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The US Justice Department said it had evidence that documents that former President Trump took from the White House were later hidden at his Florida residence. According to the department, this happened to thwart an FBI investigation. Trump’s lawyer allegedly “explicitly prohibited” FBI agents from looking at boxes in a storage room at his home in June.
The department reported this in a new article submitted to a hearing on Trump’s request for the so-called special master to assign. This is an independent party that is sometimes appointed by a judge in sensitive cases to oversee the examination of documents. The hearing in this case will take place tomorrow.
The first picture
The 36-page submission also includes a stunning image, which appears prominently in all major US news media. It displays classified documents and perhaps even top-secret documents, scattered on the floor of Trump’s office at his Mar-a-Lago home.
This is the first time that an image of the now-loaded documents, which was the reason for the attack on Trump, has been shown. He himself describes the operation as being part of a “witch hunt” on him.
At least three highly classified documents have been printed on White House papers. News site Politico talks about an “amazing photo”.
US Department of Justice
Next to the documents is a box with framed covers of Time magazine. The department said the fact that the documents were among Trump’s personal belongings was “evidence closely related to the violations of the law under investigation.”
The ministry said at least three documents were found in a desk drawer. All presidential documents seized under the search warrant belong to the United States, not the former president.
Violation of the espionage law
At Trump’s request, the special master must assess whether documents taken in the August 8 search for Mar-a-Lago in the case should remain classified. This may be the case, for example, with some communications from the former president.
During the search, FBI agents confiscated about 20 boxes containing classified documents, folders with photos and a handwritten note. Trump may have violated the US Espionage Act by taking the documents and keeping them at home.
