This is evidenced by investigative documents that were made public on Friday. This investigation involves possible violations of the US Espionage Act.
The search warrant and related materials, declassified after a Florida judge’s decision, showed that FBI agents seized a significant amount of documents in the search.
The warrant, which was personally approved by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, authorized the FBI to search the private office and storage facilities at Trump’s residence.
It also authorized the FBI to seize documents and materials “unlawfully in the possession” of Trump. Trump is believed to have committed three criminal offenses by possessing the documents, including one under the Espionage Act, which criminalizes the unlawful acquisition or retention of national security information.
Trump, who is considering a possible run for the US presidency in 2024, condemned the FBI raid on his Florida home and claimed that all the materials seized during the raid were previously “declassified”.
“They shouldn’t have seized anything. They could have done it any time they wanted without political games and breaking into Mar-A-Lago,” Trump said on his social networking platform Truth Social.
Legal experts warned that the potential charges are still unclear and that Trump may not be suspected of espionage, although the warrant cites the Espionage Act.
Trump is under several investigations. One of these investigations is related to the fact that he took at least 15 boxes of government documents to Florida after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
The US Department of Justice is investigating the invasion of the US Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. Georgia is investigating Trump’s attempts to change the results of the 2020 presidential election, while New York is investigating his business practices.
–
