just over six years after another FBI action surrounding classified material that set the stage for Trump’s 2016 Electoral College victory: former FBI Director James Comey’s July 5, 2016, news conference about Trump’s Democratic rival, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Comey, who broke with Justice Department protocol, declared at the time that Clinton and her colleagues were “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information,” even though he said the facts did not support bringing criminal charges.
Trump was a persistent critic of Clinton’s handling of classified material, claiming in 2016 that it was “the biggest political scandal since Watergate.” It was Comey’s handling of the Clinton matter that was used as justification for Trump’s decision to fire Comey. Trump eventually replaced Comey with Christopher Wray. He remains in the position.
Dozens of vehicles, many adorned with “Trump 2020” and U.S. flags, were parked outside Mar-a-Lago on Monday night in an apparent show of support for the former president.
Meanwhile, Republicans rallied around their party’s de facto leader, who is weighing another run for president.
“The @FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago is incredibly concerning, especially given the Biden admin’s history of going after parents & other political opponents. This is 3rd World country stuff,” Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who leads the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, said on Twitter.
“We need answers NOW,” Scott added, summing up the mood of many Republicans. “The FBI must explain what they were doing today & why.”
Scott’s reaction is an early sign of the fierce political blowback the Justice Department is likely to face for investigating Trump, underscoring the numerous challenges that would come with potentially prosecuting a former president who is both a likely White House candidate and the most influential figure in the GOP.
Trump is the focus of multiple investigations, including a criminal inquiry in Georgia concerning allegations of election interference and a New York civil probe into whether he fraudulently represented his finances to the state. Trump was in the New York area Monday as he prepared to give a deposition in that case.
But the biggest federal investigation swirling around Trump concerns his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, which resulted in his second impeachment and is the subject of a House committee examining the uprising.
Trump has not been charged in any of those investigations.
Of how Monday’s law enforcement action might affect Trump’s political aspirations, a person close to Trump said: “If he wasn’t running before, he is now.”
The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, appeared to be suggesting that Trump might benefit from being an active candidate for the presidency if he faces legal jeopardy.
August 10, 2022 at 9:19 pm #140034JackPMillerParticipantMy reaction when I was live on #RolandMartinUnfiltered @blkstarnetwork to the news of the FBI raiding Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home. #ChurchHappyDance pic.twitter.com/uu6aTe42eP
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) August 9, 2022
August 11, 2022 at 8:19 pm #140045JackPMillerParticipantAG Merrick Garland stepped up to the podium like "I heard y'all was looking for me here I go". It was giving don't write a check yo ass can't cash when he took up the call to release the Trump Mar-a-Lago search warrant. If a judge approves Garland's request we'll get all the tea. pic.twitter.com/tJV62a9XPN
— Reecie @BlackWomenViews (@ReecieColbert) August 11, 2022
August 12, 2022 at 2:09 pm #140047znModeratorMax Steele@maxasteele
GOP: Unseal the warrant!!DOJ: k
GOP: wait no
Kashana@kashanacauley
What’s scary is that all of this could happen to any of us who stole nuclear documents.August 12, 2022 at 5:59 pm #140049znModeratorBrian Kilmeade, filling in for Tucker Carlson tonight, shared a clearly fake, photoshopped image of the judge involved in approving the Mar-a-Lago warrant pic.twitter.com/W3cxHdy6id
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 12, 2022
…
Last night while subbing for Tucker Carlson, we showed you an image of Judge Bruce Reinhart w/ Ghislaine Maxwell that was sourced on screen to a meme pulled from Twitter & wasn’t real. This depiction never took place & we wanted to make clear that we were showing a meme in jest.
— Brian Kilmeade (@kilmeade) August 12, 2022
August 12, 2022 at 11:07 pm #140053joemadParticipantFuck you, Kilmeade. “In jest,” my ass. You’re a lying scumbag who deserves to be fired. Of course, it’s Fox News, so your job is safe.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) August 12, 2022
August 13, 2022 at 1:41 am #140055JackPMillerParticipantTrump’s attorney tonight reveals that Trump and his family were watching the FBI conduct the search from NY inside Mar-a-Lago on the security camera feed. pic.twitter.com/PU84lmLOxj
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) August 12, 2022
August 13, 2022 at 4:03 pm #140059znModeratorDoes anyone have Garrett Ziegler's address and email?
Asking for a country. https://t.co/ltvcQxRWvl
— Tony Snark (@RealTonySnark) August 13, 2022
August 24, 2022 at 5:33 pm #140252znModeratorAugust 26, 2022 at 12:39 pm #140290JackPMillerParticipantThe Affidavit is out, go to the site below, to read it.
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.617854/gov.uscourts.flsd.617854.98.0_1.pdf
August 26, 2022 at 4:45 pm #140291znModeratorThe Affidavit is out, go to the site below, to read it. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.617854/gov.uscourts.flsd.617854.98.0_1.pdf
Another incarnation of the same:
August 26, 2022 at 6:19 pm #140294znModeratorGail Mellor@authorpendragonTrump took documents that revealed the names and missions of US overseas agents and that are “Code Level Midnight,” information representing the gravest possible threat to our national security. The only possible reason is sale. He’s dying to get it back for buyer to have it.August 31, 2022 at 2:19 am #140366znModeratorBradley P. Moss@BradMossEsq
I have read the entire Government filing. I spend all day, every day, litigating against the Government, so some of this is familiar stuff to see. This particular brief is very well-done.Here are the highlights:
1) The facts. NARA negotiated in 2021 for the missing records. They finally got 15 boxes. After going through them and finding all kinds of classified records (not organized at all), they raised the alarm. They wanted to make a referral to the FBI but had to first consult with Trump’s team, per the PRA procedure. Trump’s team
delayed for weeks and weeks, and never substantively responded. Finally, NARA told Trump’s team they were making the referral and rejected the “protective” assertion of Executive Privilege.
2) At no time did Trump’s legal team file an action *at that point* to prevent the
referral to FBI.
3) The FBI reviewed the records and the criminal inquiry was opened. A grand jury subpoena was issued to Trump’s team. Again, they delayed and delayed in complying. Finally, in early June they agreed to a meeting at MAL to comply. They turned over more
classified records, and swore out a statement that they had done a diligent search, they had not found any more classified records, and any records that remained were in the storage room. They refused to let the FBI agents look at the boxes in the storage room.
4) The FBI gathered new evidence that there were in fact more classified records at MAL, including in locations outside of the storage room. They got the search warrant and found approximately 100 additional classified records, some located in Trump’s own office.
5) That is
straight up obstruction and concealment of classified records, and willfully retaining them in an unauthorized location.
6) Now come the legal arguments. First, DOJ says Trump lacks standing. The records are not his: they are the property of the US. Even if he wanted to claim
them as personal records, he never did so. He did not do so in 2021, he did not do so when subpoenaed, he never did it. He has no possessory interest in the records.
7) Second, they argue Trump is not entitled to any injunctive relief. Again, these are not his records, he
waited way too long to even try to stop the FBI from getting the records, he’s not entitled to relief given Executive Privilege would not apply, and even if it did the criminal investigative need outweighs it.
8) Third, the Special Master is moot. The A/C privilege records
were already separated and are set to be evaluated by the magistrate. The records Trump claims are covered by EP are not his anyway, and the Nixon precedents make clear he cannot invoke it to override the need to conduct a criminal investigation.
9) To sum it up, Trump took
PLAINLY MARKED classified records to MAL, he delayed, obstructed and resisted Government efforts to recover them, he (or his staff) concealed the records from investigators, and they got caught doing so.
/end
September 23, 2022 at 8:02 pm #140773znModeratorUNBELIEVABLE. A new Marquette Law School national survey finds that 33% of adults say they do not believe Donald Trump had “top secret and other classified material” at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
It's a cult.
— Jon Cooper (@joncoopertweets) September 23, 2022
April 2, 2023 at 7:35 pm #143385znModeratorNew: Trump has told advisers and associates that he’s prepared to escalate attacks against the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg now that he’s been formally charged — and remarked in a private moment that it’s time to politically “fuck em up”. @Guardian https://t.co/7n53MiLFBW
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) April 2, 2023
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