A judge ordered the Department of Justice’s warrant to search former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home unsealed Friday. The warrant and a receipt of items removed were subsequently released online.
The document authorized the seizure of any documents with classification markings and any boxes they might be found in as well as other boxes stored or found with those documents, information regarding national defense or classified material, any presidential records from the Trump administration and “Any evidence of the knowing alteration, destruction, or concealment of any government and/or Presidential Records, or of any documents with classification markings.”
The warrant gave federal agents the authority to search “the ’45 Office,’ all storage rooms, and all other rooms or areas within the premises used or available to be used by FPOTUS [former president of the United States] and his staff and in which boxes or documents could be stored, including all structures or buildings on the estate. It does not include areas currently (i.e., at the time of the search) being occupied, rented, or used by third parties (such as Mar-a-Largo Members) and not otherwise used or available to be used by FPOTUS and his staff, such as private guest suites.”
A receipt for what was removed from the Trump residence included nearly a dozen sets of confidential and classified documents, including some that were intended to be reviewed only in specified government facilities. The list of removed items also included nearly 20 boxes, hand-written notes and photographs.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the documents be released after the Justice Department made a motion to unseal Thursday and a subsequent filing was made saying Trump’s legal team did not oppose.
Trump issued a statement that all the documents were declassified and that the government could have had the documents back anytime they wanted.
“Number one, it was all declassified,” Trump said. “Number two, they didn’t need to ‘seize’ anything. They could have had it anytime they wanted without playing politics and breaking into Mar-a-Lago. It was in secured storage, with an additional lock put on as per their request.”
